Vietnam Documents for Japan Work Visa: The Complete Checklist

The document burden for a Japan work visa from Vietnam is higher than for most other destination countries. This is partly because Vietnam has its own certification requirements that do not exist for applicants from some other countries — specifically around criminal record certificates, degree verification, and the tuberculosis pre-screening. Getting any one of these wrong delays the entire application.

This guide covers every document you need, where to get it, what validity window applies, and the common preparation mistakes.

The Certificate of Eligibility (COE): Where the Process Actually Starts

Everything in the Japan work visa process flows from the Certificate of Eligibility (COE). This is the document that your employer (or sending organization) applies for on your behalf at the Regional Immigration Bureau in Japan. You cannot apply for the Japan visa itself until the COE is issued.

What it is: The COE is Japan's pre-approval document — it confirms that the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) has reviewed the application and determined that you qualify for the visa status you are applying for. Without it, the Japanese Embassy will not issue a work visa (with very limited exceptions for some short-term professional stays).

Who applies: Your employer in Japan submits the COE application, not you. For SSW applicants, the sending organization handles this in coordination with the Japanese employer. For engineer/specialist visa applicants, the employer's HR team or a legal representative submits directly.

What your employer needs from you (your Vietnam-side documents) to file the COE:

• Degree certificate and transcripts (for the engineer visa) — certified Japanese translation and notarized copy
• Skills test and language test certificates (for SSW)
• Your passport details
• Resume or employment history

Processing time: One to three months from submission at the Regional Immigration Bureau. Tokyo and Osaka bureaus tend to be faster; regional bureaus in smaller cities can take longer.

COE validity: Three months from the date of issuance. You must submit your visa application at the embassy within this window.

Digital COE: Since 2023, Japan's ISA issues COEs digitally. Your employer receives a PDF with a QR code that you print and bring to the embassy. This is now the standard — paper COEs still exist but are less common.

Lý Lịch Tư Pháp (Judicial Record Certificate / Police Clearance)

This document — formally called the "Certificate of No Criminal Record" — is mandatory for all Japan work visa types. It is the Vietnamese equivalent of a police clearance certificate.

Important change as of March 1, 2025: The authority to issue lý lịch tư pháp has shifted from provincial Departments of Justice to provincial Police departments in some areas. Confirm the current issuing authority at your provincial level before applying.

How to apply:

• Online through the National Public Service Portal (dichvucong.gov.vn) — requires VNeID Level 2 identification
• In person at the issuing office (bring originals of your ID card and household registration book)

Processing time: 10 to 15 working days (standard); expedited options may be available depending on your province.

Validity: Most Japanese immigration bureaus require the certificate to be issued within the last six months. Plan accordingly — this is one of the most time-sensitive documents in your package.

Which number: You need Lý Lịch Tư Pháp Number 1 (for individuals, not organizations). Number 2 is for judicial history used in legal proceedings and is not required for visa purposes.

Translation and notarization: The certificate must be translated into Japanese by a certified translator and notarized at a "Văn phòng công chứng." Do not skip this step.

Degree Certificate and Transcript Verification

Standard Notarization Requirements

For the engineer/specialist visa, your university degree certificate and transcripts must be:

1. Translated into Japanese by a certified translator
2. The translation must be notarized at a Vietnamese notarization office
3. The original Vietnamese certificate is submitted alongside the translation

The cost for Vietnamese-to-Japanese translation and notarization at a professional office is typically 500,000 to 1,500,000 VND per document, depending on document length.

VN-NARIC Verification (Increasingly Required)

In addition to the notarized copies, some Regional Immigration Bureaus — particularly in Tokyo — now request independent degree verification through VN-NARIC (the Center for Recognition of Degrees and Certificates under Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training).

How it works:

1. Register at naric.edu.vn
2. Upload scanned copies of your degree and transcripts
3. Pay the verification fee (approximately 90,000 VND per degree)
4. Receive a digital certificate with a QR code that Japanese officers can scan to verify authenticity

Processing time: One to two weeks.

Strategic advice: Even if VN-NARIC verification is not explicitly required for your target bureau, submitting it proactively eliminates the most common request for supplemental documents. It costs little and adds credibility to your application.

Health Examination (Giấy Khám Sức Khỏe)

A medical health certificate is required for all Japan work visa categories. The examination must be conducted at a hospital authorized by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health for overseas worker examinations.

Designated hospitals by region:

What is tested: The exam covers general physical health including blood pressure, vision, hearing, and musculoskeletal assessment. Blood tests screen for HIV/AIDS, syphilis, and hepatitis B/C. Chest X-ray for respiratory conditions.

