Kanagawa Highly Skilled Hiring Subsidy | Overseas Recruitment, COE Costs and Application Order

Fiscal year 2026 scheme / Official information checked: 10 October 2026

Tommy’s Legal Service
トミーズリーガルサービス行政書士事務所

For eligible SMEs with a business location in Kanagawa

Hiring a professional overseas?
Check the subsidy before contracting.

Recruitment, Certificate of Eligibility assistance and flights to Japan may qualify. Check the candidate, contract dates and evidence first.

日本語の記事はこちら

Kanagawa Prefecture’s subsidy for receiving highly skilled foreign workers supports eligible initial hiring costs for small and medium enterprises with an office or business location in the prefecture. The Japanese official scheme name is 神奈川県高度外国人材受入支援補助金.

1. Overview and deadlines

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JPY 500,000 is a per-person cap, not a guaranteed payment. Eligibility, the approved amount, available budget and completion review determine the grant. We checked the published materials on the date above; we have not confirmed the remaining budget by telephone. Contact the prefecture before applying. Official page; guide pp. 2–3 and 12.

2. Employer and worker eligibility

Your head office need not be in Kanagawa if you have a qualifying location there. The plan must involve direct regular employment at your own location in Kanagawa. Receiving dispatched, fixed-term contract or part-time workers is excluded, as is employing regular staff to dispatch to another company. Fees for temp-to-permanent recruitment may qualify under a properly confirmed plan; consult the prefecture (FAQ 5 and 9).

Companies, sole proprietors and certain professional corporations may qualify. Medical, social welfare and school corporations, NPO corporations, general/public-interest associations and foundations, and informal organizations are among the exclusions. Large and deemed large enterprises, excluded business types, duplicate applications at the same operating location and businesses without actual operations must also be checked.

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Generally either the capital or employee threshold must be met. Special rubber-manufacturing rules, employee counting, ownership and deemed-large-enterprise exclusions require the full guide. This summary table does not establish eligibility.

The scheme’s definition of a highly skilled foreign worker is not limited to HSP status. It ordinarily requires specialist knowledge or ability, graduation or expected graduation from a university or vocational school, expected E/H/IS or HSP status and planned entry from overseas. The rules contain a narrow exception for certain previous-year approved cases specially recognized by the governor; do not read this as general eligibility for domestic hiring.

Immigration permission and the subsidy are separate assessments. A grant decision does not guarantee a Certificate of Eligibility or residence permission.

3. Eligible and excluded expenses

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Excluded items include costs contracted or received before the decision; inadequately documented or inseparable ordinary-business costs; preparing, mailing or processing subsidy applications and completion reports; consumption/local consumption tax, other taxes, revenue stamps, transfer/settlement charges; cash, checks, bills, offsets, points, vouchers and cryptocurrency; installments, revolving/bonus payments; and payment evidence under another name (guide pp. 8–10).

Payment is ordinarily by traceable bank transfer or account debit. Credit cards require the same applicant name, settlement within the period and one-time payment, among other conditions. FAQ 1 addresses the following month’s bank debit; retain evidence of both settlement and debit dates.

4. Examples: JPY 110,000, 220,000 and 330,000 gross

Assume 10% consumption tax, the entire net expense is accepted, no other grant adjustment and no approved-amount or other cap restriction.

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Apply one third to the net eligible expense and round down to the nearest JPY 1,000. The guide’s separate tax-exclusive rounding procedure on p. 10 is also relevant when amounts do not divide exactly; these three examples divide exactly. Grant rounding is confirmed in Article 6 of the rules and p. 25 of the guide.

The prefecture assesses eligible expenses and the final grant. Do not apply one third directly to bundled gross charges. Other national/prefectural grants are deducted as provided in Article 4, and total grants/payments must remain within eligible costs.

5. Preparation and application order

1. Consult the prefecture first. Confirm availability, employer/candidate eligibility, planned contracts, cost categories and entry/employment dates.
2. Obtain itemized quotations and a hiring plan. Separate service descriptions, unit prices, quantities, candidate and tax. A quotation showing only a bundled total is not acceptable.
3. Submit the official forms. Use the e-kanagawa application link on the prefecture’s official page.
4. Wait for the grant decision, then contract and proceed. Submitting the application alone does not authorize early expenditure. Check recruitment, COE engagement, flight and employment dates.
5. Complete the eligible work and payments. Ordinarily by 31 March 2027. Keep proof of contract, completion, invoice and payment.
6. Submit the completion report. The prefecture reviews the evidence, determines the amount and pays the grant. Consult before changes that may need approval.
7. Cooperate with follow-up surveys. For 3 years from the next fiscal year.

