Complete Guide to the Intra-company Transferee Visa｜Requirements, Eligible Companies, and Period of Stay Explained
Introduction
A company wishes to transfer a foreign employee working at its overseas parent company, subsidiary, or group company to its business office in Japan—the status of residence that accommodates such internal personnel transfers is “Intra-company Transferee.” For companies operating their business globally, it serves as an important means of bringing talent cultivated at overseas locations to Japan.
This article explains, together with the underlying laws and regulations, the basic requirements of the Intra-company Transferee visa, the scope of eligible companies, and the period of stay in an easy-to-understand way.
This article is prepared based on publicly available information from the Immigration Services Agency on the “Intra-company Transferee” status of residence, Appended Table I (2) of the Immigration Control Act, and the Ministry of Justice ordinance (the Ministerial Ordinance on Landing Permission Criteria). Please always check the official information for the latest practice.
What Is the Intra-company Transferee Status
“Intra-company Transferee” is a status of residence stipulated in Appended Table I (2) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (the Immigration Control Act).
Its scope of activities is defined as follows.
Activities listed under the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” category, carried out at a business office in Japan by personnel of an overseas business office of a public or private organization that has its head office, a branch office, or another business office in Japan, who is transferred for a fixed period to that business office in Japan
The key point is that the actual content of the work performed in Japan is the same as that of “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” (often abbreviated as the “GijinKoku” categories). White-collar occupations such as engineers, IT engineers, overseas sales, planning, and accounting fall within its scope. The difference lies in the fact that the status of residence is granted under the framework of “a transfer within the same corporate group.”
The Three Basic Requirements for an Intra-company Transferee
As criteria for landing permission (the “Intra-company Transferee” item of the Criteria Ordinance), the following requirements are mainly required.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| The transfer must be within the same organization | The business office in Japan and the business office abroad must belong to the same corporation or to a group of corporations with a capital relationship |
| Continuous employment of one year or more immediately beforehand | Immediately prior to the transfer, the person must have been continuously engaged for one year or more in work corresponding to the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services categories at the head office, a branch office, or another business office abroad |
| Equivalence of remuneration | The person must receive remuneration equal to or greater than what a Japanese national would receive for performing the same work |
The greatest difference from the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa is that no educational background requirement or practical work experience requirement (such as 10 years in principle) is asked. Instead, “a track record of having worked within the group for one year or more” becomes essential. Note that you cannot bring an employee who has only just been hired abroad to Japan as an intra-company transferee right away.
The Scope of Eligible “Business Offices”
Even though it is described as “within the same organization,” in practice an important point is how far the capital relationship is recognized. Generally, the following relationships fall within the scope.
- Transfers between the head office, branch offices, and sales offices within the same corporation
- Secondment between corporations in a parent company-subsidiary relationship
- Secondment between affiliated companies and related companies that have a capital relationship
The specific scope of the capital relationship and methods of proving it are explained in detail in a separate article, “The One-Year Continuous Employment Requirement and Capital Relationship for Intra-company Transfers.”
Period of Stay
The period of stay for an Intra-company Transferee is divided into the following four categories.
| Period of Stay | Guideline |
|---|---|
| 5 years | Cases with high stability, such as large enterprises or listed companies |
| 3 years | Standard cases |
| 1 year | Newly established corporations, or cases with little track record |
| 3 months | Short-term transfers |
Which period is granted is determined by comprehensively assessing the scale and category of the receiving company, the planned period of the transfer, and so on.
Documents Required for the Application (Category Classification)
In an application for an Intra-company Transferee, the receiving company is classified into Categories 1 through 4 according to its scale, and the documents to be submitted differ accordingly.
| Category | Main Targets |
|---|---|
| Category 1 | Listed companies, public institutions, companies that have received certain certifications, and the like |
| Category 2 | Organizations and individuals whose amount of withholding tax on employment income for the previous year was 10 million yen or more, and the like |
| Category 3 | Organizations and individuals that submitted a summary table of statutory reports, such as the withholding records for employment income for the previous year |
| Category 4 | Organizations and individuals that fall under none of the above |
For Categories 1 and 2, the documents to be submitted are simplified; the lower the category, the more detailed the supporting materials required.
Change in April 2026: The Immigration Services Agency has published “Concerning Changes to the Documents to Be Submitted for the ‘Intra-company Transferee’ Status of Residence (effective April 1, 2026).” Before applying, please always check the latest list of required documents on the official website. The specific documents are explained in a separate article, “Required Documents and the Application Flow for Intra-company Transfers.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I bring an employee who has only just been hired abroad to Japan as an intra-company transferee? A. No. A track record of having worked continuously for one year or more at the overseas business office immediately prior to the transfer is required. If the employee has only just been hired, you should consider another status of residence such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services.
Q. Is an intra-company transfer possible even for an employee without an educational background? A. In principle, no educational background requirement is asked for an intra-company transfer. However, the work performed in Japan must be of a nature corresponding to the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services categories.
Q. Can the person change jobs in Japan after the transfer? A. Because an intra-company transfer is premised on “a transfer within the same corporate group,” changing to a different company requires a change of status of residence. For details, please see the separate article, “Renewal, Job Change, and Options After Expiration for Intra-company Transfers.”
Our Support
In an Intra-company Transferee visa application, the company’s preparation—such as proving the capital relationship and explaining the transfer period—is what determines success or failure. The Kaneko Hidetaka Administrative Scrivener Office carefully supports HR personnel at companies with overseas locations.
- 98% approval rate
- Languages available: Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, English
- Free initial consultation