Internship
Designated Activities No. 9 (Internship) Visa Application
For companies and organisations taking students from universities overseas. A paid internship uses the Designated Activities (Notice No. 9) status. From checking the agreement with the university, through designing the implementation plan, to filing with Immigration — starting with whether the numbers work at all.
What this status covers
Overview
An arrangement under which a Japanese organisation receives a student enrolled at a foreign university as part of their studies and pays them to work. What marks it out is that the examination covers not only the student but the receiving organisation's own structure.
- Who
- A student enrolled at a foreign university. Junior colleges and graduate schools count where a degree is conferred; courses by correspondence do not. The student must be 18 or over at the time of entry.
- Pay
- Yes. An unpaid internship does not use this status.
- Length
- Up to one year, and not more than half the university's standard period of study in total — two years for a four-year course.
- How many
- Five is the guide for 100 or fewer full-time employees; 10 for 101-200; 15 for 201-300; one twentieth of headcount for 301 or more.
- Processing
- 33.2 days on the Immigration Services Agency's published figures (June 2026 approvals, nationwide average). The standard processing period is one to three months.
Individual circumstances can change the answer. See below for the detail, or ask us in a free consultation.
Who this is for
Who It Is For
A receiving organisation is a public or private organisation in Japan. There is no restriction by industry, but the cases that come to us take these shapes.
Companies partnered with a university abroad
A partnership agreement with the university, students received as part of the educational course. The most common pattern.
Companies receiving students through an overseas office or a trading partner
An introduction from a local subsidiary or a partner leads to students from a particular university. The agreement has to be built from scratch.
Companies already receiving technical intern trainees
The receiving structure exists, but internships are a different scheme. Both the headcount arithmetic and the explanations required change.
Educational corporations and industry bodies
Whether you are the receiving organisation yourself or a member company is, the application is built differently.
The requirements
Requirements
The requirements fall into three: the student, the activity, and the receiving structure.
The student
- A student of a foreign university
- Junior colleges and graduate schools count where a degree is conferred. Courses of education by correspondence are excluded.
- At least 18 at the time of entry
- Judged as at the intended date of entry into Japan.
- Ceiling on the period
- Not exceeding one year, and not exceeding in total half the university's standard period of study. For a four-year course, two years in total.
The activity
- Part of the educational course
- The work must relate to the subject studied, so the knowledge gained is properly assessed as part of their studies. Work consisting mainly of repeating a single task is not accepted.
- Remuneration from the receiving organisation
- The basis, the amount and the method of payment must be clear. An unpaid arrangement does not fall under this status.
- Under the receiving organisation
- Activity at a dispatch destination is not permitted. A worker-dispatch arrangement cannot be used.
The structure
- Contract with the university
- Eleven matters: purpose, credits, period, remuneration, deductions, insurance, travel costs, reporting to the university, termination, the place of business used, and the implementation plan. Reporting to the university is the one most often missed — the timing and the matters reported must both be clear.
- Internship manager
- Oversees eight matters: preparing and evaluating the plan, preparing to receive interns, supporting daily life, working conditions and safety, handling complaints, liaison with immigration, and other support.
- Internship trainer
- A full-time officer or employee belonging to the place of business where the internship is carried out, with at least one year of experience in the work. May also be the manager.
- Other matters
- No breach of immigration or labour legislation in the past five years; costs disclosed and agreed; cooperation with on-site inspection; reports kept for three years after the internship ends; and more.
The internship implementation plan
Implementation Plan
The blueprint for the internship, drawn up by the university and the receiving organisation together. It records the following four matters.
The four matters to record
a
Objectives
The objectives, content and period of the activity, and its relationship to the subjects and credits at the university
b
Instruction structure
Appropriate placement of the internship manager and the internship trainers
c
Evaluation
When understanding and proficiency in each task will be checked, the evaluation items, the method, and who evaluates
d
Night work and shifts
Where night work or shifts are involved, why they are necessary and how instruction is provided across them
The relationship to the university's subjects and credits
You show which subject at the university the work counts towards, and for how many credits. It can be explained in prose, but the working practice is to divide the activity into blocks and assign practical hours and credits to each. Where the totals match the university's subject, this establishes both that the work is part of their studies and that it is not the same task repeated.
- Divide the activity into three or four blocks
- Assign a number of practical hours to each block
- Assign a number of credits to each block
- Show that the totals match the university's subject
Three things to check on the plan
- If the plan is a separate document, signatures from both the university and the receiving organisation are required. Folded into the contract, the contract signatures suffice; put on its own sheet, it needs signature blocks.
