Japan Intra-company Transferee status in 2026
The Intra-company Transferee status is designed for a foreign employee who is transferred for a limited period from an overseas office to a related office in Japan.
Corporate relationship matters
The foreign and Japanese offices must be part of the qualifying organizational relationship described by the immigration rules, such as a head office, branch or other related business office within the organization.
This is not a route for an unrelated Japanese company simply hiring someone who happened to work overseas.
Professional duties
The activities performed in Japan must correspond to the type of professional work covered by the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services category.
The status is therefore for professional transfer activity, not any possible role inside the company.
Prior overseas employment
The standard Intra-company Transferee framework requires qualifying prior employment at the overseas office before the transfer. Current official guidance should be checked for the precise evidence required in the specific case.
Certificate of Eligibility
For a normal application from abroad, the Japanese organization commonly obtains a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE). MOFA lists the CoE among the standard visa documents, while noting narrow exceptions for certain highly trusted companies.
The CoE supports visa and landing processing but does not itself guarantee visa issuance.
Period of stay
MOFA lists periods of 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months for this status.
Transfer versus Business Manager
A person transferred to manage a Japanese business at a sufficiently high level may need to consider whether Business Manager is the more accurate status. JETRO notes that the correct classification depends on the actual activity and organizational role.
Compare Engineer/Humanities/International Services, Business Manager, or return to the Japan hub.
Verified against MOFA, ISA and JETRO on 20 September 2026.
Official and supporting sources
- MOFA — Intra-company Transfereegovernment · accessed 2026-09-20
- ISA — Status of Residence Listgovernment · accessed 2026-09-20
- JETRO — Working Statusesgovernment · accessed 2026-09-20