What does it cost to move to Japan as an English teacher?
Last checked: 2026-11-06
There is no official total, and we do not estimate one, but the costs we can source start with a visa fee of about 15,000 yen for a single entry. Nationals of some countries pay no visa fee. The Certificate of Eligibility is free. Rent, flights and living costs depend on your employer and city, so they are not in the table.
Costs with a source
| Item | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Eligibility | No fee | The Immigration Services Agency says no fee is charged |
| Visa, single entry | About 15,000 yen. Several US missions list US$101 | Applications accepted abroad from July 1, 2026 |
| Visa, multiple entry | About 30,000 yen | Applications accepted abroad from July 1, 2026 |
| Extension of stay, 1 year granted | 33,000 yen at a counter, or 27,330 yen online | Later cost, from October 1, 2026. See all fees |
| TEFL course (optional) | Bridge 120 hours: $399. The TEFL Academy Level 3: $225 on sale until November 10, 2026, was $563 | Not required for JET. See prices and conflicts, or compare course types |
Visa fees are paid in local currency, and each mission sets its own amount. They depend on your nationality and the purpose of your visit, and some people pay nothing or a different amount. The New York consulate lists nationals of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and other places as exempt, and the UK is not on that list. The fee pages we saw do not list a separate work visa fee, so confirm with your embassy or consulate. Before July 1, 2026 the fee was 3,000 yen, so older pages may show that.
If you go through JET (2027 guidelines)
| Cost | Who pays |
|---|---|
| Flight from the designated home-country airport to Narita or Haneda | Contracting organisation provides the ticket |
| Travel to the designated airport | You |
| Fees for documents needed to travel, and transit visas | You |
| Extra baggage and shipped luggage | You |
| Housing | You, in principle. You may need to pay the equal of 2 to 6 months' rent right after arrival. Some organisations assign housing. |
| Return flight | Conditions apply. You must finish your term and not take a further contract with your organisation or a third party in Japan within one month. Leaving early generally loses it. See the contract rules. |
Ask your contracting organisation early about rent, because the guidelines give no yen figure for it. See JET housing costs for what the upfront money covers. To test your budget, see how much you can save on JET.
What this page does not cover
- Flights for teachers who do not go through JET. Ask your employer whether it pays them. Interac says you pay your own.
- Rent, deposits and furniture in yen. We found no official figure.
- Food, phone and transport in Japan.
- Tax in later years. See resident tax in your first year.
- Health insurance and pension amounts. They are mandatory on JET, and part is taken from your pay, but we found no yen figure. See JET pay.
- Medical checks, translations and document fees. These vary, and we found no official figure.
- What private employers pay for. We have no official source for this.
How we checked: Immigration Services Agency, provider and visa fee pages and the 2027 JET guidelines were opened directly on November 6, 2026. Confirm the amounts with your own embassy or consulate before you pay.
Check current courses and prices on the Bridge TEFL site.
See Bridge TEFL coursesCheck current courses and prices on The TEFL Academy site.
See The TEFL Academy coursesSources
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: visa fees
- Consulate-General of Japan in Boston: visa fees
- Consulate-General of Japan in New York: visa fees
- Immigration Services Agency: Certificate of Eligibility (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency: extension of stay (Japanese)
- 2027 JET application guidelines (Embassy of Japan in New Zealand)
- 2027 JET application guidelines (Embassy of Japan in India)
- Bridge TEFL: course list
- The TEFL Academy: Level 3 course