Japan Gijinkoku Visa: How to Write an Employment Contract and Notice of Employment—What to State, When to Submit

Note: This article is based on Japanese laws and materials published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as of October 9, 2026.

In an application for "Gijinkoku" (the common short name for the status of residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services", 技術・人文知識・国際業務), companies and other organizations in Category 3 or 4 submit a "document clearly indicating the working conditions" (労働条件を明示する文書) prepared by the company, together with the application form, to the regional immigration services bureau. This means a Notice of Employment (労働条件通知書; a written notice of working conditions) or a written employment contract (雇用契約書).

The document is submitted at the time of application when the organization the foreign national belongs to (所属機関; the company or body where the foreign national works) is in Category 3 or 4 and concludes a labor contract. When the person works as a dispatched worker, it is submitted in every category. This article explains which applications require it, what to write, and how the job duties, remuneration and contract period fields relate to the examination.

Which applications and which companies must submit it

"A document clearly indicating the working conditions" is submitted at the time of application when an organization in Category 3 or 4 concludes a labor contract. The category is a classification of the organization, which is divided into Categories 1 to 4 according to matters such as whether it is a listed company and the amount of withholding tax for the previous year.

The table shows the handling when a labor contract is concluded other than for dispatched work. Dispatched work is explained in a later section.

"Not required in principle" and "not on the list" do not mean that the document will never be requested. The ISA states that, in the course of the examination, it may request documents that are not on the list.

In cases such as taking office as an officer (役員; a director, etc.) of a company that is a Japanese corporation, a different document, such as a copy of the articles of incorporation stipulating the officers' remuneration, is submitted in place of this document.

For applications filed on or after April 15, 2026, organizations in Category 3 or 4 also submit the Declaration concerning the Representative of the Organization (reference form) (所属機関の代表者に関する申告書). When the applicant mainly engages in work dealing directly with people, etc. using language ability, documents proving language ability equivalent to CEFR B2 are also required, depending on the type of application. The categories and the full set of documents to be submitted are summarized in our Complete Guide to the Gijinkoku Visa.

An Application for Certificate of Eligibility is filed by the foreign national or by a staff member of the organization that will accept the foreign national (as a representative). An Application for Change of Status of Residence and an Application for Extension of Period of Stay are, in principle, filed by the foreign national.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese), "Checklist of Documents to be Submitted (Extension)" (in Japanese), "Frequently Asked Questions on Applications concerning Work-related Statuses of Residence (Q&A)" (in Japanese; July 2026), Q2 and Q5

Which do you submit: a Notice of Employment or an employment contract?

Either a Notice of Employment or a written employment contract can be submitted, as long as the working conditions are clearly indicated in line with the Labor Standards Act (労働基準法). The ISA's materials call this document by the following names.

In its Q&A, the ISA answers the question of what to include in an employment contract as follows. Labor-related laws and regulations apply to the employment of foreign nationals in the same way as to Japanese nationals. For that reason, it is necessary, among other things, to clearly indicate the working conditions in accordance with the Labor Standards Act and other laws.

For a change of status of residence and an extension of period of stay, it is also necessary that the employment and working conditions conform to labor-related laws and regulations. The ISA's guidelines list this as one of the matters to be considered.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes a Model Notice of Employment (モデル労働条件通知書). It carries a note that it is a model form and that, depending on how the working conditions are set, it is not necessary to follow the form exactly.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese), "Frequently Asked Questions on Applications concerning Work-related Statuses of Residence (Q&A)" (in Japanese; July 2026), Q19 and Q21, "Guidelines for Permission for Change of Status of Residence and Extension of Period of Stay" (in Japanese), 6; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Model Notice of Employment" (in Japanese)

Matters to be clearly indicated in writing

The matters to be clearly indicated in writing are set out in Article 5 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Labor Standards Act (労働基準法施行規則). Article 15, paragraph 1 of the Labor Standards Act obliges the employer to clearly indicate the working conditions when concluding a labor contract, and Article 5 is the provision that sets out the details. In April 2024, the "scope of change" of the place of employment and of the job duties, among other items, was added.

The "scope of change" means the range within which the place of employment and the job duties may change in the future through reassignment and the like.

"Wages" in the table do not include severance allowance (retirement allowance), extraordinary wages, bonuses and the like. These are matters to be clearly indicated when there are provisions on them. Matters concerning pay raises must be clearly indicated, but they are excluded from the matters for which a written document must be delivered.

