Work & Employment
Permission to Work as a Student資格外活動許可·shikakugai katsudō kyokaStudents need this before working at all. Without it, a part-time job is a status violation — not just a rule break.
Not verified yet
Drafted from general knowledge. Amounts, thresholds and deadlines change and vary by insurer and municipality — confirm with the office named here before you rely on it.
Why it matters
A student status of residence does not permit work by itself. You need separate permission, and then you are limited to a capped number of hours per week. Students work without it every year, usually because an employer did not ask and nobody explained. The consequences are not a fine — they land on your status of residence, which can mean a refused renewal or worse. It is free and can often be obtained at the airport on arrival.
- Deadline
- Before you start working
- Cost
- Free
- Time
- Instant at the airport; ~2 weeks otherwise
What to bring
- Residence Card在留カード·zairyū kādo
- Passportパスポート·pasupōto
- Application form資格外活動許可申請書·shikakugai katsudō kyoka shinseisho
How it goes
- 1
Ask for it at the airport when you land
If you arrive with a student status, you can usually apply at the immigration counter on arrival and have it granted on the spot. This is by far the easiest moment to do it — say so before you leave the desk.
Say this
資格外活動許可をお願いします。
Shikakugai katsudō kyoka o onegai shimasu.
I would like to apply for permission to work.
- 2
Otherwise apply at your regional immigration bureau
It is free. Processing can take a couple of weeks, so apply before you start job-hunting, not after you are offered something.
- 3
Know your hour limit and stick to it
Permission comes with a weekly cap on hours, with a different allowance during long university holidays. Exceeding it is the violation people actually get caught for, usually because two part-time jobs added up. Track your total across all jobs, not per job.
- 4
Some work is excluded whatever your permission says
Work in adult entertainment venues is not permitted under this allowance regardless of hours. This catches people out via bar and club work — check what the venue actually is before accepting.
- 5
It ends when your student status does
Graduating or changing status ends the permission. If you move onto a work status, you no longer need it — but do not assume it carries over during any gap.