This page lists all 21 documents you need for “Change to Engineer”. Tap any document to see what it is, where to get it, how to request it and what it costs.
Application for change of status of residenceThis is the MAIN form of the whole application — Application for change of status of residence (在留資格変更許可申請書), issued by the Immigration Services…See detailsWhat this document is
This is the MAIN form of the whole application — Application for change of status of residence (在留資格変更許可申請書), issued by the Immigration Services Agency. Every other document is an attachment to it; without it you cannot file at all.
What it must show
- Use the LATEST official version — old versions may be rejected
- Fill it in Japanese, clearly, with no corrections
- Attach the photo and sign in the designated boxes
- Some procedures have a section for your COMPANY / sponsor to fill in — ask them to complete it
Where to get it
Download the latest version from the Immigration Services Agency website, or pick it up at an Immigration counter. IIKANZI VISA can also fill it in for you and export a print-ready PDF.
How to get it
- Option 1: download the blank form from the Agency site and fill it in by hand
- Option 2: use IIKANZI VISA — answer step by step, the app fills the right boxes and exports a PDF
- Print it, sign, attach the photo, and submit together with the other documents
Cost & time
The form itself is free. A fee (paid with a 収入印紙 revenue stamp) applies only when your application is APPROVED — check the Agency's current fee notice.
Notes
Each procedure uses a different form — submitting the wrong one gets your application returned. Check the form name above before printing.
Your situationImmigration sorts your employer into four categories by size and by the tax the company has already paid. The higher the number, the more papers…See detailsWhat this document is
Immigration sorts your employer into four categories by size and by the tax the company has already paid. The higher the number, the more papers: category 1·2 needs almost nothing from the company, category 4 must submit financial statements. The exact conditions of each group are below.
What it must show
- GROUP 1 — public bodies and the largest firms. Listed companies · mutual insurance companies · national or local government · independent administrative institutions · special/authorised corporations · recognised public-interest corporations · certified innovation-creating or Youth-Yell companies.
- GROUP 2 — large taxpayers. Organisations whose withholding tax for last year was ¥10 million or more on the 法定調書合計表 statement. Institutions approved to use the online residence-application system also count as group 2.
- GROUP 3 — ordinary small companies. The company did file last year's 法定調書合計表 but the tax was under ¥10 million — most Japanese SMEs sit here.
- GROUP 4 — new companies / no filing yet. No 法定調書合計表 filed for last year: founded less than a year ago, or never liable. This group must also submit the business licence, corporate registry, financial statements or business plan and a company brochure.
- Can't ask HR? Ask exactly: “Is the company listed?” and “Was last year's withholding tax ¥10 million or more?” If unsure, choose group 3 — a fuller document set; extra papers are accepted, missing ones send you home.
- Dispatch workers: the category follows the dispatch agency (contract and salary), not the site you go to — and you must add papers about the actual workplace.
Notes
You can change your answers any time — the document photos you already took are NOT lost.
ID photo (4×3cm)A portrait photo pasted onto the application form (for COE, on the applicant's page). The Bureau uses it for identification.See detailsWhat this document is
A portrait photo pasted onto the application form (for COE, on the applicant's page). The Bureau uses it for identification.
What it must show
- Size 4×3 cm (height × width)
- Plain WHITE background, no pattern
- Taken within the last 3 months
- Face forward, no hat, no sunglasses, face clearly visible
Where to get it
An ID-photo booth (shoumei-shashinki) at a station / convenience store, or a photo shop (shashin-ya).
How to get it
- Find an ID-photo booth (shoumei-shashin) or go to a photo shop
- Choose the 4×3cm size (the visa / résumé type)
- Print or save the photo; the app will insert it into the form
Cost & time
Automated booth ~800–1000 yen.
Notes
You may use a white-background camera app, but the photo must be clear and exactly a 4×3 ratio.
PassportPassport to verify identity. When submitting in person at the Bureau you must BRING THE ORIGINAL to show.See detailsWhat this document is
Passport to verify identity. When submitting in person at the Bureau you must BRING THE ORIGINAL to show.
What it must show
- Still valid
- Photograph/enter the personal-info page (the page with your photo)
Where to get it
You keep it. If expired: apply for a reissue at the Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate in Japan.
