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Work visa · 興行
Entertainer visa for Japan (興行)
For people who perform or appear on screen for a fee: singers, musicians, dancers, actors, athletes, models. Which of the five variants is yours, which documents you need, and why this status never covers bar or hostess work.
Checked against the Immigration Services Agency of Japan on 28 September 2026
Who qualifies
Stage, sport and screen
By law, Entertainer covers performances and shows for the public — plays, variety, music, sport — and other entertainment work. ISA gives actors, singers, dancers and professional athletes as examples.
Not to be confused with. A composer, painter or writer who earns from creating, not performing — Artist (芸術). Art without income — Cultural Activities (文化活動). A sports coach — Skilled Labor (技能). Running your own production company — Business Manager.
Landing criteria
The five Entertainer variants
The conditions are set by the landing criteria (上陸基準省令). Since August 2023 there are three routes for stage performances: the more reliable the organizer or venue, the simpler.
| Variant | When it fits | Main conditions |
|---|---|---|
| 1(a) 1号イ | A stage performance under a contract with a Japanese company. The venue is not a business under items 1–3 of the Entertainment Business Act (風営法): not a cabaret, a club where staff entertain guests, or a dimly lit café or one with booths | A manager with 3 years’ experience with foreign performers. No links of the company or its staff to human trafficking or organized crime. All fees owed to foreign performers over the past 3 years paid in full |
| 1(b) 1号ロ | Any one of: organizer is a government body or a school; a Japanese organization founded for cultural exchange with public funding; a foreign-themed park of 10 ha or more; a hall with no paid food or drink at the seats and no entertaining of guests, run by a non-profit or seating 100+; a fee of ¥500,000+ a day (for a group, in total) and no more than 30 days in Japan | One of these cases is enough |
| 1(c) 1号ハ | All other concerts and stage shows | Your 2 years of study of this art at a school abroad, or 2 years of experience abroad. A contract paying at least ¥200,000 a month. The organizer has 5+ full-time staff and a manager with 3 years’ experience. The venue has a stage of 13 m²+, a dressing room of 9 m²+ (plus 1.6 m² for each performer above five) and 5+ staff. If you are the only Entertainer holder there, only the venue operator’s clean record is checked |
| 2 | Sport and other shows | Pay at least equal to a Japanese national’s |
| 3 | Advertising, TV and film, photo shoots, recordings | Pay at least equal to a Japanese national’s |
A fee of ¥5 million or more a day removes the 2-year experience rule in 1(c). Folk music or dance of the country whose food a restaurant serves (not a venue where staff entertain guests), paid at least ¥200,000 a month, also goes under 1(c) without the organizer requirements; the experience and venue rules still apply.
Entertainer is not hostess work. Sitting with guests, entertaining them at their table or serving drinks is not allowed on this status. Under 1(a) the venue cannot be a cabaret-type business (風営法 Article 2(1) items 1–3). Under 1(c), a club where staff entertain guests needs at least 5 staff who do that work and no risk that the performer will join guests. In every variant the performer only performs.
Forms and documents
Official forms and the documents you need
The forms are the same for all variants; the documents differ. The Japanese company prepares most of them. Certificates issued in Japan must be no older than 3 months; foreign documents need a Japanese translation.
Two ways to get the status. From abroad, the Japanese company applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) and you then get the visa at a Japanese embassy. Already in Japan on another status — apply for a change of status; you may perform for a fee only after approval. Under 1(a) the set also depends on the organizer: one that has received a 1(a) CoE before (ISA Category 1) submits fewer papers.
established organizer (1(a)): A play, concert, dance or variety act under a contract with a Japanese company whose manager has 3 years’ experience with foreign performers. The venue is not a business under items 1–3 of the Entertainment Business Act (風営法): not a cabaret, a club where staff entertain guests, or a dimly lit café or one with booths.
public organizer, large hall, short tour (1(b)): The organizer is a national or local government body or a school; or a Japanese organization founded for cultural exchange with funding from the state, a local government or an incorporated administrative agency (独立行政法人); or a theme park of 10 ha or more; or a hall with no paid food or drink at the seats and no entertaining of guests — run by a non-profit organization or seating 100 or more; or a fee of ¥500,000 or more a day with no more than 30 days in Japan.
other performances (1(c)): Everything that does not fit 1(a) or 1(b). The strictest conditions: 2 years of your own experience or study, a fee of at least ¥200,000 a month, and requirements for the organizer and the venue.
sport (2): Professional sport and other shows other than plays, variety acts (magic, rakugo), singing, dance and music. Pay at least equal to what a Japanese national would get.
advertising, TV, film, shoots (3): Work without a live show for an audience: product advertising, TV programs and films, commercial photo shoots, recording albums and videos. Pay at least equal to what a Japanese national would get.
Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) — you are abroad, the organizer is in Japan
A staff member of the Japanese company you have a contract with (or that invites you) files the application, or an administrative scrivener (行政書士). With the CoE you apply for the visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate and enter Japan.
Files open from the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA). Forms are in Japanese and English; links checked 6 Oct 2026.
Documents
- Application for a Certificate of Eligibility 在留資格認定証明書交付申請書Part of the form is filled in by the organizer or company in Japan.
- Photo 4 × 3 cm 写真
- Return envelope with your address and stamps for registered mail 返信用封筒For paper applications.
- CV and documents proving your performing experience 申請人の経歴書及び活動に係る経歴を証する文書established organizer (1(a)), public organizer, large hall, short tour (1(b)), other performances (1(c)), sport (2)1(a) — only if the organizer is in ISA Category 2 (has not received a 1(a) CoE before). 1(c) — under the landing criteria you prove 2 years of study of this art at a school abroad or 2 years of experience abroad; not needed with a fee of ¥5 million or more a day.
- Proof of your achievements 申請人の芸能活動上の実績を証する資料advertising, TV, film, shoots (3)A letter from your agency about your standing or career, album covers, posters, magazine and newspaper articles.
- About the company in Japan: commercial register extract, latest annual financial statements, company profile 契約機関・招へい機関・受入れ機関の登記事項証明書・直近の決算書の写し・概要を明らかにする資料1(a) and 1(c) — the company you have the contract with (契約機関); in ISA Category 1 under 1(a) not needed if nothing has changed. 1(b), 2 and 3 — also the staff list (従業員名簿); for 3, the company brochure.
- About the venue: copy of its license, floor plan, photos of the auditorium, dressing room and front 興行を行う施設の概要を明らかにする資料（営業許可書の写し・施設の図面・施設の写真）established organizer (1(a)), public organizer, large hall, short tour (1(b)), other performances (1(c)), sport (2)1(a) — ISA Category 2 only. For sport (2), also the register extract, financial statements and staff list of the venue owner.
- Copy of the performance contract 興行に係る契約書の写しestablished organizer (1(a)), public organizer, large hall, short tour (1(b)), other performances (1(c))Together with the organizer’s contract with the venue. If the organizer works under a subcontract, that contract; for a hall licensed under the Entertainment Venue Act (興行場法), the permission to use it. 1(a) — ISA Category 2 only.
- If the organizer works under a subcontract: a copy of that contract 請負契約書の写しsport (2)
- Document on your work in Japan: what you do, for how long, in which role and for what fee 申請人の日本での具体的な活動の内容、期間、地位及び報酬を証する文書An employment contract, a performance consent (出演承諾書) or similar. 1(c) — also when and how you are paid, and what is deducted from the fee and how it was calculated. 1(a) — ISA Category 2 only.
- Organizer’s declaration that the venue is not a cabaret, a club where staff entertain guests, or a dimly lit café or one with booths 申立書（興行を行う施設が風営法第２条第１項第１号から第３号までに規定する営業を営む施設以外の施設であることを申し立てる文書）established organizer (1(a))ISA form; also available at immigration bureaus.ISA form · PDF
- List of the organizer’s managers and full-time staff, proof of the manager’s 3 years of experience, and a declaration that the company has a clean record and has paid foreign performers in full for the past 3 years 契約機関の経営者及び常勤の職員の名簿・経験を証する資料・申立書established organizer (1(a))The list gives name, sex, date of birth, address, nationality and position. ISA Category 1: proof of experience not needed if nothing has changed.declaration form · PDF
- If you perform under a contract with a Japanese organizer: its staff list (at least 5 full-time), proof of the manager’s 3 years of experience, a declaration and proof that foreign performers were paid in full for the past 3 years 興行契約に基づく場合：契約機関の名簿・経験を証する資料・申立書・報酬の支払を証する文書other performances (1(c))Proof: contracts, receipts, bank transfers, payroll records, tax documents. Not needed if you perform the folk music or dance of the country whose food a restaurant serves (not a venue where staff entertain guests), for at least ¥200,000 a month.declaration form · PDF
- About the company running the venue: register extract, financial statements, profile, venue staff list (at least 5) and a declaration 出演施設を運営する機関の登記事項証明書・決算書・名簿・申立書other performances (1(c))declaration form · PDF
- Schedule of your stay and performances, posters, flyers 滞在日程表・公演日程表・広告・チラシ等They help show what the performance or shoot is.
