# Nursing and caregiving jobs for foreigners in Japan: licence and visa paths

URL: https://japanhow.com/work/jobs/nursing-caregiver-jobs-japan-foreigners/
Author: JapanHow editors
Updated: Oct 28, 2026

## Summary

As of October 2026, working as a nurse in Japan needs a Japanese nurse licence from the labor ministry, which means passing the national exam, plus the Medical (医療) status of residence. A nurse trained abroad must first get ministry recognition to sit the exam; JLPT N1 is required unless you finished a Japanese junior or senior high school. Caregivers have separate routes: the Nursing Care (介護) status, Specified Skilled Worker, or the EPA program for Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

## Key facts

- Nurse licence: Japanese national exam
- Nurse status: 医療, 5 y / 3 y / 1 y / 3 mo
- Foreign-trained nurse: Ministry recognition + N1
- EPA countries: Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam

**Nursing jobs in Japan for foreigners** need a Japanese nurse licence (看護師免許), which you get only by passing the Japanese national exam. You then work on the **Medical (医療)** status of residence (5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months). Caregiving is a separate track: the **Nursing Care (介護)** status, Specified Skilled Worker, or the EPA program. All as of October 2026.

This page maps the routes. It is not immigration or legal advice: confirm your case with the immigration bureau or a licensed immigration and administrative specialist (行政書士).

## Can I work as a nurse in Japan as a foreigner?

Yes, but only with a Japanese licence. Under the Act on Public Health Nurses, Midwives and Nurses (保健師助産師看護師法), a nurse must pass the national exam and receive a licence from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. Assistant nurses (准看護師) pass a prefectural exam instead and are licensed by the prefectural governor.

The Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) lists nurses as an example of the **医療** status. When you apply, you submit proof of your Japanese licence. The status lists periods of stay of 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months.

## I trained as a nurse abroad. How do I sit the exam?

The law allows someone who graduated from a foreign nursing school, or who holds a foreign nurse licence, to take the exam if the labor minister recognizes their knowledge and skills as equal to Japanese-trained nurses. The ministry calls this eligibility recognition (受験資格認定).

The ministry lists these criteria:

| Criterion | What the ministry says |
|---|---|
| Entry | High school graduation or above |
| Program length | At least 3 years; total schooling 15 years or more |
| Credits | 102 credits or more |
| School | Equal to a Japanese nursing school and formally accredited by the national or state government |
| Licence | Generally you hold the nursing licence of that country, which has a national exam or equivalent |
| Japanese | JLPT N1 certification, unless you graduated from a Japanese junior or senior high school |

The ministry's page doesn't give forms or steps. Questions go to the Nursing Division of the Medical Affairs Bureau (03-5253-1111, main number). We have not confirmed pass rates, processing times or application fees.

**No fast track for any nationality:** We found no exception in the law for licences from specific countries, including the United States. Every foreign-trained nurse goes through the same recognition step.

## What caregiving routes are there?

| Route | Status | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Certified care worker (介護福祉士) | Nursing Care (介護) | Registered care workers; 5 y, 3 y, 1 y or 3 mo |
| Specified Skilled Worker, care field | 特定技能 | Entry-level care workers who pass the field's tests |
| EPA candidate | Designated Activities (特定活動) | Nurses and care graduates from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam |

**Nursing Care (介護).** You must be a certified care worker (介護福祉士) and work under a contract with a public or private organization. Immigration asks for a copy of your registration certificate (介護福祉士登録証). One exception applies to people with 5 years cumulative stay on Specified Skilled Worker (i) who don't yet have the certificate: they can submit the exam pass notice. Details are in [the nursing care visa guide](/visa/visas/nursing-care-visa-japan/).

**Specified Skilled Worker.** Care is one of the sectors. In a Cabinet decision of 11 March 2025, the government changed the care policy to allow these workers to do home-visit services, which were not allowed before. The page doesn't give the effective date or conditions, so check them with the labor ministry before relying on it. Fields, tests and family rules are in [the Specified Skilled Worker guide](/visa/visas/specified-skilled-worker-japan/).

