Student visa applications: bank balance certificates and other proof of funds, and translations
When you apply for a Certificate of Eligibility to study in Japan, you may need documents showing that your costs will be covered (a bank balance certificate, proof of the sponsor's income and so on), depending on the school and your nationality. If they are in a foreign language, you attach a Japanese translation.
The translation requirement
The Immigration Control Act's Enforcement Regulations require a translation to be attached to any submitted material written in a foreign language. The Immigration Services Agency's Student status page also asks for a Japanese translation of documents in a foreign language. That page has no note waiving translations for documents in English.
法又はこの省令の規定により法務大臣、出入国在留管理庁長官、地方出入国在留管理局長又は入国審査官に提出するものとされる資料が外国語により作成されているときは、その資料に訳文を添付しなければならない。When proof of funds is needed
The documents depend on the type of school and on the rating the school has from the Immigration Services Agency (適正校 Class I or Class II, or not rated 適正校). The checklists for a Certificate of Eligibility list these documents about covering costs:
| School | School's rating | Proof-of-funds documents on the checklist |
|---|---|---|
| University, junior college, graduate school and similar | 適正校 (Class I or II) | None |
| University, junior college, graduate school and similar | Not 適正校 | Statement of financial support (経費支弁書), proof of the sponsor's relationship to the applicant, bank balance certificate (original), records showing how the funds built up over the past year, proof of the sponsor's occupation, proof of the sponsor's income over the past year |
| Japanese language school | 適正校 (Class I) | None |
| Japanese language school | 適正校 (Class II) | For nationals of countries and regions not in the Agency's list (別表): statement of financial support, proof of the sponsor's relationship, bank balance certificate (original), records showing how the funds built up over the past year |
| Japanese language school | Not 適正校 | The same six documents as a university that isn't 適正校 |
| Vocational school (専修学校, 各種学校) | 適正校 (Class I) | None |
| Vocational school (専修学校, 各種学校) | 適正校 (Class II) | For nationals of countries and regions not in the list: statement of financial support, bank balance certificate (original) |
| Vocational school (専修学校, 各種学校) | Not 適正校 | The same six documents as a university that isn't 適正校 |
The list (別表) is published on the Agency's Student status page. It includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, but not, for example, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines or Vietnam. If you receive a scholarship, you also submit a certificate of the scholarship.
Even where these documents are left off the application, the Agency asks schools to check the applicant's ability to cover their costs during admissions, so a school may ask you for the same documents anyway. Ask your school which rating it has.
申請人の在留中の一切の経費の支弁能力を証する文書（当該外国人以外の者が経費を支弁する場合には、その者の支弁能力を証する文書及びその者が支弁するに至った経緯を明らかにする文書）Validity and originals
The bank balance certificate must be an original. The Agency's notes say any document that must be submitted as an original has to be no more than three months old. Submitted documents are not returned.
原本の提出が求められるものについては、発行(作成)後３か月以内のものに限ります。Extensions and changes of status
An extension of the period of stay lists a declaration of how living costs are paid (滞在費支弁に関する申告書), and a change of status lists the statement of financial support; both also list a scholarship certificate if you receive one. Documents issued by a foreign bank or employer that you attach also need a Japanese translation.
Questions
Does an English bank balance certificate need a translation?
Yes. The regulation requires a translation of any foreign-language material, and the Student status page has no note waiving translations for documents in English.
How recent must the bank balance certificate be?
The Agency's notes say documents to be submitted as originals must be no more than three months old. Get it close to when you apply.
Can I translate the documents myself?
The law and the Agency's published guidance say nothing about who may translate. If your school specifies a format, follow it.
This page is general information. The documents required and the format of translations differ by country and office, and can change. Check the current guidance of the office you are submitting to before you file.
Sources
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act Enforcement Regulations (e-Gov)
- Immigration Services Agency: Student status (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency: notes on Student applications (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency: list of countries and regions for Student applications (Japanese)
- Checklist: universities rated 適正校 Class I or II (Japanese)
- Checklist: language schools rated 適正校 Class II (Japanese)
- Checklist: language schools not rated 適正校 (Japanese)
Other guides
- Which Japanese procedures need a translation of English documents, and what the translator must provide
- Translations for claiming dependants who live abroad (year-end adjustment and tax returns)
- Marrying a foreign national in Japan: documents and Japanese translations
- Registering a birth abroad: the 3-month deadline, keeping Japanese nationality, and translating the birth certificate
- Registering a foreign family's residence: proof of relationship to the head of household, and translations
- Translations for family and spouse residence applications (marriage and birth certificates)
- Permanent residence applications: foreign documents and Japanese translations (marriage and degree certificates, statement of reasons)