Changing employer in Japan is normal and permitted. What causes problems is not the move, it is the assumption that your visa simply follows you. It does, sometimes. Sometimes it does not, and finding out at renewal is the worst moment.
The 14-day rule
Holders of a work status must notify the Immigration Services Agency within 14 days of:
- Leaving an employer
- Joining a new one
- Your employer changing name, merging or ceasing to exist
Two separate notifications for a job change, and if there is a gap between roles they are not simultaneous. It is free, can be done online, by post or in person, and takes minutes.
Does your status cover the new job?
This is the real question. Your status permits a category of activity, not a specific employer. Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services covers a broad range of office and technical work, so many moves need no more than the notification.
But a move from software engineering to, say, a role that is substantially manual, or hospitality service work, or teaching in a setting your status does not cover, can fall outside it. Working outside your permitted activity is a serious immigration matter, not a paperwork slip.
The certificate that settles it
The certificate of authorised employment (就労資格証明書, shūrō shikaku shōmeisho) is the tool almost nobody uses and everybody should.
You apply to Immigration with details of the new job, and they confirm in writing whether your current status covers it. It is optional. What it gives you:
- Certainty before you commit, rather than discovering a mismatch at renewal two years later.
- A smoother renewal, because the question has already been answered by Immigration itself.
- Reassurance for the employer, who may be nervous about hiring on an existing visa.
Processing typically takes one to three months, so apply as early as you can. You may start the new job while it is pending, provided your status genuinely covers the work.
Timing against your renewal
Changing jobs shortly before a renewal is the awkward case. Immigration wants to see stability, and a brand-new employer with a short contract can result in a one-year grant where you might otherwise have had three. Check our Japan visa renewal documents checklist to make sure your tax and company paperwork are in order.
If you have a choice, either move well before the renewal window or complete the renewal first. If you do not have a choice, the certificate of authorised employment is worth more than usual. (If you have high academic or professional achievements, consider switching to the Highly Skilled Professional visa).
Everything else that has a deadline
The immigration notification is one of several clocks. Also within days of leaving:
- Health insurance — 14 days to enrol in National Health Insurance if there is a gap, or elect continued coverage (see Japan health insurance cost calculation)
- Pension — move to National Pension for any gap, at the same ward office counter
- Residence tax — switches from salary deduction to payment slips sent to you (see our residence tax guide)
- Rishoku-hyo — get it from the old employer even if you are not claiming benefit; read our guide on rishokuhyo and unemployment benefit
- Paid leave — negotiate taking your accrued annual leave before your final working day (paid leave / yukyu kyuka rules)
If there is a gap between jobs
A short gap is unremarkable. An extended period without engaging in your permitted activity is a risk — in principle, three months can be grounds for revocation of a work status, though job hunting is understood.
If a gap is going to be long, keep evidence that you are looking, and consider telling Immigration what you are doing rather than going quiet.
The phrases
- 所属機関変更届を出したいです。 — Shozoku kikan henkō todoke o dashitai desu. — I would like to file the change-of-organisation notification.
- 就労資格証明書を申請したいです。 — Shūrō shikaku shōmeisho o shinsei shitai desu. — I would like to apply for a certificate of authorised employment.
- この仕事は在留資格の範囲内ですか。 — Kono shigoto wa zairyū shikaku no han-i nai desu ka? — Is this job within my status of residence?
Where to confirm this
- Immigration Services Agency
- Our guide to resigning and rishokuhyo
- Our visa renewal checklist
- Our guide to residence card renewal
- Our guide to health insurance costs between jobs
Guides are dated rather than undated: last reviewed 13 September 2026. This is an organisational aid, not legal or immigration advice — always confirm anything consequential with your ward office, the Immigration Services Agency, or a qualified professional.