Certificate of Authorized Employment in Japan — When to Get One, How to Apply, and What It Means for Employers

A Certificate of Authorized Employment is a document in which the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) certifies the work a foreign national residing in Japan may do under their current status of residence, that is, activities that involve running a business that generates income or activities for which they receive remuneration (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (ICRRA), Article 19-2, paragraph 1). Getting one is optional, and you can work without it. It is useful after a job change, as a way to confirm that the new job falls within your current status of residence without waiting for your next extension of period of stay.

For an overview of work-related statuses of residence, see our basic guide to applying for a work visa.

What Is a Certificate of Authorized Employment?

A Certificate of Authorized Employment is issued at the foreign national’s request and states specifically what work they may do. The name follows the English title on the ISA application form. In Japanese, it is called shuro shikaku shomeisho.

ISA’s explanation page on the Certificate of Authorized Employment describes the purpose of the system as follows. Whether a foreign national may work can be checked on the residence card, the landing permission stamp in the passport, or a permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence. However, what work is specifically allowed may not be clear without looking up the activities listed for each status of residence in the appended tables of the ICRRA. To help both employers and foreign nationals, the law therefore allows ISA to issue, at the foreign national’s request, a certificate that specifically states the work they may do.

It Is Not a Work Permit

A Certificate of Authorized Employment does not authorize anyone to work. The same explanation page states that whether a foreign national may work is determined by the type of status of residence and whether they hold permission for activity outside their status. The certificate itself is therefore not a permit to work, and its absence does not mean the person cannot work.

In other words, if a new job falls outside your current status of residence, applying for this certificate will not make that job lawful. What you need in that case is an application for permission to change status of residence (or permission for activity outside your status).

Is It Mandatory?

No. It is optional. ICRRA Article 19-2, paragraph 1 provides that the certificate may be issued “when an application is filed,” so it is issued only when the foreign national asks for it.

ISA’s Q&A on immigration and residence examinations (Q68) also states that a foreign national may work without this certificate, and that when hiring, it is sufficient to confirm a work-eligible status of residence or permission for activity outside the status through the passport stamp, the residence card, or similar documents.

No Unfavorable Treatment for Not Presenting It

ICRRA Article 19-2, paragraph 2 provides that, when the work a foreign national may do is clear, no one may treat them unfavorably in hiring or similar situations because they do not present or submit the certificate. Employers should be careful about requiring the certificate from every foreign applicant as a condition of hiring.

When Is It Useful?

The certificate is most useful when you change jobs partway through your period of stay and your next extension is still some time away.

After a Job Change

If you hold a status such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services or Skilled Labor and change jobs, you do not need to change your status of residence as long as the new job falls within the activities of your current status.

However, whether the new job falls within that scope can be hard for the employee or the employer to judge alone. ISA’s Q&A (Q36) states that even if your period of stay still has two years left and the new job is similar to the previous one, you can obtain certification by applying for a Certificate of Authorized Employment if you want to confirm that the new job is covered by your current status.

Relationship to Your Next Extension

For those with a period of stay of six months or more, applications for extension of period of stay are accepted from three months before the period expires (ISA: Application for Extension of Period of Stay). If more than three months remain when you change jobs, you cannot yet apply for an extension.

At the next extension, your post-change job is examined. For example, for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, ISA asks applicants filing their first extension after moving to a Category 3 or 4 organization to submit, in addition to the usual documents, materials showing the content of their activities (such as a document stating the working conditions), a certificate of registered matters, materials describing the business, and a copy of the financial statements for the most recent fiscal year, among others (ISA: Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services).

In our view, if you cannot yet apply for an extension at the time of the job change, it is advisable to apply for a Certificate of Authorized Employment and obtain ISA’s judgment on the new job first. If you only learn at the time of extension that the new job falls outside your status, the work you have done until then may become a problem (see below). That said, an extension is granted only when there are “reasonable grounds” to find it appropriate (ICRRA Article 21, paragraph 3), and we do not consider that holding the certificate guarantees your next extension.

If you are already within the window for an extension when you change jobs, ISA’s Q&A (Q35) says to apply for an extension of period of stay if the new job’s activities are the same as those of your current status, or for a change of status of residence if they differ, in either case before your period of stay expires.

The Job-Change Notification Is a Separate Requirement

Separately from the certificate, holders of statuses such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services must notify the Commissioner of ISA within 14 days when their contract with the previous employer ends and within 14 days when they sign a contract with a new employer (ICRRA Article 19-16; ISA: Notification on the Organization to Which the Foreign National Belongs). The certificate is optional, but this notification is mandatory.

Who Can Apply

Foreign nationals who are permitted to work in Japan can apply. The examination standard on ISA’s Certificate of Authorized Employment application page requires one of the following:

• Holding a status of residence in Appended Table 1 of the ICRRA under which work is permitted
• Holding a status under which work is not permitted (such as Student or Dependent) together with permission for activity outside the status
• Holding a status with no restriction on work (such as Permanent Resident or Long-Term Resident)

The list of required documents on the same page also treats Special Permanent Residents as eligible applicants.

Who Can Submit the Application

The application may be submitted by the applicant, the applicant’s legal representative, or an agent. Agents include staff of the applicant’s employer or similar organizations approved by the Director General of the Regional Immigration Services Bureau, and attorneys or gyoseishoshi (nationally licensed legal professionals qualified to prepare and submit official documents to government agencies) who have notified the Director General of the Regional Immigration Services Bureau and are engaged by the applicant.

