Changing Jobs on a Work Visa in Japan: The 14-Day Notification

Quick answer (30 seconds): If you change employers on a work visa in Japan — especially the common Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status — your visa does not automatically transfer or break, but you must file a notification of the contracting/affiliated organization (keiyaku kikan ni kansuru todokede) with the Immigration Services Agency within 14 days of leaving the old job and again within 14 days of starting the new one. Before or right after you switch, it's strongly recommended to get a Certificate of Authorized Employment (shuro shikaku shomeisho) so immigration confirms the new role fits your status. Separately, sort out your pension, health insurance, and residence tax with both employers so nothing lapses.

Disclaimer: This is general information for foreign residents, not legal or tax advice. Immigration rules, fees, and tax handling change and depend on your exact status and city. Confirm your case with the Immigration Services Agency (ISA), the Japan Pension Service, and your local municipal office before acting.

What actually happens to your visa when you change jobs

A work visa in Japan is tied to a category of activity, not to one specific company. So if you hold Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (gijutsu / jinbun chishiki / kokusai gyomu) and you move from one IT job to another IT job, your residence status itself doesn't need to be re-issued mid-term. You can usually start the new job and keep working on the same residence card until it expires.

But three things are true at the same time, and people get tripped up by mixing them up:

1. You owe immigration a notification within 14 days — twice (leaving, and joining). This is mandatory and free.
2. The Certificate of Authorized Employment is optional but strongly recommended — it's your safety check that the new role is covered.
3. Your next renewal will be judged on the new employer — and on whether you filed the notifications. Skipping them can come back to bite you.

Let's take each in turn.

The 14-day notification you must file

Under the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, mid-to-long-term residents on most work statuses must notify the Minister of Justice when their changes. The covered statuses explicitly include , plus Highly Skilled Professional, Researcher, Instructor, Intra-company Transferee, Skilled Labor, Specified Skilled Worker, and others.