A Practical Guide to Moving to Tokyo for Work (2022)

This post records the procedures I went through after receiving a job offer in Japan: what to do before leaving, and what to do after arriving. It includes applying for a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE), obtaining an ERFS certificate, applying for an entry visa, registering your address on your residence card, getting a resident record (住民票), applying for a My Number, exchanging a driver’s license, opening a bank account, and more. My experience is mainly based on Tokyo, and the details may differ somewhat across regions in Japan.

(Senso-ji Kaminarimon, from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)

¶ Before Going to Japan

After you finalize the job, the first step is signing the employment contract. Then there is usually a background check, and after that you start the CoE process (Certificate of Eligibility). Once you receive the CoE, the company will help you apply for an ERFS certificate. With both the CoE and ERFS, you can apply for a visa at the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association.

¶ Getting the Offer

If you are interested in how to find a job, you can refer to my previous post: “2022 海外新卒找日本東京軟體工程師工作經驗分享”. I think engineering roles broadly can use that post as a reference. Japan likes and needs STEM talent, and I believe that anyone determined to work in Japan can find a job.

¶ Background Check

I am not sure if every company does a background check, but I assume most do. My company outsourced it to a third-party vendor. I filled out some background information on their website and uploaded my bachelor’s and master’s diplomas. If you have prior work experience, they may call your previous employer to verify it.

¶ CoE and ERFS

Japan’s visa process, roughly speaking, works like this: Japan first reviews whether you are eligible to reside in Japan. If approved, they issue a status document (CoE), and only then do you apply for the entry visa in your home country. This order is the complete opposite of Italy: for Italy, the visa application is where they check eligibility, and you only apply for the residence permit after you arrive.

The company handles the CoE application. You only need three documents:

• Application form (provided by the company)
• Proof of education (photo or scan)
• Digital ID photo (this will be the photo used on your residence card later)

My visa category was “高度専門職１号ロ”, so I am not sure whether the requirements differ across visa types.

The process is roughly:

1. Submit the CoE application to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau (1-2 months)
2. Immigration sends the CoE back to the company
3. The company sends the CoE to Taiwan via DHL
4. The company registers ERFS for you

“高度専門職１号ロ” applications should be prioritized, and in normal times it should be completed within two weeks. But in 2022, Japan had just reopened, and everything was massively backlogged. I received my CoE almost a month later (the issuance itself was about two weeks, but my company notified me close to a month later). The whole CoE process is basically mailing around a single piece of paper, which feels pretty meaningless. I think once it is approved, issuing a digital document should be enough. Anyway, after the company notified me that it was shipped, it arrived at my home about two days later. The package contained two sheets: the original CoE, and a preliminary score sheet for highly skilled professionals (Mujin directly added 20 points for me, so I hit 80 points immediately 😆).

(Sample CoE)

At the same time, the company registered ERFS for me (something like an insurance-related requirement at the time), and I received the ERFS document digitally.

(Sample ERFS certificate)

¶ Applying for a Japanese Entry Visa

In 2022, during the pandemic era, you still could not relax even after receiving the CoE. The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association was overwhelmed with visa applications. At that time, you had to email them to make an appointment. For work visas, they would only give you an appointment if you provided both the CoE and ERFS. So if you wanted to start work earlier, you should push the company to send you the documents early, and as soon as you receive them, email immediately to reserve a slot. For me, I got a reply after two business days. Based on others’ experience, the response time ranged from one to three days.

I received my CoE at the end of June and emailed for an appointment in early July, and the earliest slot was already in early August. The situation has only gotten worse. Thankfully, I traveled in Germany in July, otherwise waiting in Taiwan for the visa process would have been very boring.

According to the requirements, all photocopies must be single-sided A4:

• Visa application form (attach a 2-inch, white-background ID photo taken within the last 6 months)
  The applicant must sign personally, matching the passport signature
• Original passport and a copy of the passport photo page
• Original national ID (or residence permit for third-country applicants) and copies of both sides
• Original CoE and copies of both sides
• ERFS certificate

Some translations on the Chinese application form were weird. For example, “workplace name and address” means your current employer if you are currently employed, but I initially thought it meant the company I was going to. For “guarantor in Japan”, you can just fill in the company name; since it is a company, for gender/birthday you can write N/A. For “address”, you can write your intended hotel, or ask your company what to put. Even though my company arranged housing, I still used the address shown on the ERFS certificate (a different hotel). For fields not present on the form, write N/A; even if you have no alias, write that. Because the form is in Chinese, Chinese should be acceptable, but I still recommend filling everything in English (especially addresses and company names).

