Student Visa Info

Required Documents for a CoE:

Documents required for getting a CoE differ depending on your financial condition. The Immigration Office will strictly examine the financial status. In order to avoid any suspicion on the part of the Ministry of Justice, please carefully check all your certificates before sending them to IUJ to be sure that all lettering, seals and stamps in your certificates are clear.

Please check the chart below and see what you are required to prepare for a CoE.

Please prepare the following documents according to the chart above.

Explanation of Each Document noted above

1. Application form

Please fill out the application form by typing and send it back to the OSS via email (oss@iuj.ac.jp) by the deadline instructed by the OSS.

Please refer to the samples of how to fill out the application form when filling it out.

  • Note to students whose names include characters other than Roman letters A-Z (also referred to as Classic Latin characters): Please write down your “Name” using alphabet (Roman) characters exactly as it appears in the machine readable part of your passport in the item 3 (Name) in the application form. Please do not use non-Roman alphabet characters such as ë, ä, ö, ů, ĕ and etc.

2. Copy of your passport

Please send a clear copy of your identification page(s) with photo, date of birth, place of birth, validity date, and passport number to OSS via email. Be sure this passport will be valid for at least a full 6 months after your arrival at IUJ. If it will expire sooner than 6 months, have it renewed or apply for a new passport now. Passport with less than 6 months validity will be rejected by Japan’s immigration officials.

3. Mailing address

Please submit a designated Word form with your mailing address where we can reach you. IUJ will use this address to send you your CoE. Check that the address is accurate and complete. You can download the form from the button below:

4.  Photo

Please be sure the size is accurate (3cm wide x 4cm long), the background should be plain white or light blue, and it must have been taken within the past 3 months. If you are wearing a head covering for religious or medical reasons, you are required to submit a letter explaining the reasons (there is no set format).

5. Extra documentation on financial backing (Plus Birth Certificate and Statement )

If you are self-supported or awarded/nominated for a scholarship that does not cover a monthly stipend, you need to show to the Japanese Ministry of Justice that you have sufficient funds to cover the expenses during your stay at IUJ. This documentation can be:

  • Copy of a student loan contract,
  • Scholarship award (from sources outside the IUJ scholarship program), or
  • Official statement of your (or your sponsor’s) bank account.

All documents should include the institution’s name and logo, address, tel/fax number, and the institution manager’s name, title, and signature.

If you will have the financial backing of your family member or another “sponsor”, you will also need to present: 
a) Your birth certificate to prove the relationship between you and the family member supporting you,
b) A signed statement (sample below) demonstrating that your family member guarantees to support you through your IUJ studies, and
c) A notarized English translation of a) and b) above, if they are written in a language other than English.

The Immigration Office does not indicate exactly how much money is sufficient. According to our experiences, however, your CoE application is most likely to be accepted if you (or your sponsor) maintain the balance as in the table below:

Note to applicants nominated to the ADB, KMMF, AEON, JERA, Mitsubishi UFJ and Mitsui Scholarship: 

The result of scholarship selection will be announced in late July. In order to obtain a CoE in time, however, you need to prepare your application before the screening results are announced. Please leave the scholarship-related sections in the application form blank, and send all the required documents to IUJ as soon as possible.

6. Sponsorship statement

If you are a company/government employee and your employer sponsors your studies at IUJ, please attach the original statement of sponsorship from your sponsor. The statement must include the following contents:
(1) Proof that you are currently employed by the company/government;
(2) Proof that you will be financially supported by the company/government; and
(3) Conditions of the sponsorship (ie, period of sponsorship, amount, etc.)

7. Scholarship award

If you are awarded a scholarship which is not arranged through IUJ, you are required to submit the scholarship award information (including scholarship name, period of grant, amount, etc.)