How to get it
- Photograph the info page clearly (photo + passport number)
- Bring the original when submitting at the Bureau
Notes
The app stores photos on your device and doesn't send them online.
Residence CardYour current residence card. Photograph/enter it to capture the card number, residence status, and expiry.See detailsWhat this document is
Your current residence card. Photograph/enter it to capture the card number, residence status, and expiry.
What it must show
- Photograph BOTH SIDES
- The back has the address + renewal notes
Where to get it
You keep it (law requires you to carry it).
How to get it
- Photograph the front (photo + card number + status + expiry)
- Photograph the back (address + notes)
Notes
Bring the original when submitting at the Bureau.
Employer category proofA document proving your employer belongs to Immigration category 1 or 2. With it the whole set shrinks to: application + photo + passport/residence…See detailsWhat this document is
A document proving your employer belongs to Immigration category 1 or 2. With it the whole set shrinks to: application + photo + passport/residence card (shown at the counter) + this document.
What it must show
- Category 1 — LISTED company: a printout of the company page in 四季報, or a listing certificate
- Category 2 — a copy of last year's 法定調書合計表 (the page showing withholding tax ≥ ¥10m, WITH the tax office's receipt stamp)
- Category 2 (alternative) — the approval e-mail letting the company use the online filing system
Where to get it
Your company's HR or accounting department.
How to get it
- Tell HR: “For my residence renewal, could I have the category-proof document?”
- Once received, check it carries the tax office's receipt stamp (for 法定調書合計表)
Notes
If HR says there is none / doesn't know → the company is most likely category 3·4: go back to the 🧭 station and pick “small & medium”.
Résumé (CV)A résumé summarizing your education + work history up to now. Immigration uses it to cross-check against what you submitted last time.See detailsWhat this document is
A résumé summarizing your education + work history up to now. Immigration uses it to cross-check against what you submitted last time.
What it must show
- List education + work experience by date
- Consistent with what you submitted to Immigration before
Where to get it
You write it yourself (forms sold at convenience stores / downloadable online).
How to get it
- Fill in a standard résumé form
- Check the dates match your previous documents
Notes
The key is that the dates do NOT contradict the documents you already submitted.
Employment Contract / TermsAn employment contract or a notice of working conditions — proving the job content and salary at your current company.See detailsWhat this document is
An employment contract or a notice of working conditions — proving the job content and salary at your current company.
What it must show
- Signed/sealed by both parties
- States the job, salary, and working hours
Where to get it
Your company's HR department.
How to get it
- Request a copy of the contract / working conditions
- Say clearly it's for a residence-status renewal
Notes
The job content must match the Engineer status (technical/office work).
Certificate of EmploymentA company-issued letter confirming you are an employee: position, job duties, start date, and salary.See detailsWhat this document is
A company-issued letter confirming you are an employee: position, job duties, start date, and salary.
What it must show
- Company name + official seal
- States position, job duties, start date, salary
Where to get it
Your company's HR / general affairs department.
How to get it
- Ask the company to issue this letter
- Say clearly it's for a residence renewal / change of status
Notes
The job duties must MATCH your residence status (e.g. Engineer = technical/office work, not manual labor).
Income certificateCertificate of annual INCOME + municipal (resident) tax (課税証明書, kazei-shōmeisho). The version to use now is Reiwa 7 nendo · 2024 income.See detailsWhat this document is
Certificate of annual INCOME + municipal (resident) tax (課税証明書, kazei-shōmeisho). The version to use now is Reiwa 7 nendo · 2024 income.
What it must show
- Shows total annual income + municipal tax amount
- Request exactly the Reiwa 7 nendo · 2024 income version
Where to get it
Apply at the CITY HALL (shiyakusho) where you were REGISTERED AS A RESIDENT on 1/1/2025. If you lived in a different city on that date, you must apply at that former city.
How to get it
- Bring your residence card (or My Number card) to the city hall
- Request the Reiwa 7 nendo · 2024 income version
- With a My Number card you can also get it at a kiosk in a convenience store
Cost & time
About 300 yen per copy. Issued the same day.
