Applying for a student visa in Japan starts with one crucial step: submitting all the required documents for your student visa’s Certificate of Eligibility (COE). As a MEXT-accredited institution, Coto Japanese Institute follows the Immigration Services Agency of Japan’s requirements when preparing your COE application. These aren’t school rules, but immigration rules, and while the list can look long and strict, each item exists to help your application move smoothly.

To make things easier, we’ve broken down every document you’ll need into a simple, easy-to-follow guide. Bookmark this page and check off each item as you go!

Documents You Need to Provide for Your Student Visa COE

Item	Original/Copy	Notes
Application form	Original	Completed by applicant
List of documents + Confirmation Sheet	Original	Prepared by Coto
Copy of passport	Copy	—
Certificate of graduation from last school	Copy	Bring original on submission date for verification
Japanese language ability certificate	Original	JLPT N5 or equivalent minimum
Statement of expense support	Original	Signed by financial supporter
Proof of relationship between applicant and financial supporter	Original	e.g. birth certificate, notarized document
Certificate of deposit/savings balance	Original	Issued in supporter’s name, as recent as possible
Bank deposit/withdrawal statement (past 1 year)	Original	Passbook copy acceptable in some cases
Proof of financial supporter’s occupation	Original	Employment certificate, business permit, etc.
Proof of financial supporter’s income (past 1 year)	Original	Issued by public/government institution
Scholarship documents	Original	If applicable
Support structure certificate (applicants under 18 living alone)	Original	If applicable
Written statement of reasons	Original	If applicable — e.g. prior COE rejection history
Other voluntary materials	—	If applicable
Certificate of non-onset of tuberculosis	Original	If applicable

1. Confirmation Sheet (各種確認書)

Coto Japanese Institute prepares and submits the Confirmation Sheet on your behalf as part of your application. We’re including it here just so you know it exists and understand it’s part of the process.

2. Certificate of Graduation From Your Last School

You’ll need to submit your graduation certificate. If you have a booklet-style diploma, submit a copy of every part of it, including the cover. Since copies must be certified, write the date the copy was made, the name of the person who made it, and their relationship to you directly in the margin.

If you graduated in China, you have a few extra options. Where possible, submit the original authentication report of academic record from either the China Higher-education Student Information and Career Center (CHSI) or the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC). If you took the Gaokao and graduated from a Chinese senior high school, the CDGDC authentication report is required. A printed authentication result page from these organizations’ websites is also accepted in place of the original report. If neither is submitted, the accepting school must verify your certificates itself and document how that verification was done.

Immigration verifies original diplomas on the day you submit your application, so be sure to bring the original with you.

3. Proof of Japanese Language Ability 

If you need to demonstrate your intention and ability to study in Japanese, you’ll need to submit an original transcript or score certificate showing proficiency at A1 level or above. Learn more about the proof of 150 hours of Japanese language study. 

Accepted tests include:

• JLPT (N5 or above)
• BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test (300+ points)
• J.TEST (Level F or above / FG-level 250+ points)
• J.NAT-TEST (Level 5 or above)
• STBJ (350+ points)
• TOPJ (Elementary A or above)
• J-cert (Elementary or above)
• JLCT (JCT5 or above)
• PJC Bridge (C− or above)
• JPT (315+ points)
• JPT Elementary (68+ points)
• Japanese Online Test / JT (JT5 or above)
• Japanese Language Ability Evaluation Test (300+ points)

If you’ve already graduated from a university, junior college, or college of technology and submit that diploma, you generally won’t need separate language proof, though it may still be requested during the examination and your school interview. 

Keep in mind that a screenshot of your online test results does not count as an official transcript. If you’ve passed a test but don’t have your certificate yet, submit a copy of your admission ticket now and send the transcript by the deadline Immigration provides. If your Japanese ability was confirmed through an interview with the school instead, Coto will document how that assessment was carried out on the Confirmation Sheet.

4. Statement of Expense Support (Financial Sponsorship)

Your financial supporter must show they can cover all your expenses in Japan — tuition and living costs — and clearly state how much they’ll provide and how funds will be sent. This statement must be signed in person by your sponsor.

