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Status of residence · 外交 · 公用

Diplomat and Official visa for Japan (外交 · 公用)

Two statuses for people who come to Japan in the service of their country or an international organization: Diplomat (外交) for diplomats and consular officers, Official (公用) for staff of foreign governments and international organizations. Who gets which, how to apply, what about the family and what to do when the posting ends.

Forms and documents

All Japan visas

Checked against the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and MOFA on 6 October 2026

Residence cardNot issued

Diplomat periodFor the duration of the mission

Official period5 y · 3 y · 1 y · 3 months · 30 or 15 days

FamilySame status

Who gets it

Diplomat or Official — your post decides, not your passport

Diplomat · through MOFA

Diplomats and consular officers

  • members of diplomatic missions and consular posts accepted by the Government of Japan;
  • people who enjoy the same privileges and immunities under a treaty or international custom;
  • their family members who belong to the same household;
  • the visa comes from a Japanese embassy or consulate; in Japan, Diplomat can also be obtained by a change of status. ISA has no separate page or forms for Diplomat.

Official · MOFA and ISA

Official duties for a government or organization

  • people carrying out official duties for a foreign government or international organization recognized by Japan, where Diplomat does not apply;
  • their family members who belong to the same household;
  • the visa comes from a Japanese embassy; ISA handles the Certificate of Eligibility, change of status and extension.

A diplomatic passport is not the Diplomat status. MOFA warns: if you come for a holiday, tourism or transit, you get Temporary Visitor status (15, 30 or 90 days), and fingerprints and other biometrics are taken on entry. More on that status: Temporary Visitor.

Forms and documents

Forms and documents for Diplomat and Official

The lists are short: your state or organization confirms your post.

The first tab is Diplomat: the buttons open MOFA pages. The others are Official: forms from the Immigration Services Agency. The key document is always the same — a note verbale or other document from your government or international organization on your status and duties.

Diplomat (外交) — diplomatic visa through a Japanese embassy

The Diplomat status is usually arranged through MOFA: a Japanese embassy or consulate issues the visa on a diplomatic note from your government. If you are already in Japan on another status, you can also get Diplomat through a change of status at an immigration bureau (from 1 October 2026 ISA can waive the fee); the Ordinance also names who may file a Certificate of Eligibility for Diplomat — mission staff and family members. ISA has no separate page or forms for Diplomat. MOFA warns: traveling on a diplomatic passport for a holiday, tourism or transit gets you Temporary Visitor status, not Diplomat.

Diplomatic visaMOFA · mofa.go.jp · in JapaneseVisa application formPDF · mofa.go.jpCountries with visa exemption for diplomatic passportsMOFA · mofa.go.jp · in Japanese

The buttons open MOFA pages. Japan has mutual visa exemption for diplomatic and official passports with some countries — see the list linked above.

Documents

  1. Passport 旅券
  2. Photo 写真
  3. A note verbale or other document from your government or international organization on your status and the purpose of the trip 口上書その他外国政府又は国際機関が発行した身分及び用務を証する文書
  4. Visa application form 査証申請書MOFA says that in some cases it is not needed.

Based on MOFA’s diplomatic visa page (checked 6 October 2026). ISA publishes no separate list for a change of status in Japan — ask the bureau. The embassy may ask for other documents.

Where to apply
Japanese embassy or consulate
Fee
Ask the embassy or consulate — MOFA’s diplomatic visa page does not list a fee
Period of stay
For the duration of the diplomatic mission
Online
ISA’s online system does not cover Diplomat
Documents for my caseYour list for your category and family — with checkboxes and a PDF

Official: Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)

A Japanese embassy issues the Official visa on a note verbale (MOFA page — button below). If a CoE is needed, it is filed in Japan by a staff member of your government’s mission or international organization, or by a family member who will live with you (Ordinance for Enforcement, appended table 4).

Application formPDF · moj.go.jpApplication formExcel · moj.go.jpOfficial visaMOFA · mofa.go.jp · in Japanese

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

  1. Application for a Certificate of Eligibility 在留資格認定証明書交付申請書
  2. Photo 4 × 3 cm 写真
  3. Return envelope with your address and stamps for registered mail 返信用封筒For paper applications.
  4. A note verbale or other document from your government or international organization on your status and official duties 口上書その他外国政府又は国際機関が発行した身分及び用務を証する文書

Immigration may ask for other documents too. Full list: the ISA checklist above and the status page.

Where to apply
Regional immigration services bureau
Fee
Free
Standard processing period
1–3 months
Online
Only through a staff member of the organization or an administrative scrivener (行政書士): Official holders do not use the online system themselves
Documents for my caseYour list for your category and family — with checkboxes and a PDF

Change of status to Official — you are already in Japan on another status

You file yourself or a representative accepted by ISA. ISA asks you to apply as soon as the official duty starts: if you are not doing the activity of your current status, it can be revoked.