In principle, the working conditions are clearly indicated by delivery of a written document. If the worker so wishes, they may be clearly indicated by fax, e-mail or similar means. E-mail and similar means are limited to those that can be output to create a document.

The working conditions that are clearly indicated must not differ from the facts (Article 5, paragraph 2 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Labor Standards Act).

Source: e-Gov Laws and Regulations Search, "Labor Standards Act" (in Japanese), Article 15, "Ordinance for Enforcement of the Labor Standards Act" (in Japanese), Article 5; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "The Rules on Clear Indication of Working Conditions Changed in April 2024" (in Japanese)

The job duties field: write it so that the work can be seen to fall under Gijinkoku

Under the immigration office's Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines (入国・在留審査要領), whether the planned activities fall under Gijinkoku is checked from fields such as the job duties field of the application form and from the documents submitted.

Work in the field of natural science or humanities must be an activity that requires specialized ability of at least a certain level, grounded in an academic background. As an example of job content that is generally not covered, the ISA cites cases where the hiring criteria in a job advertisement state "No experience required. You will get used to it quickly." (未経験可、すぐに慣れます。).

The table below is our office's own set of sample entries, placing wording that gives only the job title beside specific wording. It is not something the ISA has issued.

The application form (For organization, 所属機関等作成用) has fields for "Occupation" (職種) and "Details of activities" (活動内容詳細). Make the job duties in the contract the same as what is written in these fields and in the other documents you submit.

The ISA states that, when it judges that it needs to check the job duties more specifically, it may request the additional submission of documents such as a detailed written explanation of the reasons for employment and the job duties.

The "scope of change" and the status of residence

Whether the activities fall under Gijinkoku is judged by looking at the activities during the period of stay as a whole. If the activities that fall under Gijinkoku are only a very small part and the rest is work that requires no particular skills or knowledge, or work that can be performed after repetitive training, the activities are judged not to fall under Gijinkoku.

What a person with a work-related status of residence (就労資格) may engage in is work whose job duties fall under that status of residence. When you write in the "scope of change" work that the person may be assigned through reassignment, check whether that work also falls under Gijinkoku. If you are unsure, through our consultation on applications for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, we review the draft contract together with the content of the application form.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Clarification of the Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese; last revised April 2026), 1(2), "Frequently Asked Questions on Applications concerning Work-related Statuses of Residence (Q&A)" (in Japanese; July 2026), Q1 and Q22, "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese and English), For organization 1 (所属機関等作成用1); Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines, Part 12, Chapter 2, Section 15, No. 1, 4 (第1の4)

The remuneration field: equivalent to or greater than what a Japanese national receives is the criterion

For Gijinkoku, one of the criteria is that the person receives remuneration equivalent to or greater than that a Japanese national receives for the same work. The basis is item (iii) of the "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" section of the Ministerial Order on Criteria (上陸基準省令; Ministerial Order to Provide for Criteria Pursuant to Article 7, Paragraph (1), Item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, 出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令).

The Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines set out the calculation and the method of comparison as follows.

• The monthly amount of remuneration is calculated as one-twelfth of the total remuneration for one year, including bonuses and the like
• It is not appropriate to judge uniformly by the amount alone. The judgment is based on the wage structure of the company, also taking into account wages for the same type of occupation at other companies
• If the foreign national is a university graduate, the wages of the company's Japanese university graduates are taken into account

The ISA has published cases in which applications from international students were denied because of the remuneration.

In the wages section, separate basic wages (基本賃金) from allowances (諸手当), and state the amount or the calculation method for each allowance. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Model Notice of Employment is also divided this way.

In the "Salary/Reward" (給与・報酬) field of the application form, enter the amount of payment before taxes. This field carries the note "excluding various types of allowances (commuting, housing, dependents, etc.) and payments in the nature of reimbursement of actual expenses" (各種手当（通勤・住宅・扶養等）・実費弁償の性格を有するものを除く). Make sure that the amount written in the application form can be explained from the breakdown in the contract.