Notes
Why NOT a newer year (income 2025): that year's municipal tax is paid in several installments and is only FULLY paid around early 2027 — until then the tax-payment certificate is not “clean”. So for now, get all 3 documents consistently for the 2024 income year.
- Tax payment certificateCertificate that municipal tax has been FULLY PAID with no arrears (納税証明書, nōzei-shōmeisho). Get it together with the Reiwa 7 nendo · 2024 income…See details
What this document is
Certificate that municipal tax has been FULLY PAID with no arrears (納税証明書, nōzei-shōmeisho). Get it together with the Reiwa 7 nendo · 2024 income income certificate.
What it must show
- Confirms municipal tax is fully paid with no arrears
- Same year as the income certificate (Reiwa 7 nendo · 2024 income)
Where to get it
Same place as the income certificate: the city hall where you resided on 1/1/2025.
How to get it
- Request it at the same time as the income certificate
- Clearly ask for the “fully paid, no arrears” version
Cost & time
About 300 yen per copy. Issued the same day.
Notes
If you have arrears or haven't finished paying, you can't get a “clean” certificate — that's why you use an income year for which tax is already fully paid.
Diploma & transcriptGraduation certificate and transcript proving your education matches the engineering job.See detailsWhat this document is
Graduation certificate and transcript proving your education matches the engineering job.
What it must show
- Valid original/copy
- Clearly states your MAJOR
- No Japanese translation → a Vietnamese copy is acceptable
Where to get it
The school you graduated from (in Vietnam or Japan).
How to get it
- Request the certificate + transcript from the school
- If needed: translate into Japanese + write the translator's name
Notes
Your major should relate to the job; if the major isn't stated → submit the transcript as support.
Diploma & transcript (Japanese translation)Immigration does not require a notarised translation. You may translate it yourself as long as the TRANSLATOR'S NAME and the DATE appear at the foot…See detailsWhat this document is
Immigration does not require a notarised translation. You may translate it yourself as long as the TRANSLATOR'S NAME and the DATE appear at the foot of the page. But when a lawyer files for you, the office needs the translation to check it and take responsibility.
What it must show
- Translate: school name · major · graduation date · the subjects in the transcript
- At the foot: translator's name + date + signature
- No notarisation needed
Where to get it
Translate it yourself, or ask the IIKANZI law office to do it.
Notes
Filing in person? You can skip this station — leave it empty and the app moves on.
- Company's withholding tax summaryThis single paper both proves which category the COMPANY falls in and shows it really pays salaries and withholds tax. One sheet covers the whole…See details
What this document is
This single paper both proves which category the COMPANY falls in and shows it really pays salaries and withholds tax. One sheet covers the whole company side.
What it must show
- For LAST year (the most recent filed tax year)
- WITH the tax office's receipt stamp — without it the Bureau won't accept it
- A photocopy is fine, no original needed
Where to get it
Your company's accounting or HR department.
How to get it
- Tell accounting: “For my residence renewal, may I have a copy of last year's 法定調書合計表 — the one with the receipt stamp?”
Notes
If the company says it hasn't filed / has none → it is a group-4 company: go back to the 🧭 station, pick “newly established”, and the route switches to the other four papers.
Reason the tax summary is unavailableGroup 4 means the company has no tax summary yet. Immigration does NOT forbid this, but a statement of the reason is required, otherwise the file…See detailsWhat this document is
Group 4 means the company has no tax summary yet. Immigration does NOT forbid this, but a statement of the reason is required, otherwise the file counts as incomplete.
What it must show
- On company letterhead, with the company seal
- State the founding date + the concrete reason
- One page is enough
Where to get it
Written by the company.
- Company profileA new company has no tax history, so Immigration relies on the profile to be convinced it really operates and really has work for you.See details
What this document is
A new company has no tax history, so Immigration relies on the profile to be convinced it really operates and really has work for you.
What it must show
- The MAIN CLIENTS + actual dealings section is what the Bureau examines most
- Show a real office address; office photos help
- No pamphlet → ask the company for a one-page A4 summary with its seal
Where to get it
Provided by the company.
- Certificate of company registrationAn extract of the commercial register: name, head-office address, founding date, capital, representative, registered business purposes.See details
What this document is
An extract of the commercial register: name, head-office address, founding date, capital, representative, registered business purposes.
