Indonesian nationals applying to live in Japan will have to prove they do not have active tuberculosis. Designated clinics in Indonesia start accepting bookings for Japan's pre-entry tuberculosis screening on 2 November 2026, and from 4 January 2027 the resulting certificate must be filed with a certificate of eligibility or visa application.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced the rollout on 25 September 2026, revising its screening guideline the same day, and published the clinic list on 9 October 2026. Indonesia is the fourth country in the programme, after the Philippines and Nepal from 24 March 2025 and Vietnam from 26 May 2025.
What the certificate is and where it attaches
The document is a 結核非発病証明書, certifying that the holder does not have active tuberculosis. A designated clinic issues it after a chest X-ray, and it is valid for 180 days from the date of that X-ray. Where the applicant has had close contact with someone diagnosed with infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, validity drops to 90 days.
It is filed at the certificate of eligibility stage. An applicant going straight to a Japanese mission without one files it with the visa application instead, and submitting it at the certificate of eligibility stage covers the later visa application. Copies and scans are accepted, so the original does not have to travel.
A transitional rule protects applications already in train: a certificate of eligibility filed before 4 January 2027 and then granted does not trigger a fresh screening requirement at the visa stage.
Ten designated clinics, seven cities
As of 9 October 2026 the Ministry listed ten designated clinics: four in Jakarta, and one each in Tangerang, Bandung, Semarang, Kuta, Surabaya and Makassar. More will be added as they are ready.
Only designated clinics count: a clean result from any other hospital will not be accepted, which matters for applicants outside those seven cities. Fees are paid by the applicant and set by each clinic, not the Ministry.
Children are included. Under-fives get a chest X-ray only where tuberculosis is suspected, and a tuberculin test or IGRA otherwise. An applicant found to have active tuberculosis must complete treatment before being screened again, then submit a treatment completion report.
If you live in Japan and hold a residence card
The screening is built around people entering Japan, and the guideline excludes anyone holding a re-entry permit, including deemed re-entry permission. An Indonesian national living in Japan who visits home and returns on their residence card, having ticked the re-entry box on the departure record, is outside the programme. The departure and arrival routine does not change.
The requirement attaches to certificate of eligibility and visa applications, not to an extension or a change of status filed at an immigration office in Japan. The guideline puts no screening step on either.
One edge deserves attention. The exclusion is written around holding a re-entry permit. A resident who stays abroad past the one-year deemed re-entry window loses that cover and must apply for a fresh certificate of eligibility, which is an application within scope.
If you are sponsoring family or hiring from Indonesia
This is where residents are affected directly. An Indonesian spouse, child or parent applying from Indonesia on a dependent visa route falls within scope from 4 January 2027, as does any Indonesian hire whose employer files a certificate of eligibility for them. The person in Japan assembles the paperwork; the person in Indonesia has to book the clinic and sit the X-ray. Plan around the 180-day validity window, not the filing date alone.
Nationality drives this, not current address. An Indonesian national whose residence permit shows they live in a country outside the programme is excluded.
Specified Skilled Workers and scholarship students sit outside it
An exemption list applies for the time being, covering several of the largest Indonesian routes into Japan: Specified Skilled Worker holders, EPA nurses and care workers, government-funded students, JET participants, JICA trainees, JDS students, Japan Foundation invitees and the domestic support worker scheme. These routes already involve chest X-ray screening of their own, and the guideline calls the exemption temporary.
Myanmar and China are designated, with no dates
The revised guideline names six target countries: the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar and China. The last two are marked as still being arranged, with no start date. China is the consequential one, given the size of the flow.
Anyone expecting to file a certificate of eligibility for an Indonesian national close to 4 January 2027 should book the clinic in November rather than December. The clinic list and booking route are on the Ministry's screening portal.
Sources: MHLW — Starting pre-entry tuberculosis screening in Indonesia, MHLW — Japan Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening, MHLW — Screening implementation guideline, 25 September 2026 revision, Immigration Services Agency — Pre-entry tuberculosis screening