Disqualifying conditions: Active tuberculosis, untreated HIV/AIDS, untreated syphilis, and severe forms of hepatitis B or C can result in medical rejection. For nursing care and construction roles, physical fitness standards are applied more rigorously.

Validity: Confirm the validity period with your employer or sending organization — health certificates are typically required to be issued within three to six months of the visa application.

JPETS Tuberculosis Screening (SSW and TITP/Ikusei Shuro Applicants)

Vietnam is one of six countries where Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare mandates a pre-entry TB screening (JPETS — Japan Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening). This is separate from the general health examination.

The screening must be done at a MHLW-designated Panel Clinic (not the same list as the general health examination hospitals). Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi and Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City are among the designated facilities.

Result: A TB Clearance Certificate valid for 180 days from the X-ray date.

Critical timing issue: If the COE application takes longer than expected to process, your TB Clearance Certificate can expire before you submit the visa application. Time the JPETS screening for after your employer has submitted the COE application in Japan, not at the very beginning of your document preparation.

Pre-Departure Training (Đào Tạo Trước Khi Xuất Cảnh)

For SSW and Ikusei Shuro workers going through a Vietnamese sending organization, pre-departure training is mandatory under DOLAB regulations.

What training covers: Japanese language basics (if not already passed through the formal test), Japanese workplace culture and customs, Japanese labor law fundamentals, your legal rights in Japan, safety and occupational health procedures for your specific industry, and an orientation on support organizations available to you in Japan (JITCO, OTIT hotlines, Vietnamese Embassy contact).

Duration: Varies by agency and program, typically ranging from one to twelve months depending on how much language training is included. Agencies that emphasize twelve-month programs often include extended Japanese language instruction.

Cost: Legitimate pre-departure training costs for a three-year SSW contract are included within the 3,600 USD service fee cap set by DOLAB. If your agency charges separately for training on top of the service fee, that is a violation of the fee cap.

Employer (Sponsor) Requirements

For the engineer visa, your Japanese employer must demonstrate to immigration that they are a legitimate, financially stable company capable of employing you.

What the employer must provide in the COE application:

• Company registration documents (商業登記簿謄本)
• Recent financial statements showing the company is solvent
• Tax compliance records (confirmed no outstanding tax liabilities)
• Employment contract with your name, job title, specific duties, and salary
• A detailed explanation of why your degree qualifies you for this specific role (often formatted as a letter from HR)

For smaller companies: Japanese immigration scrutinizes employer financial health more carefully for small companies (under 50 employees). Startups and young companies may face requests for additional financial documentation or guarantees.

For SSW applicants: The employer must be registered with the ISA as an "accepting organization" (受け入れ機関) and must have contracted with a Registered Support Organization (RSO) for the ten mandatory support services — or provide those services in-house if they qualify.

The Embassy Interview

Japan does not conduct interviews for most work visa applications — the COE process functions as the primary evaluation. Once the COE is issued, the embassy application is largely a document verification step.

However, for certain complex cases — particularly first-time applicants from visa categories with higher scrutiny, or applications with unusual documentation — the embassy may request an interview. If this happens, prepare to explain:

• How your educational background relates to the role in Japan
• Why you chose this employer and this industry
• Your understanding of the employment terms

There are no trick questions in these interviews. The purpose is document clarification, not investigation. Answer consistently with what your documents show.

The Full Document Checklist at a Glance

For engineer/specialist visa applicants:

• [ ] Degree certificate — certified Japanese translation + notarized
• [ ] University transcripts — certified Japanese translation + notarized
• [ ] VN-NARIC verification certificate
• [ ] Lý lịch tư pháp No. 1 — certified Japanese translation + notarized (within 6 months)
• [ ] Medical health certificate from designated hospital (within 3–6 months)
• [ ] Passport (with sufficient validity)
• [ ] 4cm × 3cm visa photos
• [ ] Employment contract from Japanese employer (employer-side, submitted by employer)
• [ ] Resume in Japanese or English

For SSW applicants, add:

• [ ] Skills Evaluation Test pass certificate (industry-specific)
• [ ] JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 pass certificate
• [ ] JPETS TB Clearance Certificate from designated Panel Clinic (within 180 days)
• [ ] Pre-departure training completion certificate from sending organization
• [ ] Sending organization verification (OTIT and DOLAB registration numbers)

The Vietnam to Japan Work Visa Guide covers each of these documents in detail — where to get them, current fees, processing times, and how to sequence the preparation so nothing expires before you need it.

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