Representative Declaration for Japan Immigration: April 15, 2026 Requirements for Employers

Immigration practice from April 15, 2026

Representative Declaration for Japan Immigration: what Category 3 and Category 4 employers should check before filing.

For Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, the official guidance lists this declaration for Category 3 or 4 organizations for applications submitted on or after 15 April 2026. Other statuses and application types have their own document lists; check the applicable current list.

The official reference form records the representative category and, where applicable, the Roman-letter name and residence card number. It also has fields for the date, organization name and preparer. Checks of employment terms and job duties belong to the wider application and should be distinguished from the fields on this form.

Effective timing Applications filed on or after April 15, 2026 require attention.

Main target Applications involving Category 3 or Category 4 sponsoring organizations.

Practical meaning Representative category and conditional name/card-number entries.

1. What is the Representative Declaration?

The declaration records representative information using the official reference form. It distinguishes category 1, Japanese nationals and special permanent residents, from category 2, all others. Category 2 leads to the Roman-letter name and residence card number fields. It should not be described as a form on which the representative promises the employment conditions or job duties.

The current Gijinkoku page explains the Category 3/4 requirement from 15 April 2026 and links to lists for the relevant application procedures. Check the current list for the application being made; do not infer that every immigration application requires the declaration.

Language-ability evidence for work mainly involving language-based interpersonal duties is a separate matter. Check the official conditions for the duties and application type, including the treatment of renewals. It is not part of the representative declaration itself.

2. What is this declaration intended to confirm?

For category 1, Japanese nationals or special permanent residents, the reference form says no further entry is required in the following numbered fields: 2, Roman-letter name, and 3, residence card number. The date, organization name and preparer details are separate fields.

The form expressly limits the preparer to staff of the organization. Someone helping with the document is not automatically the preparer for this field. The form also warns that content contrary to the facts may cause the application to be regarded as false.

3. Statuses and applications where this may be relevant

For Gijinkoku, check the official page and checklist for the actual application. For Researcher, Nursing Care, Skilled Labor, Business Manager and certain Designated Activities, consult each relevant official list. The table below gives examples of wider application checks; it does not impose identical declaration requirements on every status.

4. Why Category 3 and Category 4 employers are more affected

The Gijinkoku document lists depend on the organization category. Category 3 generally covers organizations or individuals that submit the previous year’s statutory withholding summary, excluding Category 2. Category 4 covers those outside the other categories. Headcount or the year of incorporation alone does not determine the category.

Confirm the category and the documents required for that category. Do not infer from the addition of this declaration that the representative must personally sign an employment undertaking or promise the proposed duties.

5. Points to consider when the representative is a foreign national

Permanent Resident and special permanent resident are different categories. Category 1 on this form is for Japanese nationals and special permanent residents. A representative with ordinary Permanent Resident status does not fall within category 1; follow the category 2 branch and check the name and card-number fields.

Match spelling and numbers to primary evidence such as the residence card. Do not invent missing information. If circumstances such as a representative living outside Japan leave the required entries unclear, ask the receiving immigration office.

6. Checklist before filing

For applications filed on or after April 15, 2026, employers should check at least the following points before preparing the application documents.

• Have you confirmed whether the Representative Declaration is required for the relevant status of residence and application type?
• Have you confirmed whether the sponsoring organization falls under Category 3 or Category 4?
• Does the representative understand the application content, job duties, employment conditions, and acceptance structure?
• Are the employment contract, working conditions notice, job description, and statement of reasons consistent?
• Can the connection between the applicant’s education or work history and the planned job duties be explained?
• If the case involves customer-facing work, translation, interpretation, hotel work, or similar duties under Gijinkoku, has the need for language ability evidence been checked?
• If the representative is a foreign national, have the residence card number, status of residence, and involvement in company management been accurately organized?
• If there has been a past refusal, short-term resignation, office relocation, representative change, or business change, can the background be explained?

7. How should we understand the background of this new document?

Begin with the official fields and warnings. The addition of a form alone does not establish that screening has universally become stricter, that new representative liability has been created, or that permission and refusal trends have changed.

Employment terms, actual duties, the employer’s operation and consistency of supporting documents are wider application checks. Keep practical preparation advice separate from the declaration’s official entries.

8. Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding 1: Submitting the Representative Declaration alone is enough

Submitting this declaration alone does not determine permission. Review the applicant, employer, proposed activity and supporting documents against the current official list.

Misunderstanding 2: A foreign national representative is automatically disadvantageous

Do not reach a conclusion based solely on the representative’s nationality. Follow the form’s distinction between Japanese nationals/special permanent residents and all others, using verified identity information.

Misunderstanding 3: Category 3 or Category 4 renewals can always be handled the same way as before

Even in an extension application, additional explanation may be required if it is the first renewal after a job change, the job duties have changed, the company’s actual situation has changed, the representative has changed, or the business content has changed. It is safer to review the current employment situation and company documents rather than assuming that a previous permission guarantees the next result.

9. Practical preparation flow

In cases where the Representative Declaration is required, the following sequence can help prevent contradictions and insufficient explanations.