The same Guidelines state that, in the examination of an extension, whether the amount of income is the amount at the time of the contract is checked from the resident tax certificate (課税証明書) and other documents.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Clarification of the Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese; last revised April 2026), 2(3), "Attachment 3 (Cases)" (in Japanese), "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese and English), For organization 1 (所属機関等作成用1); e-Gov Laws and Regulations Search, "Ministerial Order to Provide for Criteria Pursuant to Article 7, Paragraph (1), Item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act" (in Japanese); Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Model Notice of Employment" (in Japanese); Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines, Part 12, Chapter 2, Section 1, No. 2 and Section 15, No. 1, 4 (第1の4)

The contract period and the period of stay

The contract period (the planned period of work, 就労予定期間) is one of the factors in deciding the period of stay. The period of stay for Gijinkoku is five years, three years, one year or three months.

In its Q&A, the ISA explains that the period of stay is decided by comprehensively judging the following matters.

• The planned period of work
• The foreign national's record of activities and status of fulfillment of public obligations
• The business scale, business record and the like of the contracting organization

Extracting the parts that refer to the planned period of work from the section on the period of stay in the Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines gives the following.

The period of stay is not decided by the planned period of work alone. For an extension by a mid-to-long-term resident, the Guidelines state that, in principle, "1 year" is decided even if the remaining planned period of work is less than three months. The conditions listed for the five-year and three-year periods include having fulfilled the notification obligations under the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, the category of the contracting organization, and other conditions. The case where the contracting organization is in Category 4 is listed under the one-year period.

The "Period of work" (就労予定期間) field of the application form asks you to select either "Non-fixed" (定めなし) or "Fixed" (定めあり) and, if it is fixed, to enter the period.

The desired "Period of stay" (希望する在留期間) and the "Period of work" (就労予定期間) in the Application for Change of Status of Residence form do not have to match. The ISA advises that the planned period of work be written in line with the actual situation of each organization.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Frequently Asked Questions on Applications concerning Work-related Statuses of Residence (Q&A)" (in Japanese; July 2026), Q8 and Q33, "Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese), "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese and English), For organization 1 (所属機関等作成用1); Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines, Part 12, Chapter 2, Section 15, No. 1, 6 (第1の6)

Contracts when hiring a person who does not have a work-related status of residence

For hiring a person who does not hold a work-related status of residence, the ISA gives an "employment contract subject to a condition precedent" (停止条件付き雇用契約) as an example. This is a contract under which the employment contract takes effect on the condition that a work-related status of residence is obtained.

The ISA's Q&A states that, in general, it is conceivable to conclude a contract of this type and prepare the written employment contract accordingly. It also states that there is no problem with a contract that sets the start date of employment in a form such as "effective from the date on which permission relating to work is received from the regional immigration services bureau" (地方出入国在留管理局から就労に係る許可を受けた日から有効とする).

The list of documents to be submitted does not go so far as to require that this clause be included.

Even before permission to change to a work-related status of residence is granted, attending a company entrance ceremony or training for which no remuneration is paid is regarded as acceptable. The person can actually report to work and engage in activities for which remuneration is received only after receiving permission to change status of residence.

Clearly indicating the conditions in a language the person can understand

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's guidelines also address how to clearly indicate working conditions to foreign workers. They say that employers are to endeavor to clearly indicate them by a method the person can understand, such as explaining in the native language, etc. "Native language, etc." means the native language or another language the person uses, or plain Japanese.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes the Model Notice of Employment for foreign workers in 13 languages. They include English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian and Burmese.

If a document submitted to the immigration office is written in a foreign language, attach a Japanese translation.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Frequently Asked Questions on Applications concerning Work-related Statuses of Residence (Q&A)" (in Japanese; July 2026), Q17 and Q20, "Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese); Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Guidelines for Employers to Take Appropriate Measures for Improving Employment Management of Foreign Workers" (in Japanese), Part 4, 2-2, "Leaflets on Labor Standards (Model Notice of Employment for foreign workers)" (in Japanese)

Additional documents when the person works as a dispatched worker

When the person works as a dispatched worker, copies of the Notice of Employment (employment contract) and of the individual worker dispatch contract (労働者派遣個別契約書) are submitted regardless of the category. For applications filed on or after March 9, 2026, the documents to be submitted for dispatched work have changed to the following.

If the client (the company receiving the dispatched worker) has not been determined at the time of application, permission cannot be obtained. However, where the client cannot be decided until after a newly hired employee has completed the training given immediately after hiring, the application is examined in light of those circumstances.

Only where the client cannot be determined at the time of application because of training, the following documents are submitted in place of the client's written pledge and the individual worker dispatch contract.