On the appointment date, you go to the Association, line up, and submit the documents. I waited about 30 minutes in line, and the counter interaction took only about 5 minutes. They told me to pick up the visa after three business days. On the pickup day, I again waited about 30 minutes, and then finally got the visa I had been dreaming about!

¶ PCR and MySOS

If you are reading this in the post-Covid era, you can skip this section.

At that time, to enter Japan you needed a PCR test within 72 hours. The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association had a list of domestic medical institutions they recognized, so you had to check their website to find which institutions near you were approved. Japan also required a specific PCR report format. Although they said you could use a different format as long as the report contained all required information, to be safe, it was better to use the designated format.

Based on my experience at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, I booked a PCR test two days before my flight. The next day, I could pick up the PCR result. You also needed to print Japan’s required form in advance. After receiving the report, you then took the Japanese form and went through the “fit-to-fly certification” process. The PCR process at Taipei Veterans General Hospital was extremely complicated and had a terrible user experience. I also want to complain: I have never seen a country where PCR costs more than NT$2,000, but in Taiwan it cost NT$3,500 🙃. That said, Japan still requiring PCR to enter was also quite behind the times.

After you get your PCR report, you can download the “MySOS” app. This was the app the Japanese government required you to use for entry. After you open MySOS, you register (it has Chinese, so I will not explain in detail), fill in basic info and flight info, upload your vaccination record (I got all three doses in Italy, so I uploaded the Italian proof), and upload the original PCR report plus the Japan-format form. If everything goes smoothly, MySOS will show “blue”, which means you can clear entry procedures quickly after landing.

¶ Multi-Currency Card and Exchanging JPY

Moving to Japan still costs money. At the beginning, you will not have a Japanese bank account yet, and you will not have received a salary. So it is worth considering getting a “multi-currency card” in Taiwan, and exchanging some JPY cash to bring with you. I used E.Sun Bank’s multi-currency card. I used the EUR side in Europe and now the JPY side in Japan, and it has worked fine. In general, if card payment is accepted, I pay by card (shopping malls, government offices, telecoms, etc. all accept cards). As for cash, I exchanged JPY 150,000 to bring to Japan. Note that when leaving Taiwan, if you carry foreign currency worth more than USD 10,000, you need to declare it in advance. Roughly speaking, before your first paycheck, you may spend around JPY 200,000 over the first month or so (living expenses, fees, daily necessities), and this does not include housing costs.

¶ Accommodation

For accommodation, my company arranged short-term rental housing, so I did not need to worry about it in Taiwan. After arriving in Japan, I then slowly looked for a long-term apartment. The company worked with a real estate agency. I provided my preferences and budget, and they offered multiple options. Because short-term rentals need to be furnished, they are usually much more expensive. Unfurnished long-term rentals are cheaper. I chose a 1K apartment about a 15-minute walk from the office. It cost JPY 160,000 per month, which is quite expensive. But the building was only two years old and very new, the furniture was fairly complete, and it felt very much like a hotel. As a temporary place for only two months, I thought it was acceptable. During this period, I seriously searched for a long-term apartment. In general, long-term rentals are unfurnished and require at least a two-year contract.

(Example short-term rental)

If the company helps, it is much more convenient. First, renting from overseas still has risks, and for long-term rentals it is best to inspect in person. Second, you do not need to front the rent yourself; it can be deducted directly from your salary later (this can also reduce tax burden, because it effectively reduces your taxable income). If your company does not help, you can either select a rental online (for example, Suumo), or stay in a hotel after arriving and find housing as quickly as possible.

¶ After Arriving in Japan

You have finally arrived, but there are still many things waiting for you. A quick list: after landing, you receive a residence card (在留カード). Next, you go to the city office to register your address. You can also get a resident record (住民票) and apply for a My Number at the same time. Then you exchange your driver’s license, get a Japanese phone number, open a bank account, buy furniture, and get familiar with your new environment.

¶ Landing and the Residence Card

After you get off the plane, connect to the airport Wi-Fi immediately, open your MySOS app, and note that it cannot be a screenshot. The entire airport route is staffed and controlled. There is basically only one flow: just keep moving forward. The experience was actually pretty good. At the final immigration checkpoint, if they see you have the CoE, they issue your residence card on the spot. I arrived at Narita at noon on Sunday (8/14). There were not many people in line, and from document check to printing the card, it took around 10-15 minutes.