The checklist recommends around two months’ planning margin before starting, rather than imposing a universal two-month filing rule. Allow for review and corrections. Its note allows a COE dated on or after the subsidy application date; this does not make a pre-decision COE assistance contract eligible.

A conditional April employment-start arrangement

FAQ 18 illustrates employment and travel in April of the next fiscal year where eligible expenses have already been paid in March. If the employment contract and final report cannot be submitted in March, the implementation status report (Form 4), notice of working conditions and other required evidence must be submitted by 31 March. This is conditional, not automatic eligibility for every April hire. Confirm your reporting schedule and final evidence with the prefecture in advance.

6. Required documents

Application: guide pp. 13–14

• Application Form 1, officer list Form 1-2, project plan Form 1-3 and expense budget Form 1-4.
• Corporate registry certificate issued within 3 months of application, or the specified recent tax-return documents for sole proprietors, with opening notifications where required.
• Itemized quotations or equivalent documents corresponding to each budget item.
• Prefectural tax certificate showing no unpaid collections/arrears as specified, issued within 3 months. Do not substitute a certificate for the wrong specific tax.
• Additional documents required by the prefecture.

Completion report: guide pp. 20–24

• Completion Form 5, project report Form 5-2 or 5-3 and expense settlement Form 5-4.
• Recruitment/receiving contracts or applications, evidence of service completion, invoices and payment evidence.
• Employment contract or equivalent evidence of treatment, and the worker’s Certificate of Eligibility.
• The applicant company’s own bank-account evidence, such as a passbook copy, and other requested documents.

Documents already submitted with the application may need to be submitted again. If final reporting is not possible by year end, submit the implementation status report by 31 March. Retain all filed data and copies.

7. Frequently asked questions

Does a student in Japan changing to professional work status qualify?

No. FAQ 10 excludes domestic changes of status. This prefectural scheme differs from Yokohama City’s SSW scheme; do not apply telephone advice for the city scheme to this one.

Does SSW or Technical Intern hiring qualify?

No under the usual target-status definition for this scheme. E/H/IS and HSP are the relevant statuses.

Are a seminar and decarbonization declaration required?

The prefectural rules and guide checked do not list the seminar/decarbonization conditions used in Yokohama’s separate scheme. Follow the prefecture’s own consultation and eligibility requirements.

Can an existing master recruitment contract be used?

A pre-existing master contract alone may not qualify. Check the candidate-specific contract/application date. Use the master contract as supplementary evidence and provide quotations or equivalent documents (FAQ 20).

Will increased spending increase the grant after approval?

Ordinarily the amount at application is the ceiling. Reduced eligible spending may reduce the grant. Consult in advance about changes to the plan, period or cost allocation (FAQ 21–22).

What should we prepare for an initial consultation?

Business location, legal form, capital and staff count; the candidate’s country, education and expected status; actual duties; planned entry/employment; and itemized quotations and planned contract dates. We will identify the necessary personal documents after discussing the plan.

Related guidance

• Yokohama SSW hiring subsidy — a separate scheme with different conditions
• Hotel hiring: SSW Accommodation and professional work status

Official sources and review date

Checked on 10 October 2026 against the fiscal year 2026 documents linked from the prefectural page. No case-specific telephone confirmation is represented here. Japanese official materials govern.

• Official scheme page and application forms
• Fiscal year 2026 guide: eligibility pp. 2–5, costs pp. 8–10, application pp. 12–14, reports pp. 19–25 and 31, FAQ pp. 33–37
• Grant rules, including Articles 2, 4–6, 8 and 15 and attachments
• Pre-application checklist / Model case

Prefectural pre-application contact: Employment and Labour Affairs Division, 045-285-0649, as listed on the official page. Check current rules, budget availability and your individual circumstances before applying.

Watch the scheme overview and application sequence