Immigration may ask for other documents too. Full list: the ISA checklist above and the status page.
- Where to apply
- The regional immigration services bureau for the address of the host company. Not accepted by mail.
- Fee
- Free
- Standard processing period
- 1–3 months. For 1(a), ISA is trialling faster issue when the application raises no questions: Category 1 organizers within 2 weeks (3 weeks if the organizer’s staff changed; ISA gives notice within about 1 week if it needs longer), Category 2 within 1 month.
- Online
- Possible
Change of status — you already live in Japan under another status
You file yourself before your current status expires — or an approved staff member of the company (申請等取次者) or an administrative scrivener (行政書士) files for you. You may perform for a fee only once the change is approved.
Files open from the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA). Forms are in Japanese and English; links checked 6 Oct 2026.
Documents
- Application for change of status of residence 在留資格変更許可申請書
- Photo 4 × 3 cm 写真Not needed when the new period of stay is 3 months or less.
- Passport and residence card — to show パスポート及び在留カード（提示）
- CV and documents proving your performing experience 申請人の経歴書及び活動に係る経歴を証する文書established organizer (1(a)), public organizer, large hall, short tour (1(b)), other performances (1(c)), sport (2)1(a) — only if the organizer is in ISA Category 2 (has not received a 1(a) CoE before). 1(c) — under the landing criteria you prove 2 years of study of this art at a school abroad or 2 years of experience abroad; not needed with a fee of ¥5 million or more a day.
- Proof of your achievements 申請人の芸能活動上の実績を証する資料advertising, TV, film, shoots (3)A letter from your agency about your standing or career, album covers, posters, magazine and newspaper articles.
- About the company in Japan: commercial register extract, latest annual financial statements, company profile 契約機関・招へい機関・受入れ機関の登記事項証明書・直近の決算書の写し・概要を明らかにする資料1(a) and 1(c) — the company you have the contract with (契約機関); in ISA Category 1 under 1(a) not needed if nothing has changed. 1(b), 2 and 3 — also the staff list (従業員名簿); for 3, the company brochure.
- About the venue: copy of its license, floor plan, photos of the auditorium, dressing room and front 興行を行う施設の概要を明らかにする資料（営業許可書の写し・施設の図面・施設の写真）established organizer (1(a)), public organizer, large hall, short tour (1(b)), other performances (1(c)), sport (2)1(a) — ISA Category 2 only. For sport (2), also the register extract, financial statements and staff list of the venue owner.
- Copy of the performance contract 興行に係る契約書の写しestablished organizer (1(a)), public organizer, large hall, short tour (1(b)), other performances (1(c))Together with the organizer’s contract with the venue. If the organizer works under a subcontract, that contract; for a hall licensed under the Entertainment Venue Act (興行場法), the permission to use it. 1(a) — ISA Category 2 only.
- If the organizer works under a subcontract: a copy of that contract 請負契約書の写しsport (2)
- Document on your work in Japan: what you do, for how long, in which role and for what fee 申請人の日本での具体的な活動の内容、期間、地位及び報酬を証する文書An employment contract, a performance consent (出演承諾書) or similar. 1(c) — also when and how you are paid, and what is deducted from the fee and how it was calculated. 1(a) — ISA Category 2 only.
- Organizer’s declaration that the venue is not a cabaret, a club where staff entertain guests, or a dimly lit café or one with booths 申立書（興行を行う施設が風営法第２条第１項第１号から第３号までに規定する営業を営む施設以外の施設であることを申し立てる文書）established organizer (1(a))ISA form; also available at immigration bureaus.ISA form · PDF
- List of the organizer’s managers and full-time staff, proof of the manager’s 3 years of experience, and a declaration that the company has a clean record and has paid foreign performers in full for the past 3 years 契約機関の経営者及び常勤の職員の名簿・経験を証する資料・申立書established organizer (1(a))The list gives name, sex, date of birth, address, nationality and position. ISA Category 1: proof of experience not needed if nothing has changed.declaration form · PDF
- If you perform under a contract with a Japanese organizer: its staff list (at least 5 full-time), proof of the manager’s 3 years of experience, a declaration and proof that foreign performers were paid in full for the past 3 years 興行契約に基づく場合：契約機関の名簿・経験を証する資料・申立書・報酬の支払を証する文書other performances (1(c))Proof: contracts, receipts, bank transfers, payroll records, tax documents. Not needed if you perform the folk music or dance of the country whose food a restaurant serves (not a venue where staff entertain guests), for at least ¥200,000 a month.declaration form · PDF
- About the company running the venue: register extract, financial statements, profile, venue staff list (at least 5) and a declaration 出演施設を運営する機関の登記事項証明書・決算書・名簿・申立書other performances (1(c))declaration form · PDF
- Schedule of your stay and performances, posters, flyers 滞在日程表・公演日程表・広告・チラシ等They help show what the performance or shoot is.
