Certificate of Eligibility is issued before a visa application by a regional immigration authority under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice.

Application for issuance of a certificate of eligibility may be made on behalf of the applicant by a proxy, such as a business proprietor planning to employ the applicant at the nearest regional immigration office in Japan.

Immigration information centers have been established at the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka regional immigration offices, as well as at the Yokohama and Kobe branch offices. Personnel at these locations are prepared to respond to inquiries, both in person and by telephone, in Japanese and in foreign languages such as English, Korean, Chinese, and Spanish.

Also please note that the regional immigration offices, branch offices, and sub-branch offices without information centers do have administrative counseling counters where applicants may request information and assistance.

For more information:

Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (The Ministry of Justice)