## What is the EPA program for nurses and caregivers?

The Economic Partnership Agreement (経済連携協定, EPA) brings candidates from **Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam**. The placing body is JICWELS (国際厚生事業団), the only coordinating organization in Japan. Intake began in FY2008 for Indonesia, FY2009 for the Philippines and FY2014 for Vietnam. These are the terms in JICWELS's FY2027 briefing:

| | Nurse candidates | Care worker candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Indonesia: nurse licence + 2 years' experience. Philippines: licence + 3 years. Vietnam: 3- or 4-year course + licence + 2 years | Indonesia and Philippines: nursing school graduate, or university graduate with a government care worker certification. Vietnam: 3- or 4-year nursing course |
| Japanese | Vietnam N3 or above. Indonesia and Philippines about N4 at entry, about N3 at work (JICWELS marks the Philippines figure as under adjustment) | Same |
| Work while preparing | Nursing assistant tasks at a hospital | Care work at a facility |
| Normal stay | 3 years (4 if conditions are met) | 4 years (5 if conditions are met) |

About 1 year of Japanese training comes before you start work. Candidates normally can't change employers and can't bring family during the candidate period. The program also gives free exam preparation.

**After you pass.** As an EPA nurse or EPA care worker, your stay can be renewed without a limit on the number of renewals, and your spouse and children can accompany you. If you fail and return home, JICWELS's flow chart says you can come back on a short-term stay visa to sit the exam.

For Indonesian candidates entering after the amended Japan-Indonesia EPA protocol takes effect, JICWELS says the stay becomes up to 5 years. We could not confirm whether that has taken effect as of October 2026.

## Do I need Japanese?

Yes, in every route we found. Foreign-trained nurses need N1 for recognition unless they went to a Japanese junior or senior high school. EPA candidates need N3 or above by the time they start work (N4 at entry for Indonesia and the Philippines, N3 for Vietnam). We found no official source giving the language requirement for the Specified Skilled Worker care test on the pages we read.

## What we could not confirm

- Pay levels, nurse exam pass rates for foreigners and recognition timelines.
- A route through a Japanese nursing school on a student visa. The law requires graduating from a designated school, but we did not check student-visa rules.
- An official visa for unlicensed nursing assistant work.

## More guides

[Nursing care visa](/visa/visas/nursing-care-visa-japan/) · [Specified Skilled Worker visa](/visa/visas/specified-skilled-worker-japan/) · [Employment contract checklist](/work/rights/employment-contract-japan-foreigners/) · [Your rights as a foreign worker](/work/rights/labor-rights-foreign-workers-japan/) · [Dependent visa](/visa/visas/dependent-visa-japan/)

## Questions people ask

### Can I work as a nurse in Japan with a foreign licence?

Not directly. A Japanese nurse licence needs the Japanese national exam. If you trained abroad, the labor minister must first recognize that your schooling and licence match Japanese standards, and you need JLPT N1 unless you finished a Japanese junior or senior high school.

### Can American nurses work in Japan?

The rules are the same for any nationality. We found no exception for US licences: foreign-trained nurses need ministry recognition before they can sit the exam. The ministry's criteria include 15 or more years of total schooling and a program of at least 3 years.

### Can I work as a nursing assistant in Japan without a nursing licence?

We found no official visa for unlicensed nursing assistant work. The official routes we could confirm are the licensed 医療 status, the 介護 status for certified care workers, Specified Skilled Worker for care, and the EPA program.

### What is the EPA program for nurses and caregivers?

It places candidates from Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam in Japanese hospitals and care facilities under Designated Activities (特定活動) while they prepare for the national exam. Nurse candidates normally stay 3 years and care candidates 4 years, with extensions if conditions are met.

### Can my family join me?

Not during the EPA candidate period. After a candidate passes the exam and gets the licence, there is no limit on renewals and the spouse and children can accompany. For the 介護 status, the dependent route is covered in our nursing care visa guide.

## Sources

- [保健師助産師看護師法 (Act on Public Health Nurses, Midwives and Nurses)](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/323AC0000000203), e-Gov Law Search (Digital Agency) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [看護師等国家試験受験資格認定](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_37760.html), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [在留資格「医療」](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/medicalservices.html), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [在留資格「介護」](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/nursingcare.html), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [2027年度受入れ説明会 第1部 JICWELS説明資料](https://jicwels.or.jp/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2027年度受入れ説明会_第1部_JICWELS説明資料.pdf), Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (国際厚生事業団) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [EPA制度の概要](https://jicwels.or.jp/?page_id=16), Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (国際厚生事業団) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [特定技能 分野別運用方針の変更 (令和7年3月11日閣議決定)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/03_00123.html), Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)