• Documents specifically showing the content of the training
• A Notice of Employment (employment contract) with the dispatching company that specifically states the scope of the job duties the person is planned to engage in at the client
• Written Pledge concerning the Applicant's Dispatched Work (for the dispatching company)
• Written Pledge concerning the Determination of the Applicant's Client (申請人の派遣先の決定に関する誓約書) (for the dispatching company)

In this case, the client's written pledge and the individual worker dispatch contract that could not be submitted are submitted at the time of the next application for extension. If they cannot be submitted without reasonable grounds, this is treated as a negative factor in the examination.

For dispatched work, a period of stay corresponding to the period of the dispatch contract is decided. The immigration office may check the job duties and the status of activities directly with the client as well as with the dispatching company.

The ISA has published the following case of denial. An application was filed on the basis that the applicant would engage in translation and interpretation work at the client, but the job duties in the written worker dispatch contract were "store staff" (店舗スタッフ). When the client was asked, it explained that the applicant would be engaged in in-store sales and customer service at a retail store, and the application was denied.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Handling of Cases Where a Person Works as a Dispatched Worker under the Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese; July 2026), "Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese), "Attachment 3 (Cases)" (in Japanese)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we apply before the employment contract has been signed?

Yes, you can. For an Application for Certificate of Eligibility and an Application for Change of Status of Residence, the ISA states that a written employment contract does not necessarily have to have been prepared. However, a document in which working conditions such as the job duties, salary and planned period of employment are clearly indicated (a written statement of working conditions (労働条件明示書), etc.) must be submitted.

Can a contract for outsourced services (entrustment or outsourcing) also be covered by Gijinkoku?

It can be. The ISA states that a "contract" for Gijinkoku includes, in addition to employment, entrustment (委任), outsourcing (委託), commissioned engagement (委嘱) and the like. However, it must be a continuing one with a specific organization (there may be more than one).

The "document clearly indicating the working conditions" explained in this article is the document for cases where a labor contract is concluded.

For the extension of a person working as a dispatched worker, is it enough to submit the contract currently in force?

The contract in force at the time of application is acceptable. However, if there is no outlook for the next period of stay, for example when only one month remains in the contract period, you need to explain the future work separately from the contract.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Frequently Asked Questions on Applications concerning Work-related Statuses of Residence (Q&A)" (in Japanese; July 2026), Q21, Q25 and Q37

Summary

In a Gijinkoku application, a "document clearly indicating the working conditions" is submitted when an organization in Category 3 or 4 concludes a labor contract and when the person works as a dispatched worker (for an extension, in the first application after changing jobs to an organization in Category 3 or 4). Either a Notice of Employment or a written employment contract can be submitted, as long as the matters in Article 5 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Labor Standards Act are clearly indicated.

The three fields that relate to the examination are the job duties, the remuneration and the contract period. First, check that the job duties and the amount in the contract are the same as what is written in the "Details of activities" (活動内容詳細) and "Salary/Reward" (給与・報酬) fields of the application form. When hiring a person who does not hold a work-related status of residence, also decide whether to make the contract one that takes effect on the condition that permission is granted.

References

• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese; accessed October 9, 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Checklist of Documents to be Submitted (Extension)" (in Japanese)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Frequently Asked Questions on Applications concerning Work-related Statuses of Residence (Q&A)" (in Japanese; July 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Clarification of the Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese; last revised April 2026), "Attachment 3 (Cases)" (in Japanese)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Handling of Cases Where a Person Works as a Dispatched Worker under the Status of Residence "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"" (in Japanese; July 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Guidelines for Permission for Change of Status of Residence and Extension of Period of Stay" (in Japanese; last amended June 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese and English)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines (入国・在留審査要領), Part 12, Chapter 2, Section 1 and Section 15
• Labor Standards Act, Article 15
• Ordinance for Enforcement of the Labor Standards Act, Article 5
• Ministerial Order to Provide for Criteria Pursuant to Article 7, Paragraph (1), Item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (the "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" section)
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "The Rules on Clear Indication of Working Conditions Changed in April 2024" (in Japanese; September 2024)
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Model Notice of Employment" (in Japanese)
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Guidelines for Employers to Take Appropriate Measures for Improving Employment Management of Foreign Workers" (in Japanese; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Public Notice No. 276 of 2007)
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Leaflets on Labor Standards (Model Notice of Employment for foreign workers)" (in Japanese; March 2024)