(Sample residence card)

After you receive the residence card, it is not fully “active” yet. The address field will be “未定” (undecided). You must register your address at the city office; only then are you officially and legally residing in Japan.

Also, the happiest thing on the day I landed was seeing my girlfriend! 😊

¶ Registering Address, Resident Record, and My Number

Registering your address is extremely important. Not only does it activate your residence card, but in Japan, almost everything checks your address. For example, my company planned to take me to the city office a week later, but I urgently needed to get a phone plan; otherwise I would have no internet when going out. So the day after I arrived, my girlfriend accompanied me to the city office. When you first arrive in Japan to handle paperwork, if you do not speak Japanese, you should bring a friend who can, because unlike Europe, you generally cannot rely on English. Since I cannot speak Japanese, I relied on my girlfriend for communication, which made things much faster.

You go to the city office for the area you live in. For example, my short-term rental was in Koto City, so I went to “江東区役所”. To register your address, you only need:

• Passport
• Residence card
• JPY 300 x 2 (card payment may not be accepted everywhere, but Koto City Office accepts it; the “2” is for two copies of 住民票)

What surprised me is that you do not need proof documents to register your address. I thought you would need a housing contract or something, but apparently not. You just tell them your address and they believe you? I honestly do not understand this mechanism.

At the city office, you need to do a few things:

• Register the address on your residence card
• Apply for your My Number
• Request two copies of 住民票 (resident record, similar to a household registration transcript): one with My Number for the company, and one without My Number for the driver’s license process

If your company does not arrange insurance for you, you would need to apply for National Health Insurance. But if you are coming to Japan for work, your company should usually handle it. The counter staff will ask if you need it; you can just say you do not need National Health Insurance.

When you apply for My Number, you will know your number on the spot. But if you want the physical card, a notice will be mailed to your home later with instructions on how to obtain the card. In short, you cannot get the physical card on the same day.

At Koto City Office, the above steps took me about two hours.

(Waiting at Koto City Office)

The process was actually pretty interesting. You had to go to three counters, like this:

(City office process diagram)

First, you go to counter #3 to submit documents and your residence card. Next, you go to the “star” counter to receive your residence card back and get a 住民票 number. Finally, you go to counter #5 to receive your 住民票 and pay the fee. The exact process differs by city office, but in Japan it is common to split things across multiple counters like this. Exchanging a driver’s license feels similar.

(Sample 住民票)

¶ Japanese Driver’s License

If you stay in Japan for more than one year, you need a Japanese driver’s license to drive. The convenient part is that you can exchange a Taiwanese license directly. Also, in Japan, a driver’s license is a very convenient form of ID, roughly as useful as a residence card. Most Japanese people use their driver’s license as ID. If you show a residence card, some less experienced staff may not even be sure whether it is acceptable.

Right after finishing the city office process above, since “江東運転免許試験場” was less than a 10-minute walk away, I immediately went there to exchange my license. This way I did not have to come back later.

There is also a useful Dcard post about exchanging a license at Koto Driver’s License Center: #分享 台灣駕照換日本駕照

To exchange your license, you need:

• JPY 4,600 (credit card accepted)
• Passport, including old passports from after you obtained your Taiwanese license
• (Optional) Entry/exit record certificate
• ID photo (small)
• Taiwanese driver’s license
• Japanese translation of your license (best to get it from a Taiwan motor vehicle office in advance)
• Residence card (with address registered)
• 住民票 (without My Number)

(Koto Driver’s License Center in practice)

Taiwan’s driver’s license exchange requires that after you obtained your Taiwanese license, you must have stayed in Taiwan for at least three months. That is why they need to check your passport entry/exit history. If you prepare the “entry/exit record certificate” in advance, they do not need to slowly flip through your old passports. I am not sure whether you still need to bring old passports if you have the certificate; to be safe, bring them anyway. I only brought old passports. Fortunately, my travel history was not too complicated. They literally flipped through and drew a timeline. In theory, if you use automated gates, it is hard to prove entry/exit history, but I was not challenged. Your Taiwanese driver’s license must be the latest version; when you apply for the Japanese translation at the motor vehicle office, they will check it as well.

