If you will be in Japan for less than 90 days and are not eligible for a visa waiver according to our records, you will need a Temporary Visitor Visa (TVV). Learn more about the questionnaires and materials you will need to complete for this below.
Wondering where to begin? Then follow along with this video playlist as we go over each part of your TVV post-acceptance requirements.
Stuck on a certain form/questionnaire? Then click the various content below to learn more about a specific part of your TVV post-acceptance requirements.
If you will be in Japan for less than 90 days and are not eligible for a visa waiver, you will need a Temporary Visitor Visa (TVV). A visa is a legal document issued to a foreign passport-holder that allows the traveler to legally enter and reside in a different country. The visa is processed by the Japanese Consulate and placed within your passport. This can take anywhere from one to two weeks to be issued.
We will work with you to collect the necessary documentation and information for this process. To ensure you receive your visa in time for the program, it is important that you complete these materials as soon as possible.
If you would like us to walk you through this process, view the YouTube video tutorial for the TVV application process.
As JCMU acts as the guarantor for all of our students’ visas, you are required to adhere to the following rules listed in this video. Visit the "Rules of Your JCMU Visa" webpage for more details about what this entails.
If you would like us to walk you through this process, view the YouTube video tutorial for the rules of your JCMU visa.
You will be asked to complete additional online questionnaires within 2 weeks after your acceptance to JCMU. While it might seem like a lot to do in a short period of time, each questionnaire should only take few minutes to complete.
We won’t go over all of them in detail, but there are additional video tutorials for the following questionnaires that are frequently completed incorrectly:
If you have concerns about any of your post-acceptance questionnaires, feel free to e-mail, call, or stop by our East Lansing office.
If you would like us to walk you through this process, view the YouTube video tutorial for your post-acceptance questionnaires.
After your acceptance into your JCMU program, you are required to review and electronically sign the Statement of Responsibility. With this form, you will review the rules and policies pertaining to your time at JCMU. This includes topics such as alcohol, academic dismissal, program withdrawal, and more. Please read this carefully before electronically signing.
If you would like us to walk you through this process, view the YouTube video tutorial for the Statement of Responsibility.
Link to the MSU OEA application search site
If you are a degree-seeking Michigan State University student, you must also be registered with the MSU Office for Education Abroad, or OEA, for participation in your program. This will ensure that you are in the OEA database for health and safety purposes.
Please find your JCMU program and semester in the Office for Education Abroad Student Portal and apply. Once you have finished your application, return to your JCMU application and click that you have read and agree to this signature document.
While this is a required step for your full admission to the JCMU program, you will not have to pay any additional application fees through the OEA application, nor will your acceptance to JCMU be rescinded. Rather, the OEA application you will complete is a very short modified form asking only for basic personal and student information.
If you would like us to walk you through this process, view the YouTube video tutorial for the MSU OEA application process.
Download the Health/Treatment Emergency Authorization Form
In order to be medically cleared for travel abroad, you will be asked to complete the Health/Treatment Emergency Authorization Form. The review of this form is done by the University Physician at Michigan State University with the sole purpose of helping JCMU provide appropriate assistance to you should the need arise during your experience abroad. This information will be kept confidential as required by law and by professional ethical standards. The information in this form is not shared JCMU.
Please complete all the entire form honestly so that the University Physician be aware of any health conditions which might affect your ability to fully enjoy your time in Japan. In an emergency, this form may provide critical health information to the medical professionals treating you. If the University Physician has any concerns, they will contact you directly.
If you are a degree-seeking student from Michigan State University, or MSU, you will complete this form through your MSU application for JCMU. If you are not a degree-seeking MSU student, you will complete a hard copy version of the form and mail or drop off the form to our East Lansing office.
If you would like us to walk you through this process, view the YouTube video tutorial for this important health form.
The “bank letter” is a financial statement from your or your supporter’s account proving that you will have funds available while you are in Japan. This form is frequently completed incorrectly. As such, make sure to review this information carefully before sending your materials to JCMU.
A bank account statement, financial aid award letter, or scholarship award letter can be used as your bank letter. You can use an account in your name or an account in the name of somebody willing to serve as your financial supporter. There are four important things we look for in the bank letter:
If you would like us to walk you through this process, view the YouTube video tutorial for the TVV bank letter requirement.
You are required to submit one printed passport-style identification photo that will be used on your visa application. The photo should be a 2 in. x 2 in. color photograph. It should be a photo of you taken within the last few months and must be on quality photo paper. There are a number of locations where you can have passport photos professionally taken. Past students have recommended stores like CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and FedEx. AAA and most post offices also generally provide passport services.
As a note, this photo is NOT the same as the “ID Photo (digital)” questionnaire on your application. Please review the "Post-Acceptance Questionnaires" section for more information on this photo requirement.
If you would like us to walk you through this process, view the YouTube video tutorial for the Passport ID Photo.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you will have to complete a few additional steps in order to receive your visa. The process differs depending on whether you will be in the U.S. or not prior to your travel to Japan.
If you plan on departing the U.S. prior to the JCMU program start date, then you may have to apply for your visa in the country you will be at. As each situation is different, please contact us right away if this will be the case for you so we can work together on what you will need to do.
If you will be in the U.S. up until the JCMU program start date, then we can apply for your visa on your behalf. In order for us to do so, you will have to submit the following additional documentation:
If your country of citizenship does not have a visa fee exemption program in place with Japan, you will also have to submit a visa application fee. To see which countries are exempt from visa fees, visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan's website.
If you would like us to walk you through this process, view the YouTube video tutorial for the additional forms you will need to submit.
The last step in the visa processing by the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit requires that you submit the following:
Unlike the rest of your post-acceptance forms, these are not due two weeks after your acceptance into JCMU. We will send you an e-mail directly with more information regarding when you will need to complete and send these to our office. As such, please do not send JCMU your passport until you are instructed to do so!
The Visa Application Form is required for in order for the Consulate to complete processing and issue your visa. This form will be pre-filled by JCMU and provided to you. Please review this form very carefully and fill in any missing information. We will attach your provided passport photo, so you do not need to send another one along with your visa application form. Once the form is complete and accurate, sign and date the bottom of the second page in ink pen. Please note that you must use your current legal information, including name and sex as listed on your passport, in order for the Japanese government officials to approve your form. Your signature must also match the signature in your passport. While necessary for the legal documentation, JCMU will continue to use your correct name if it differs from your legal name in all future correspondence and non-legal matters.
The Release of Liability form gives JCMU permission to handle and ship your passport. Without this form, we cannot apply for your Japanese visa on your behalf.
The Return Address Form indicates where you would like your passport shipped back to after your visa is issued. Please list an address that you will for sure have access to as late as 1 week before your JCMU program departure date. This may mean that you will need to select an alternate secure address, such as the home address of a parent, guardian, or trusted friend, in order to complete this form with accurate information.
If you have concerns about any of these documents or the final part of the visa application process, feel free to e-mail, call, or stop by our East Lansing office.
JCMU Application Portal
Advising
Appointments
Stories &
Testimonials
Completing the
MSU MA TESOL
at JCMU