- Where technical intern trainees are being received (including where they are planned), the difference from technical intern training must be made clear for each of the four — objectives, instruction structure, evaluation, and night work or shifts.
- Evaluation must not only be checked and assessed periodically by the trainer; fair evaluation must be secured, for instance by having the manager present, and the results must be shared with the university.
Documents required
Documents
The list published by the Immigration Services Agency for a Certificate of Eligibility application.
| Document | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Application for a Certificate of Eligibility |
| 2 | Photograph meeting the specification |
| 3 | Return envelope with registered-mail stamps (not needed when filing online) |
| 4 | Certificate of enrolment |
| 5 | Copy of the internship contract between the university and the receiving organisation |
| 6 | Letter of approval or recommendation from the foreign university |
| 7 | Material showing that it is carried out as part of the educational course, for credit (the internship implementation plan) |
| 8 | Material setting out the activity, the period, the remuneration and other conditions |
| 9 | Material showing any past residence history on an internship |
| 10 | Material showing the standard period of study at the university |
| 11 | Explanatory statement covering the matters set out in the guideline |
Documents not on the list, prepared in practice
Assembling the listed documents does not always tell the whole story. Depending on the case we prepare the following.
| Statement on shift work | Where night work or shifts are involved. Why shifts are necessary — different work at different times of day, for instance — and how trainers are placed across them |
| Statement on the difference from technical intern training | Where technical intern trainees are received. Objectives, instruction structure and evaluation are set out side by side against technical intern training |
| Reason letter | Where there is no past internship residence history. Document 9 is to be reported in writing if there is none, and this is the vehicle for it |
| Copy of the passport | Not on the list, but customarily attached as confirmation of the applicant's particulars |
| Certificate of freedom from tuberculosis | Where the applicant's country is covered by the pre-entry tuberculosis screening scheme. A separate scheme from Notice No. 9 |
* Certificates issued in Japan must be dated within the past three months
* Documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a Japanese translation
* Immigration may request material beyond the published list during the examination
From first consultation to the status
Flow
Free consultation
We go through how many interns you plan to receive, your full-time headcount, whether you receive technical intern trainees, the work involved and whether shifts are used, and decide whether the numbers fit and whether Notice No. 9 is the right route. There is no charge for this.
Quotation and engagement
You receive a quotation setting out the scope, the fee and when it falls due. We begin on your acceptance. No retainer is taken.
Reviewing the contract and the plan
We check your existing documents against the eleven matters for the contract and the four for the implementation plan, and identify what is missing. We also draft them.
Evidencing the structure
We put on paper that the required structure is in place — manager and trainer requirements, cost disclosure, record retention. Where technical intern trainees are received, we prepare the comparison statement.
Filing
We file as your agent. Since an intermediary cannot act as representative, this matters in practice. Our fee falls due once the application is accepted.
Responding and receiving the certificate
This includes responding to any request for further material. The certificate then goes to the visa application abroad.
Tell us about your situation in a free 60-minute consultation
Book Free Designated Activities No. 9 (Internship) ConsultationWhat we take on
What We Do
Beyond preparing and filing the application, we design the whole set of documents — the agreement with the university, the implementation plan and the evidence of your receiving structure.
Assessing whether it can be done
We start from your full-time headcount, whether you receive technical intern trainees, the work involved and whether shifts are used, and decide whether the numbers fit and Notice No. 9 is the right route.
Reviewing and drafting the agreement
We check your draft against the eleven matters required in the contract with the university and identify the gaps. We also draft the clauses.
Designing the implementation plan
We design it from how the activity is divided and how hours and credits are allocated to each part.
Evidencing the structure
Manager and trainer requirements, cost disclosure, record retention — we put on paper that the required structure is in place.
Documents not on the list
Statements on shift work and on the difference from technical intern training, reason letters, and whatever else the case calls for.
Filing and handling the examination
We file online as your agent, respond to any request for further material, and receive the outcome.
Obtaining documents issued overseas, travel, postage and other disbursements are not included.
Fees
Pricing
This work usually involves receiving several interns at once, and we quote according to the number.
| Procedure | Fee (tax included) |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Eligibility | ¥99,000 per person |
| Extension of period of stay | ¥55,000 per person |
Included
- Eligibility assessment covering numbers, structure and period
- A list of the documents needed
- Preparation of the full application file
- Review of the university contract and the implementation plan, and identification of gaps
- Preparation of explanatory statements and reason letters not on the published list
- Preparation of the statement on the difference from technical intern training
- Consultation by email, with no limit on the number of exchanges
- Filing with the Regional Immigration Services Bureau as your agent
- Handling requests for further material after filing
- Receiving the outcome
- Re-application at no charge if the case is denied
* Where several interns are instructed together, we quote according to the number
* No government fee is payable on a Certificate of Eligibility application
* We invoice once filing is complete. No retainer is taken
* Obtaining documents issued overseas, travel, postage and other disbursements are not included
Guarantee
If the application is denied
In the unlikely event of a denial, we handle one re-application without charging our fee, limited to one per applicant and residence status. We ask Immigration for the reason, rebuild the paper case and file again.
