Japan’s pre-entry tuberculosis (TB) screening now covers a fourth country. According to the Immigration Services Agency (ISA), designated clinics in Indonesia start accepting TB health checks for Japan from 2 November 2026, and the certificate becomes mandatory from 4 January 2027. Both dates are listed as planned on the ISA page.
The ISA says the system was introduced because the number of foreign-born TB patients in Japan has risen markedly.
Who needs the certificate
The screening applies to nationals of the target countries who plan to live in Japan as mid- to long-term residents, for example as students, engineers or family members, and to digital nomads and their families. You submit a “TB non-onset certificate” (結核非発病証明書) with your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) application. If you apply for a visa at an embassy without a COE, you submit it with the visa application.
It does not apply to people returning with a re-entry permit, or to nationals who currently live in another country (they submit a copy of their residence permit and an explanation form instead). Programmes that already require a chest X-ray before entry are exempt for the time being, including Specified Skilled Workers, EPA nurse and care worker candidates, JET participants and JICA trainees.
How it works
- See a doctor and have a chest X-ray at a clinic designated by the Japanese government in your country. Results from other clinics are not accepted.
- If you do not have active TB, the clinic issues the certificate. It is valid for 180 days from the X-ray, in principle.
- A copy or scan is accepted with a COE application.
- If your COE application was filed before 4 January 2027 without a certificate and the COE was issued, you do not need one at the visa stage.
Filipino and Nepali applicants have needed the certificate since 23 June 2025 and Vietnamese applicants since 1 September 2025. Myanmar and China are also target countries, but no dates have been set.
Why it matters
If you are Indonesian and plan to study or work in Japan in 2027, build the clinic visit into your timeline and keep the 180-day validity in mind. Our guides to the Student visa, the Engineer / Humanities visa and the Dependent visa explain the rest of the application.