The Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) is the document that unlocks most long-stay visa applications. It's issued by a regional immigration bureau in Japan, confirming that you meet the requirements for a specific status of residence — before you ever apply for the visa itself abroad.
Critically, you don't apply for your own CoE. A sponsor already in Japan does it on your behalf: your employer for work visas, your school for the student visa, your spouse for family-based visas, or you yourself (through your new company) for the Business Manager visa. This is why job offers, admission letters, or marriage registration typically need to be finalized before the CoE process can even start.
Once issued, the CoE is generally valid for three months, giving you a window to take it to a Japanese embassy or consulate, get the visa itself stamped in your passport, and travel. If you don't make it within that window, the CoE expires and the sponsor has to reapply.
Processing at the immigration bureau typically runs 1–3 months depending on visa category and bureau workload — see Processing Times for category-specific expectations, and Required Documents Checklist for what the sponsor needs to submit.
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