Conditions
- Limited to one re-application per applicant, per residence status
- The documents were prepared on the basis of the information you provided
- There was no false statement and no omission of important information
- Where several applications were filed together, each is assessed individually
- Disbursements such as translation and postage are still payable on the re-application
- We do not guarantee approval, and a Certificate of Eligibility does not guarantee entry or landing
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
Q. Does an unpaid internship use this status?+
A. No. Notice No. 9 covers activity carried out "receiving remuneration from the organisation". Where no remuneration is paid, the route is Cultural Activities if the stay exceeds 90 days and Temporary Visitor if it is 90 days or less. If you pay a wage or an allowance, Notice No. 9 applies.
Q. Are students at vocational schools eligible?+
A. The requirement is a student of a foreign university, enrolled in a course under which a degree is conferred on graduation or completion. Junior colleges and graduate schools qualify where a degree is conferred; courses of education by correspondence are excluded. A course conferring no degree does not qualify.
Q. We have 20 full-time employees. How many can we receive?+
A. For 100 or fewer full-time employees the guide is five, capped at the number of full-time employees, so five is the guide here. Technical intern trainees are not counted in that headcount. If you receive technical intern trainees there is a separate point to watch.
Q. We receive technical intern trainees. Does that change anything?+
A. Yes. Where you receive Technical Intern Training (i) trainees, including where you plan to, and the total with your interns exceeds the headcount limit for Technical Intern Training (i), you must separately show that an instruction structure and curriculum are in place for the interns. The implementation plan must also set out the difference from technical intern training for objectives, instruction structure, evaluation and shift working.
Q. Can the trainer be someone at head office?+
A. No. The trainer must be a full-time officer or employee belonging to the place of business where the internship is carried out, with at least one year of experience in the work the intern will do. Belonging to the place of business actually used is a requirement. The trainer may also be the manager.
Q. We use an agency. Can they handle the filing too?+
A. They cannot act as representative. An intermediary is not a receiving organisation, so it cannot be the representative on a Certificate of Eligibility application. Either your own staff act as representative or you instruct an administrative scrivener qualified as a filing agent. Where an intermediary is not used appropriately, applications going through it may not be granted.
Q. What goes in the implementation plan?+
A. Four matters: objectives, instruction structure, evaluation, and night work or shifts. In particular you must show which subject at the university the work counts towards, and for how many credits. In practice it works to divide the activity into blocks, assign hours and credits to each, and show the totals matching the university's subject. Where the plan is a separate document from the agreement, it needs signatures from both the university and the receiving organisation.
Q. Can we receive interns on a dispatch basis?+
A. No. The provision covers engaging in the business of the receiving organisation, and activity at a dispatch destination is expressly not permitted. The work must be carried out under the receiving organisation.
Q. Can we take the same student again next year?+
A. Yes, provided each internship is within one year and the total does not exceed half the university's standard period of study — two years for a four-year course. The application requires material showing any past internship residence history.
Q. Does the minimum wage apply?+
A. Where a relationship of subordination is present the intern is a worker under the Labour Standards Act, and the Minimum Wage Act and Labour Standards Act apply. If the intern engages directly in the business, the benefit accrues to the company and the work is done under instruction, they are treated as a worker despite the educational aspect. Classroom training also counts as working time where it is directed, and must be paid.
Q. How long does the examination take?+
A. On the Agency's figures for June 2026 approvals, a Certificate of Eligibility application under Designated Activities took 33.2 days on the nationwide average. The standard processing period is one to three months, and a request for further material extends it. We recommend starting well before the intended entry date.
Q. How are fees calculated for several interns at once?+
A. We quote according to the number. Where the university and the receiving organisation are the same, the review of the contract and the implementation plan is shared, so we can offer a lower rate per person. Tell us the number and the timing.
Shall we start by checking whether the numbers fit?
Tell us your full-time headcount, whether you receive technical intern trainees, and how many interns you want to take. We will tell you whether that fits within the guide and what needs preparing. The first consultation is free.
Book a free consultation