I heard each driver’s license center has slightly different procedures: some require appointments, while Koto Driver’s License Center allows walk-ins. You should check online before going. The rough flow is: submit documents at the counter, review, pay, vision test, take the license photo, and wait to be called to pick it up.

When submitting documents, you do not need to fill out forms. Just tell them you want to exchange a license and hand over the documents. The review takes some time, and having the entry/exit certificate can speed it up by 2-3x. The vision test is simply checking whether you need glasses to drive; I communicated in English. The license photo is taken on-site with their camera. You can tidy yourself up a bit before entering. Printing the license takes a long time, so I recommend going in the morning. You can eat lunch at the cafeteria while waiting, and then pick it up after lunch.

The whole process took me about two hours. I was extremely happy when I got the license. I got it on my second day in Japan, which is pretty efficient! And a few days later, I could rent a car to buy furniture.

(Sample Japanese driver’s license)

Having a car is simply more convenient. For example, if you ask MUJI to ship storage boxes, they charge JPY 1,000 per box. But renting a car for two hours costs about JPY 2,000. If you buy three or four boxes plus some large items, renting a car is far more cost-effective. And of course, if you want to travel around, driving is the way to go!

¶ Phone Service

Japan’s three major carriers are SoftBank, Docomo, and AU. But these three are shockingly expensive, roughly comparable to Chunghwa Telecom in Taiwan. Since their shops are everywhere, many foreigners choose one of them by default. In my opinion, that is basically getting ripped off.

I used HIS Mobile. The plan was about JPY 2,000 for 20GB/month, which is probably the cheapest. Mineo has similar pricing and is also worth considering. In general, MVNOs use the major carriers’ networks but are cheaper. The downside is that they have few physical stores, and many plans are online-only; if you apply online, it can take a long time to receive the SIM card by mail. I wanted a SIM card immediately, so I took a train to an MVNO storefront and got it activated on the spot. On my third day in Japan, I went to Ueno and finished the process in about an hour.

Based on my HIS experience, you do not need your passport. For ID, I used my driver’s license; a residence card should also work. One funny part is that to apply for phone service, they ask you to fill in your current phone number. But you are applying because you do not have one, which makes no sense. I filled in my girlfriend’s number. One important note: Japanese carriers often require you to install a profile on your phone, unlike Taiwan or Europe where you can often just insert the SIM and use it. Just follow the instructions from the SIM card package.

¶ Bank Account

My company helped with opening a bank account, but I am not sure if every company does. If you are a foreigner and you do not have company support, I think opening an account is basically impossible, because the standards are strict. For example, for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), I only needed:

• Residence card
• Personal seal (inkan)
• Japanese phone number

For the seal, you can bring a square stamp you use in Taiwan, or buy a new one in Japan. The company also prepared an employment certificate.

In my case, the company made an appointment with SMBC, and we went before business hours. It was the first time I learned you can do that. When I opened accounts for internships in Taiwan, I always went during business hours myself.

It took about an hour. Since I cannot speak Japanese, the company’s HR interpreted the entire time. I got the account on the same day. If you want a passbook, you need to pay extra, but most people use the app now, so I did not get one. The bank card and credit card are mailed a few weeks later, unlike Taiwan where you can usually get a bank card immediately when you open the account.

¶ Transportation

For trains and subways in Tokyo, you can use Suica. There is a physical card, but most people now use their phone (the phone’s NFC works at gates labeled “IC” by simply tapping your phone). On iPhone, for example: open Wallet, tap the “+” button, choose Transit Card, search for “Suica”, and you are done. Then go into the card settings and enable “Express Transit” so you can tap without unlocking. If you want to set up a commuter pass (定期券), you need to download the Suica app to configure it.

The worst part about Tokyo transit, in my opinion, is that there is no area-based monthly pass. In Taipei, you can buy a monthly pass and ride the metro freely. In Europe, monthly passes typically cover unlimited rides within a zone. In Tokyo, commuter passes are point-to-point only. If you want to go elsewhere, you pay extra, which feels like a scam.

¶ Conclusion

My first time working abroad was exciting. This post lists the various big and small tasks you need to handle when you first come to Japan for work. I hope it helps you adapt to life in Japan faster. I think Japan and Taiwan are similar enough in food, clothing, and entertainment that it does not need a dedicated tutorial. Topics not covered here include how to pay taxes, pensions, how to see a doctor, and so on. Those tend to come up only after you have lived in Japan for a while, so I will share them if I get the chance in the future.