Immigration may ask for other documents too. Full list: the ISA checklist above and the status page.
- Where to apply
- The regional immigration services bureau for your address
- Fee
- Paid only after approval. Applications received by 30 September 2026: ¥6,000 (online ¥5,500), even if the decision comes later. Received from 1 October 2026: the fee depends on the period granted — from ¥10,000 (up to 3 months) to ¥75,000 (5 years or more); online is cheaper except for periods up to 3 months. It can be higher if a specified residence card (特定在留カード) is issued with the permission. Full fee table
- Standard processing period
- 1–2 months
- Online
- Possible
Extension of the Entertainer status
You file before your period of stay ends; with a period of 6 months or more, from 3 months before it ends. The document list is the same for all variants.
Files open from the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA). Forms are in Japanese and English; links checked 6 Oct 2026.
Documents
- Application for extension of period of stay 在留期間更新許可申請書
- Photo 4 × 3 cm 写真Not needed when the extension is for 3 months or less.
- Passport and residence card — to show パスポート及び在留カード（提示）
- Letter from your employer or a copy of your employment contract — what you do and until when 在職証明書・雇用契約書の写し（具体的な活動の内容、期間を証する文書）
- Copy of the performance contract 興行に係る契約書の写しTogether with the organizer’s contract with the venue.
- Resident tax certificates for the year: tax assessment and tax payment 住民税の課税（又は非課税）証明書・納税証明書From the city office where you lived on 1 January. If you are a non-resident for tax purposes: documents on income tax withheld in Japan (所得税徴収高計算書 or similar) and on your income.
- If the venue has changed since your last application: a description of the new venue 変更後の出演施設等の概要を明らかにする資料
- Work schedule 活動日程表
Immigration may ask for other documents too. Full list: the ISA checklist above and the status page.
- Where to apply
- The regional immigration services bureau for your address
- Fee
- Paid only after approval. Applications received by 30 September 2026: ¥6,000 (online ¥5,500), even if the decision comes later. Received from 1 October 2026: the fee depends on the period granted — from ¥10,000 (up to 3 months) to ¥75,000 (5 years or more); online is cheaper except for periods up to 3 months. It can be higher if a specified residence card (特定在留カード) is issued with the permission. Full fee table
- Standard processing period
- 2 weeks – 1 month
- Online
- Possible
Short trips
Tours, festivals and competitions
What comes next
Family, agency changes and permanent residency
FAQ
Entertainer visa questions
Can’t find your question? Write to us — a real person replies.
Sources
Where this information comes from
Facts and document lists were checked against the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) on 28 September 2026. Form links come from a register of ISA files that our server refreshes every week: when ISA publishes a new version of a form, the button opens the new file.
- ISA — Entertainer (興行): who qualifies, period of stay, the five variants
- ISA — Entertainer, variant 1(a) (1号イ): forms and documents
- ISA — Entertainer, variant 1(b) (1号ロ)
- ISA — Entertainer, variant 1(c) (1号ハ)
- ISA — Entertainer, variant 2: sport and other shows
- ISA — Entertainer, variant 3: advertising, TV, film, photo shoots, recordings
- ISA — Entertainer rule changes from 1 August 2023; categories and processing times for variant 1(a)
- e-Gov — landing criteria (上陸基準省令), Entertainer item
- e-Gov — Immigration Control Act (入管法): status tables, Articles 19-3, 19-16 and 26-2
- ISA — Notification of the Contracting Organization (14 days)
- ISA — Designated Activities for amateur athletes
- ISA — Guidelines for permanent residence (永住許可に関するガイドライン), revised 1 October 2026
This page is general information, not legal advice. Immigration decides each application and may ask for more documents. Where a rule is known only from practice, we say so.