If someone other than your parents is your sponsor (e.g., a relative), you’ll also need to explain:

• Why this person is supporting you instead of your parents, and
• Why your parents are unable to provide support.

If a scholarship will cover your living expenses, the requirements depend on the type. For loan-type scholarships, refer to the Immigration Services Agency’s guidance for loan-scholarship students and submit the required documents. Applicants using the Asahi, Sankei Shimbun, Nikkei, Mainichi, or Yomiuri Scholarship Societies are exempt from this extra documentation but must still sign a statement confirming they understand the loan terms. For grant-type, non-repayable scholarships, follow the reference materials for required documents, plus a list of grant recipients from the past two years including school name, payment start date, nationality, name, date of birth, sex, and residence card number.

5. Proof of Relationship Between You and Your Financial Supporter

You’ll need an official document, such as a birth certificate or a notarized relationship certificate, proving your relationship to your sponsor. If you submit a family register, include the page(s) listing the household address and all members’ details and occupations.

For extended family relationships, such as when your sponsor is your aunt, you’ll need documents tracing the full chain of relationship: for example, proof of the mother-child relationship between you and your mother, along with proof of the sisterhood between your mother and your aunt. An affidavit alone isn’t sufficient. If you’re applying from a country where notarized documents include an English translation, be sure to request the “for overseas use” version when applying for the notarial deed.

6. Certificate of Deposit (Savings) Balance

This must be an original document, issued in your sponsor’s name, as recently as possible before submission. The shorter the gap between issuance and submission, the better.

7. Proof of How Your Sponsor’s Funds Were Accumulated (Past 1 Year)

This is about showing how the money in the balance certificate built up over the past year, not just that it exists. The documents must cover the full one-year period ending on the issuance date of the balance certificate.

If you’re using a passbook copy, include every page — even blank ones — sized to fit A4, and make sure the anti-copy security pattern is visible. Transaction dates, amounts, and balances must be legible, along with the pages showing the depositor’s name, bank name, account number, and bank seal. Anything illegible needs a written explanation attached.

If you’re using a bank transaction history covering the past year, it must be submitted as an original. If it isn’t A4-sized, include both the original and an A4 copy. Any unusual deposits or withdrawals need a signed, dated explanation from your sponsor. Do not write or make any markings on the original document itself.

If the funds are in a fixed-term deposit, you’ll also need to prove where the money placed into that deposit came from — for example, a copy of the passbook for the account from which the funds were transferred.

In exceptional cases where none of the above is possible, other materials may be submitted instead, but this requires a government-authenticated document about your sponsor’s income status first, plus materials showing exactly how the funds accumulated, such as sales receipts or market price records.

8. Proof of Your Sponsor’s Occupation

The right document depends on your sponsor’s job. Company employees should submit an original certificate of employment. Business owners should submit a copy of their business registration or operating permit. Company officers or directors should submit a certified corporate registration record, or a certificate of employment if they aren’t listed on the register. For any other occupation, such as an individual farmer, any government-issued document proving occupation will do.

9. Proof of Your Sponsor’s Income Over the Past Year

You’ll need an official document from the tax authority showing both income and tax payment status. The document must show both gross income and net, after-tax income. If it already includes the tax amount, a separate tax-payment certificate isn’t needed. Note that copies of payment receipts are not accepted as proof of tax payment. If your local tax authority can’t issue this certificate, submit alternative official documentation plus a written explanation of why.

If your sponsor works in agriculture, including forestry, fisheries, or livestock, additional explanatory materials help clarify income, covering farm scale, staffing, equipment, sales channels, and monthly income and expenditure over the past year.

10. If Your Sponsor Is a Relative Living in Japan

You’ll need to submit all of the following:

• Certificate of savings balance and a one-year deposit/withdrawal statement
• Statement of expense support
• Certificate of residence (Juminhyo) for all household members, with the My Number (Individual Number) excluded
• Municipal or residential tax income and tax-payment certificate for the most recent year (include all deductions and dependents; if tax-exempt, the tax-payment certificate is not required)
• Proof of occupation (certificate of employment, business permit, etc.)