What it must show
- The full version (履歴事項全部証明書) is safest
- Issued within 3 months
- The registered purposes should match your job
Where to get it
Any Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局), or order online for postal delivery. Anyone can request it — you need not be an employee.
How to get it
- Ask the company — it's quickest
- If the company is slow, you can request it yourself at the 法務局 (a few hundred yen; bring the company's name and address)
- Financial statementsImmigration checks whether the company can actually pay your salary through the period you are asking for. This is the most decisive paper in the…See details
What this document is
Immigration checks whether the company can actually pay your salary through the period you are asking for. This is the most decisive paper in the group-4 set.
What it must show
- Financial statements: the balance sheet + profit-and-loss pages
- Business plan: projected revenue, cost structure, payroll budget
- If the company is at a LOSS → add an explanation plus proof of capital/orders
Where to get it
The company's accounting department or its tax accountant (税理士).
Notes
Companies are often reluctant to share financials — explain it goes only to Immigration and is not made public.
Certificate of ResignationNeeded only if you JUST CHANGED JOBS. A document proving you left the former company (a certificate of resignation, or a separation slip received via…See detailsWhat this document is
Needed only if you JUST CHANGED JOBS. A document proving you left the former company (a certificate of resignation, or a separation slip received via Hello Work).
What it must show
- Certificate of resignation: request from the former company
- Or a separation slip (rishokuhyo): the former company files with Hello Work, then it's mailed to you
- Attach the NEW company's contract
Where to get it
The former company, or Hello Work (the public employment office).
How to get it
- Ask the former company to issue a certificate of resignation
- Or wait for the separation slip to be mailed after you leave
Notes
If you did NOT change jobs, skip this document.
Contract-change report to ImmigrationThis is not an application — it is a notification: free, no photo, quick to do. But it is an obligation for residence-status holders, and Immigration…See detailsWhat this document is
This is not an application — it is a notification: free, no photo, quick to do. But it is an obligation for residence-status holders, and Immigration cross-checks the dates on your resignation and new contract against the dates you reported — so file it and keep your record clean.
What it must show
- Holders of 技術・人文知識・国際業務 (and Research · Care · Skilled Labour · Specified Skills · Highly Skilled…) — that is you.
- Leaving the old employer → one notification of 「契約の終了」 within 14 days of the last day.
- Joining the new employer → one notification of 「新たな契約の締結」 within 14 days of the start date.
- Filed neither and already started the new job → report both at once, with the true dates (late is better than never).
- Also required when the company changes name, moves, or is dissolved — same form.
Where to get it
① Online: [Immigration's electronic notification system](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/online/i-ens_index.html) — fastest, 24/7, keeps a history. ② Post: 〒160-0004 Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Yotsuya 1-6-1, Yotsuya Tower 14F · Tokyo Immigration Bureau, notification desk (handles the whole country); mark the envelope 「届出書在中」 and use a trackable service. ③ In person: your local Immigration Bureau counter.
How to get it
- Have ready: residence card, names and addresses of both employers, leaving date and starting date
- Online: register once (email needed), then choose 「契約機関に関する届出」
- By post: download the form from [the official guide page](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00015.html), fill it in and enclose a copy of both sides of your residence card
- After filing: screenshot the confirmation (or keep a copy of what you posted) and upload it here
Cost & time
Free of charge.
Notes
Not filed yet? Open the 📮 “Contract-related notification” card on the home screen — it walks you through choosing the case, the official form, the envelope, buying stamps and keeping proof. Then come back and tick the two boxes.
Information for the formThe remaining form fields you fill in yourself: current address, phone number, planned timing, how living costs are paid (shiben-houhou)…See detailsWhat this document is
The remaining form fields you fill in yourself: current address, phone number, planned timing, how living costs are paid (shiben-houhou)…
What it must show
- Fill in exactly as your documents (address per the juuminhyo)
- The phone number must be reachable
How to get it
- The app will ask each field simply (later version)
- Check consistency with the documents you've submitted
Notes
Inconsistent information across documents easily leads to extra questions from the Bureau / a longer review.