Japan Work Visa (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities): Complete Guide 2026

The work visa: the royal road to settling in Japan

Have you landed a job in Japan or are you aiming for a career in the land of the rising sun? The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務) visa is the key you need. It's the most commonly issued work visa to foreigners — by far. Every year, thousands of French people obtain it to work in IT, engineering, international trade, language teaching, or marketing.

Unlike the Working Holiday, this visa allows you to settle permanently in Japan. It is renewable, opens the way to permanent residency, and above all, it gives you a real professional status. But there is a necessary step: finding a Japanese employer willing to sponsor you. We break down the whole process.

Understanding the 3 categories of the visa

The full name of this visa is quite long, and for good reason: it actually covers three distinct profiles:

1. Engineer (技術 - Gijutsu)

For technical and scientific professions:

• Software developer, computer engineer, data scientist
• Mechanical, electronic, chemical engineer
• Architect, civil engineer
• Any position requiring technical or scientific knowledge

2. Specialist in Humanities (人文知識 - Jinbun Chishiki)

For professions in the humanities and business:

• Finance, accounting, human resources
• Marketing, communication, public relations
• Law, economics, management
• Design, architecture (design aspect)

3. International Services (国際業務 - Kokusai Gyōmu)

For professions that require a foreign cultural or linguistic sensitivity:

• Translation, interpretation
• Language teaching (French, English) outside the public school system
• International trade, import/export
• International public relations
• International tourism, guide

The International Services category is often the one that concerns French people, because it values your culture and native language as a professional skill.

The conditions for obtaining this visa

Candidate side: what you must have

• A university degree (minimum bachelor's degree, 3 years of higher education) in a field related to the position. This is the main condition. The degree does not need to be Japanese — your French degree is recognized.
• OR 10 years of professional experience in the field (3 years for the International Services category). This alternative is useful if you do not have a university degree but a solid career.
• A employment contract or a job offer from a Japanese company. This is non-negotiable: no employer, no visa.

Important point about the degree: the link between your degree and your position is verified by immigration. If you have a degree in modern literature and you apply as a developer, it may be problematic. On the other hand, if you have a degree in computer science and you apply as a software engineer, it is obvious. For the International Services category, the link is more flexible — being French and having any degree may be enough for a position as a French teacher.

Employer side: what they must do

The employer bears the majority of the administrative burden. They must:

• Be a legally registered company in Japan
• Prove that they need a foreign employee for this position (no discrimination, but a justification of the specific need)
• Offer a salary comparable to that of a Japanese person in the same position. Immigration verifies that you are not underpaid.
• Be financially stable: a company in financial difficulty will have difficulty sponsoring a visa
• Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility from the immigration office

The complete procedure: from recruitment to visa

Step 1: Find an employer

This is the first and often the biggest obstacle. The most used recruitment sites to find a job in Japan from abroad:

• GaijinPot Jobs: the largest job site for foreigners in Japan
• Daijob: specialized in bilingual/trilingual positions
• LinkedIn: increasingly used by international Japanese companies
• Indeed Japan: Japanese version, many offers
• Robert Walters Japan, Michael Page Japan: recruitment firms specialized for international profiles
• Japan Dev: specialized in tech/development

Step 2: The Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)

Once you have a contract or a job offer, your employer must apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書 zairyū shikaku nintei shōmeisho) from the regional immigration office in Japan. This is the key document that proves that you meet the conditions for the visa.

Documents that the employer must provide:

• CoE application form
• Copy of your passport and your degree
• Your detailed CV
• Employment contract or letter of job offer
• Financial documents of the company (balance sheet, commercial register)
• Description of the position and justification of the need for a foreign employee
• Business plan (for small businesses)

DelayOfficial Resources

• Immigration Services Agency of Japan — visa procedures and Certificate of Eligibility
• Embassy of Japan in France — Visas
• French Embassy in Japan — consular services