Validity Period of the Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
- We plan to hire a foreign employee who is scheduled to join the company in October 2023. Since this is almost a year away, we are concerned about the time required for screening. Would it be advisable to apply well in advance?
- A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) has a validity period. In principle, it is valid for three months from the date of issuance. The applicant must enter Japan and complete the landing process within three months of issuance. If the validity period expires, the application must be resubmitted from the beginning.
Therefore, if the planned employment start date is October 2023, submitting an application now would be too early. The standard COE processing time varies depending on the category of your company and the content of the application, but it generally takes about one to three months. In this case, applying around July 2023 would be the most practical approach.
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Certificate of Eligibility (COE) Application
The Certificate of Eligibility is a document that confirms in advance to the Minister of Justice that the applicant’s intended activities meet the requirements for a status of residence in Japan.
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