photo by Summit Club
Once in a life time, you can come to Japan as a working holiday maker. This unique status allows you to work to raise travel money while you are spending a one-year holiday in Japan. There must be many foreign residents currently living in Japan who once came to Japan for the first time on this visa. In Japan, working holiday makers are required to submit many applications since the residency management system came into effect in 2012. This column will introduce 4 mandatory applications working holiday makers in Japan must complete as well as some tips to find a job in Japan.
Get a resident card
Since the launch of the new resident management system in 2012, resident cards are issued to foreign residents who reside in Japan for over 3 months unless exempt. At Narita, Haneda, Chubu, and Kansai Airports, residents who are permitted to stay in Japan more than 3 months will be issued a residence card after having a seal of landing verification stamped in their passports. In such a case, address on your resident card is stated as “未定 (to be advised)”. Therefore you need to visit a local municipal office to update your address within 14 days from the day of arrival. Residents who entered Japan through any other ports will receive their resident cards by mail after submitting a moving-in notification. Make sure to double check that all the information on the card is correct as it will be your most-used ID during your stay in Japan.
Residency card: the Residency Management System in Japan
File moving-in notification
Since the launch of the new resident management system in 2012, foreign residents who stay in Japan for more than 3 months are required to notify a municipal office of their residential address within 14 days from their arrival in Japan. Residents who entered Japan thorough a port other than Narita, Haneda, Chubu or Kansai airport will receive their resident cards after filing this notification. Residents cards are sent to the address you notified. Residents who obtained their resident cards at Narita, Haneda, Chubu or Kansai airport can update an address on their cards, which is stated as “未定（to be advised）”, by submitting a moving-in notification. In this case, address will be written on the back of your resident card. Also, you will be registered in the Residents Basic Registry Network by submitting this notification and can obtain a copy of resident registration.
Notify when newly arrived in Japan or moved house: Moving-in & Change of address notification
Enroll in National Health Insurance
All residents reside in Japan are required to be covered by a public health insurance. Foreign nationals who resister their address and live in Japan for more than 3 months are also imposed the same requirements. Once you enroll in a public health insurance, a health insurance card is issued to you and 70% of you medical cost will be covered by the insurance. Your out-of-pocket cost will be only 30% of total cost. If you are from a country that has a social security agreement with Japan (As at January USA, 15 countries including UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia), and you have an insurance certificate issued in that country, you are not required to enroll in a public health insurance in Japan. You can enroll in National Health Insurance after receiving a resident card as you will be required to present it upon your application.
Praised by the WHO! The Japanese National Health Insurance
Enroll in National Pension System (If you are 20 – 59 years old)
As well as National Health Insurance, foreign residents who are 20 years old or over and reside in Japan for more than 3months are required to enroll in National Pension System or Employee’s Pension Insurance System. Working holiday makers are allowed to work in Japan under the same condition as Japanese nationals. Therefore some of them may be entitled to join in Employee’s Pension Insurance system. But if you are not, you need to enroll in National Pension System. But paying for National Pension System while you are staying in Japan on working holiday visa. In addition, some might have to pay for the similar insurance system in their own country as well. To solve such problems, you can apply for the Lump-Sum Withdrawal Payment, or submit an insurance certificate issued in that country to a Japanese pension office to be exempt.
The National Pension System: Participation is mandatory for all registered residents
One more thing to do… Job search
Unlike student visa holders and working visa holders, the purpose of working holiday is to spend a holiday in Japan. But working holiday visa holders are specially allowed to work in Japan. The maximum stay in Japan on working holiday visa is one year, but not many working holiday makers come to Japan have enough money to cover one-year long living expenses. You have to find a job eventually, or you may want to start working straight after you arrived in Japan. Of course searching a job on the internet is one of the options, but why don’t you visit Hello Work (public employment agency) in Shinjuku. They consult working holiday makers to help them to find a job in Japan by providing useful information for job hunting. If you have a chance, this would be a great help for you to get a job in Japan.
Looking for a job in Japan? Guide to job hunting for foreign residents
Enjoy your stay in Japan!
You may misunderstand that working holiday visa is nothing different from ordinary tourist visa. But it is a proper mid-to-long term visa which allows you to stay in Japan for one year. Under Japanese law, working holiday makers are recognized as residents who are required to register their residential addresses. There have been many paper works for working holiday makers to fill out since 2012, but these are to protect your everyday life while you are in Japan, so make sure you complete all of these.
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Attention international students: To do list after arriving in Japan