Application formPDF · moj.go.jpApplication formExcel · moj.go.jp

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

  1. Application for change of status of residence 在留資格変更許可申請書
  2. Passport and residence card — to show パスポート及び在留カード（提示）The card only if you have one on your current status. No residence card is issued on Official.
  3. A note verbale or other document from your government or international organization on your status and official duties 口上書その他外国政府又は国際機関が発行した身分及び用務を証する文書

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
From 1 October 2026 ISA can waive the fee for a change to Diplomat or Official (discretionary). For applications received by 30 September 2026, ask the bureau
Standard processing period
1–2 months
Online
Only through a staff member of the organization or an administrative scrivener (行政書士): Official holders do not use the online system themselves
Documents for my caseYour list for your category and family — with checkboxes and a PDF

Extension of period of stay — Official

You file yourself or a representative accepted by ISA, before your period of stay ends. You have no residence card — you show only your passport.

Application formPDF · moj.go.jpApplication formExcel · moj.go.jp

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

  1. Application for extension of period of stay 在留期間更新許可申請書
  2. Passport — to show パスポート（提示）
  3. A note verbale or other document from your government or international organization on your status and official duties 口上書その他外国政府又は国際機関が発行した身分及び用務を証する文書

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
From 1 October 2026 ISA can waive the fee for an extension of Official (discretionary). For applications received by 30 September 2026, ask the bureau
Standard processing period
2 weeks – 1 month
Online
Only through a staff member of the organization or an administrative scrivener (行政書士): Official holders do not use the online system themselves
Documents for my caseYour list for your category and family — with checkboxes and a PDF

Official — acquisition of status for a child born in Japan

If the child of an Official holder is born in Japan and will stay longer than 60 days, apply within 30 days of the birth (Immigration Control Act, Article 22-2).

Application formPDF · moj.go.jpApplication formExcel · moj.go.jp

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

  1. Application for acquisition of status of residence 在留資格取得許可申請書
  2. Proof of birth その事由を証する書類ISA asks for a document on the reason for acquiring the status — for a child, proof of birth.
  3. Child’s passport — to show パスポート（提示）
  4. A note verbale or other document from your government or international organization on the status and official duties 口上書その他外国政府又は国際機関が発行した身分及び用務を証する文書

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
Free
Standard processing period
File within 30 days of the birth
Online
Only through a staff member of the organization or an administrative scrivener (行政書士): Official holders do not use the online system themselves
Documents for my caseYour list for your category and family — with checkboxes and a PDF

Life on the status

No residence card — and what happens after the posting

Documents

Your passport shows your status

No residence card is issued on Diplomat or Official — the Immigration Control Act says so directly (Article 19-3). So you do not register as a resident at the city office: the resident register covers residence-card holders and a few other groups.

Family

The same status as you

Your spouse and children living in your household get Diplomat or Official. The law has no Dependent visa for these families. For a child of an Official holder born in Japan, the status is applied for within 30 days.

Work outside duties

Only with permission

A business or paid work outside your official duties needs permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted (資格外活動許可) — for family members too. It is free: see part-time work permission.

Trips and staff

Travel and a domestic worker

With a valid passport you can leave and return without a separate permit (みなし再入国) if your status was granted for more than 3 months. A personal domestic worker aged 18+ can come on Designated Activities No. 1; for Official holders only if they have no other domestic worker.

When the posting ends

Leave or change your status

  • Diplomat lasts for the duration of the diplomatic mission — that is how the Ordinance for Enforcement sets its period.
  • Official has a fixed period. With no official duties for more than 3 months and no good reason, the law allows the status to be revoked (Article 22-4).
  • To stay — to work, study or live with a Japanese spouse — apply for a change of status. A new status of more than 3 months comes with a residence card.
  • From 1 October 2026 ISA can waive the fee for a change to Diplomat or Official and for an extension of Official.

FAQ

Diplomat and Official visa questions

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Who gets Diplomat (外交) and who gets Official (公用)?

Diplomat: members of diplomatic missions and consular posts accepted by the Government of Japan, people who enjoy the same privileges and immunities under a treaty or international custom, and their household family members. Official: people carrying out official duties for a foreign government or international organization recognized by Japan, where Diplomat does not apply, and their families.

Usually at a Japanese embassy or consulate on a diplomatic note. You need your passport, a photo, a note verbale or other document from your government or international organization on your status and the purpose of the trip, and a visa application form — sometimes it can be left out. If you are already in Japan, you can also get Diplomat through a change of status at an immigration bureau — from 1 October 2026 ISA can waive the fee. ISA has no separate page or forms for Diplomat.

No. The Immigration Control Act expressly excludes Diplomat and Official from residence-card holders (Article 19-3). So you do not register as a resident at the city office; your passport shows your status.

The same: your spouse and children living in your household get Diplomat or Official. The law has no Dependent visa (家族滞在) for families of Diplomat and Official holders.

Running a business or being paid outside official duties needs permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted (資格外活動許可). The permission is free. Occasional fees for a lecture or an article that are not your business need no permission.

Diplomat lasts for the duration of the diplomatic mission. If you want to stay in Japan — to work, study or live with a Japanese spouse — apply for a change of status. A new status of more than 3 months comes with a residence card. For Official, if you have no official duties for more than 3 months without good reason, the law allows the status to be revoked.

Yes. A personal domestic worker aged 18 or over who speaks with you in your language can come on Designated Activities under Ministry of Justice public notice No. 1. For diplomats and consular officers the notice sets no limit on the number of workers; Official holders may bring one only if they have no other domestic worker.

Sources

Where this information comes from

Facts and document lists were checked against the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) on 6 October 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.

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.

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