How to Apply

You apply at the regional immigration services office with jurisdiction over your place of residence. ISA’s Q&A (Q37) states that you cannot apply at the office with jurisdiction over your workplace. Online applications are also available, and can be used by the foreign national themselves (mid- to long-term residents aged 15 or older who have a My Number Card) and by gyoseishoshi who have filed the required notification, among others (ISA: Online Residence Application Procedures).

The application form is prescribed by the Ordinance for Enforcement of the ICRRA (Article 19-4, paragraph 1, Appended Form No. 29-5). On the form, you enter your status of residence and period of stay, as well as the activity you want certified, the period of work, and the purpose of use (sample of a completed application form (PDF)).

A fee is payable when the certificate is issued. For in-person applications, you pay by revenue stamp. For online applications filed on or after October 1, 2026, revenue stamps cannot be used: you pay by convenience store or bank payment, and a separate payment processing fee applies (ISA: Fee Amounts and Payment Methods for Online Applications). The amount differs between in-person and online applications. Please check the current amount on the ISA application page mentioned above and in this notice.

As of October 2026, the standard processing period is “the same day (one to three months where the employer has changed, for example).”

Required Documents

The required documents depend on whether your employer or the content of your work has changed since you received permission to work. If it has changed, you also submit documents describing the new employer and work in detail.

If your employer or work has changed (for example, after a job change)

Document	Notes
Application form for a Certificate of Authorized Employment	ISA form
Residence card	Present. If someone else applies for you, you carry a copy and the person visiting the office brings your residence card
Passport or certificate of status of residence	Present. If you cannot, a written explanation of the reason
Permission for activity outside the status	Present only if you have one
Identification documents	Present when an agent submits the application
Documents describing the new employer and work in detail	Only if these have changed, such as after a job change

If your employer and work have not changed, if you hold a status with no restriction on work, or if you are a Special Permanent Resident, you apply with the documents above except the last one (Special Permanent Residents present their Special Permanent Resident Certificate instead of a residence card).

ISA does not specify what counts as “documents describing the new employer and work in detail.” You choose materials that allow the examiner to judge whether the work you want certified falls within your current status of residence. We recommend preparing, according to your status of residence, materials showing the terms of the employment contract and working conditions, the specific duties of the position, and the employer’s business.

What Can Happen If You Do Not Get One

There is no penalty for not obtaining the certificate. The problem arises if the new job turns out to fall outside your current status of residence.

• For the foreign national: Receiving remuneration for work outside the scope of your status is prohibited unless you hold permission for activity outside the status (ICRRA Article 19, paragraph 1). Violations can be subject to criminal penalties (ICRRA Article 73, or Article 70, paragraph 1, item 4 where the person is clearly found to be engaged exclusively in such work). A person who is not engaging in the activities of their status and is engaging, or intends to engage, in other activities may also have their status of residence revoked, unless there is a justifiable reason (ICRRA Article 22-4, paragraph 1, item 5).
• At the next extension: If ISA finds that the post-change job does not fall under your status, your extension may not be granted.

We see the certificate as a way to avoid these situations at the time of the job change.

What It Means for Employers

For employers, the certificate is a document that confirms, as ISA’s judgment, whether a foreign national they plan to hire may do the work planned for them.

When the Residence Card Alone Is Not Enough

ISA’s Q&A (Q67) advises employers to check the status of residence on the passport or residence card, and states that holders of work-related statuses may be hired if the planned work falls under their status. It adds that where this is hard to judge, it can be confirmed through an application for a Certificate of Authorized Employment.

For work-related statuses, the residence card alone may not tell you whether the work you plan falls within the activities of that status. ISA’s explanation page mentioned above also notes that what activities are specifically allowed may not be clear without consulting the appended tables of the ICRRA.

Relationship to the Crime of Facilitating Illegal Employment

Anyone who has a foreign national engage in illegal work in connection with their business activities is subject to punishment for the crime of facilitating illegal employment (ICRRA Article 73-2, paragraph 1, item 1). Not knowing that the work fell outside the activities of the person’s status of residence is no defense, except where there was no negligence (paragraph 2 of the same Article).

When hiring a mid-career candidate whose status and job are a borderline fit, we consider it one option to suggest that the candidate apply for a Certificate of Authorized Employment around the time they join. Keep in mind, however, that obtaining it is up to the candidate, and that, when the work they may do is clear, they may not be treated unfavorably for not presenting it (ICRRA Article 19-2, paragraph 2).

For detailed requirements of the statuses commonly held by mid-career hires, see also our Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa guide and our guide to types of residence status.

How We Can Help

AEGIS International Administrative Firm assists both foreign nationals who are changing jobs and companies hiring foreign nationals with Certificate of Authorized Employment applications.

• Checking the new job against your status: We review whether the duties at the new employer fall within the activities of your current status of residence. If they may not, we also assess whether a change of status of residence is needed
• Preparing and filing the application: We prepare the application form, help assemble materials explaining the duties, and submit the application to ISA through our office’s application filing service (shinsei toritsugi)
• Organizing the whole job-change process: We map out the related procedures, including the deadline for the notification on your organization and the timing of your next extension
• Pre-hiring checks for employers: We check how a candidate’s status of residence relates to the planned duties and propose next steps, including the use of the certificate

If you have accepted a new job, or your company plans to hire a foreign national mid-career, please feel free to contact us.