Certificate of Employment for a Japan Visa: What It Must Say, With a Sample

FREE EXCEL Updated 12 November 2026 · Checked against the official form

What the certificate of employment for a Japan visa must say

The certificate of employment for a Japan visa is a letter on company letterhead. There is no official form. The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines sets the contents in two places:

If one of these four is missing, ask HR to reissue the certificate before you apply; it is the most common reason a certificate of employment comes back. Phone numbers and an e-mail address under the signature let the embassy check it.

A sample certificate of employment

EXAMPLE MEDICAL CENTER, (address), Quezon City. 20 November 2026

To whom it may concern,

This is to certify that SANTOS MARIA CRUZ has been employed by Example Medical Center as Staff Nurse, Medical-Surgical Ward, on a full-time regular basis from 1 June 2014 to present. Her monthly salary is PHP 38,000 (PHP 456,000 per year).

She has been granted leave from 4 January 2027 to 27 January 2027 and is expected back on duty on 28 January 2027.

This certification is issued for her visa application to Japan.

JUAN DELA PAZ, HR Manager. Tel. 02-0000-0000, hr@example.ph (signature over printed name)

The leave paragraph is not on the embassy's list. It is there because it tells the reader the applicant has a job to return to on a set date.

Rules for the paper itself

The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines sets general rules for every document in item 1 of its notes:

• Original. Documents issued in the Philippines must be originals.
• Within 3 months. Documents must be issued within 3 months of the application date.
• A4. Other sizes must be copied onto A4 and submitted with the original. Do not staple.
• English or Japanese. Anything in another language needs a translation with the date, the translator's name and signature.

If you do not have an employer

The tourism list covers this. Business owners submit a DTI Certificate of Business Name Registration and a Mayor's Permit from the City Hall. Students submit a copy of the school ID or a certificate of enrollment. If you cannot submit the tax payment certificate and employment certificate for any reason other than being a retiree, full-time housewife or unemployed, the list asks for a [letter of explanation](/letter-of-explanation-japan-visa/).

Certificate of employment: questions

Does the certificate need a wet signature?

The embassy notes ask for original documents issued in the Philippines. A printed certificate signed by hand is the safe form. Check with the visa center if your company only issues digital certificates.

Is this the same as the certificate of employment used inside Japan?

No. People already working in Japan use a different document, the Zaishoku Shomeisho, for immigration procedures in Japan. This page is about the letter your employer at home writes for a visa to enter Japan.

Can my guarantor's employer letter replace mine?

They are different documents. When a guarantor in the Philippines pays for the trip, the tourism list asks for the guarantor's own bank certificate, tax payment certificate and employment certificate, in addition to proof of the relationship.

Summary: getting the certificate of employment right

The certificate of employment for a Japan visa must show your position, how long you have worked there, your monthly or annual income, and who certifies it with their contact details. It must be an original on A4, issued within 3 months of your application.

The Excel template below has these items as fields and the sample from this page, ready to hand to HR. The job and employer you give on the [visa application form](/japan-visa-application-form/) should match this certificate word for word.