11. Support Documentation for Applicants Under 18 Living Alone

If you’re a minor and will be living independently in Japan, rather than in a supervised dormitory, you’ll need a document explaining who will support your daily life and how, confirmed by Coto Japanese Institute. Additional proof of your living situation may also be requested.

12. Written Statements of Reasons (When Applicable)

You may need to submit a personal statement of reasons in a few situations. If you’ve previously been denied a COE or had a status-of-residence change application rejected, explain the circumstances and, for “Student” or “Pre-college student” status, show that those reasons no longer apply. If you’ve withdrawn a past COE or residence status application, explain why, and show the situation has since changed. If you returned a COE, or didn’t enter Japan after one was issued, explain the circumstances and how they’ve been resolved.

These statements must be handwritten or prepared by you personally, dated, and signed, with a personal seal accepted in place of a signature.

What Counts as an “Original” Document?

When Immigration asks for an “original,” they mean the actual document as issued, not a copy, printout, or scan. Similarly, when a document must come from a “public institution,” this refers to a government body or other public authority. A document issued by a private company about itself generally doesn’t meet this requirement. You may also come across the term “batch acceptance date,” which simply refers to the single date on which Coto Japanese Institute submits all student applications together to Immigration.

Will I Get My Documents Back After Submission?

No. Once a document is submitted to Japanese Immigration, it will not be returned under any circumstances. Because of this, it’s essential to check beforehand whether each document can be issued more than once. If a document is a one-time-only original, such as a family register or diploma, you’ll want to confirm you’re comfortable submitting it permanently before sending it in.

How Recent Do My Documents Need to Be?

Regardless of whether a document is issued inside or outside Japan, it generally needs to have been issued no more than three months before the date your application is submitted to Immigration. If unavoidable circumstances mean you’re submitting a document older than three months, it must still fall within six months of issuance, and you’ll need to attach a written statement of reasons explaining the situation. Keep in mind that Immigration reviews these explanations case by case, and depending on the content, the document may not be accepted as valid evidence.

Do I Need to Translate My Documents Into Japanese?

No! Coto Japanese Institute handles all of these translations for you, so there’s no action needed on your end. We’re only including this here so you understand it’s part of the process.

For reference, under Article 62 of the Regulations for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, any document prepared in a foreign language, including English, must generally have a Japanese translation attached. Proper nouns like names, institution names, and addresses can stay in their original alphabet, but the body text needs a full Japanese translation, and this applies in detail to bank statements too, where even transaction types and descriptions must be translated, not just the amounts. 

What Information Should Appear on My Certificates?

Every certificate you submit should clearly show who issued it, including their title and name, along with the issuing institution’s location and contact details, such as phone number, fax number, and email address. Wherever possible, the certificate should also carry the issuer’s signature, though a seal is acceptable in its place.

What if My Document Isn’t A4 Size or Is Printed on Both Sides?

This depends on the specific situation. If your original document is smaller than A4, submit it exactly as issued, without attaching it to any backing paper, and include a separate single-sided A4 copy enlarged to fit the page. If the original is larger than A4, fold it so the top edge matches A4 length, and again include a single-sided A4 copy, this time reduced to fit. If your document is A4 size but printed on both sides, submit the original along with an additional single-sided A4 copy.

Can I Submit a Copy Instead of an Original?

Only in specific cases. Copies are accepted for documents that can’t be issued more than once, such as a family register or diploma. Documents that can be reissued, like a bank balance certificate or a Japanese-language study certificate, must be submitted as originals unless stated otherwise. If you are submitting a copy, it needs to be a direct, first-generation copy of the original, made single-sided even if the original is double-sided, and sized to fit A4 even if the original wasn’t issued at that size. The copy also needs to be certified in the margin with the date it was made, the name of the person who made it, and their relationship to you.

How Long Does Coto Japanese Institute Keep Recruitment Documents?

This part is handled entirely on our end. Materials used during student recruitment, such as guidelines and pamphlets, must be retained by Coto Japanese Institute for at least three years, since Immigration may request them during examination.

Still deciding which language school to enroll in? Study at Coto Academy!

Ready to take the next step? Enroll at Coto Academy. Our team is here to guide you through every part of the application process — from gathering your documents to submitting your student visa application. Book a consultation today and let’s get started together.