Extending Your Student Period of Stay in Japan: When to Apply, Required Documents, Fees, Status While Under Review, and Online Applications

Your period of stay as a student in Japan does not last forever. Before it ends, you file an application for permission to extend the period of stay (在留期間更新許可申請) so that you can keep studying at your school. If you apply at the wrong time or your documents are not ready, you may end up in a rush. This guide explains the steps of the extension, the required documents, the fees, and your status while the application is under review, based on official information.

We checked the official pages listed below on 9 November 2026. Fees, required documents, and the online application method can change. The fees were revised on 1 October 2026. Before you apply, check the latest guidance from the Immigration Services Agency and your school's instructions. This guide does not guarantee that your extension will be approved.

What the extension procedure is

According to the Immigration Services Agency, the application for permission to extend the period of stay is for a person who wants to keep staying in Japan beyond the set period of stay without changing the status of residence they now hold. The Minister of Justice decides the period of stay for a student individually, within a limit of 4 years and 3 months.

You can extend only if you continue the activities of a "Student" (留学). For example, you will keep studying at the same school for the next period. If you graduate and do not enter any school, you may need a different procedure instead of an extension. For the notifications when you change schools or leave school, see the guide to changing schools or leaving school.

The Immigration Services Agency screens the application and decides. The screening standard is that your activities fit "Student" and that there are reasonable grounds to allow the extension.

When you can apply

The Agency's guidance says the following.

• You can apply up to the day your period of stay ends.
• If you have a period of stay of 6 months or more, you can apply from 3 months before the period of stay ends.
• If there are truly unavoidable special circumstances, such as studying abroad, the Agency may accept your application earlier than 3 months before. In that case, first inquire at the immigration office that covers the area where you live.

The Agency's Q&A also says that a person with a period of stay of 3 months or less can apply once half or more of that period of stay has passed. If your period is more than 3 months but less than 6 months, or if you are unsure, check with the immigration office or the Immigration Services Agency's Foreigner Residence Information Center.

You cannot apply online on the last day of your period of stay. On that day you must go to the counter of the regional immigration office. Apply early, before it becomes last-minute.

Count the dates from the "expiration date of the period of stay" written on your residence card. It is reassuring to ask your teachers or school staff about the extension timing in advance.

Where to apply and who applies

If you apply at the counter, you submit the application to the regional immigration office that covers the area where you live. The reception hours are 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00 on weekdays. For some procedures the days and hours are fixed, so check before you go.

The applicant applies in person. A person approved by the Immigration Services Agency can also submit the application on the applicant's behalf. For example, a school staff member who has been approved as an application agent (申請等取次者, an intermediary approved by the Immigration Services Agency) can submit it at the applicant's request. Even when an agent submits it, the applicant must be in Japan. Also, a person aged 18 or over must apply by themselves, except when an approved application agent submits it.

Some schools submit the applications together for their students. The method differs by school, so ask your school.

Required documents

The documents for a Student extension are listed on the Immigration Services Agency's "Status of Residence 'Student'" page. In principle, the following are required.

• Application form for permission to extend the period of stay (1 copy). You can download it from the page.
• Photograph (1). It must meet the specified standard. A person who is under 1 year old on the date the residence card is issued does not need a photograph.
• Passport and residence card (to be shown).

In addition, there is a "list of documents to submit" (提出書類一覧表) whose required documents change with the type of school (such as the tekiseiko (適正校) category) and with nationality. For nationality, the required documents differ depending on whether your country or region appears in the "Attached Table" (別表) of the list. Nepal is not among the countries and regions in the Attached Table (checked in the Attached Table on 9 November 2026). This means you look at the column for "all others" (同左以外).

The table below picks out only the main documents from the extension lists for students who are enrolled in, or entering, a Japanese language institution, as they apply to Nepali nationals. The lists are separated by whether the school is a tekiseiko (適正校) Class I, a tekiseiko (適正校) Class II, or has not received a tekiseiko notification.

This table is a simplified rewrite of part of the list. The actual list has many more documents, and the "notes" column conditions decide whether each one is required. For example, a person who covers living costs with income from part-time work may need a resident tax certificate, copies of pay slips, and a copy of a passbook. A person newly receiving a scholarship needs a scholarship certificate. Check the documents you need against the list your school gives you and the Immigration Services Agency's latest list. Some schools prepare the list and the confirmation documents the school creates. In addition, for students who enter a Japanese language institution in April 2027 (Reiwa 9) or later, a "confirmation of ability to pay expenses" (経費支弁能力に係る確認書) appears on the official page. Check the latest list and your school's guidance to see whether you need it.

The "declaration on payment of living expenses" and the documents of the person who pays are explained in the guide to financial sponsor documents. We do not repeat them in this guide.

The Agency's guidance also gives these rules.

• All certificates issued in Japan must have been issued within the 3 months before you submit them.
• Attach a Japanese translation to documents in a foreign language.
• In principle, documents you have submitted are not returned. If you want back an original that is hard to obtain again, say so when you apply.
• During screening, you may later be asked for documents that are not on the list.

Fees

A fee is charged when the extension is approved. The fees changed on 1 October 2026. The amount differs by the period of stay that is approved. According to the Immigration Services Agency, the fees for an application made at the counter are as follows.

If you receive a specified residence card (特定在留カード) at the time of approval, that fee may be added to the amounts above. Check the official page.

At the counter, you pay the fee with a revenue stamp. The guidance says that for applications received up to 30 September 2026, you pay the fee from before the revision (6,000 yen), even if approval comes on or after 1 October. People who meet certain conditions may get a reduced fee or an exemption, and the reduced fee is 10,000 yen regardless of the approved period. Check the conditions on the official page.

How many months (or years) of period of stay will be approved is decided in the screening. You cannot know it when you apply.

Status while under review (special period)

When screening takes time, the result may not come out by the day your period of stay ends. According to the Immigration Services Agency, if a person who holds a residence card applies for an extension by the day the period of stay ends and the result has not come out by that day, the person may stay in Japan under the current status of residence and continue the current activities until the earlier of the following.

• When the result comes out
• The end of the day on which 2 months have passed from the day the period of stay ends

This is called the "special period" (特例期間). However, it does not apply to a person whose period of stay is 30 days or less. When you apply at the counter, a note that your application is under review is written on the back of your residence card. Even if the period on the front of the residence card has passed, check the back.

When you apply online, the "under review" stamp is not placed on the card. For this reason, you are told to always carry, in addition to your residence card, the "email stating the application receipt number and other details" (the reception-complete email). This email arrives the day after the reception of your application is completed. Save it so you can show it and explain that your application is under review.

If something you wrote in your documents changes after you apply, contact the immigration office immediately. If you receive approval without contacting them, your status of residence may be revoked.

The standard processing time is said to be 2 weeks to 1 month. This is only a guideline, and it may change with the season and the content of the application.

Applying online

You can also file the application for permission to extend the period of stay online (the Online System for Residence Applications). Foreign nationals themselves can use it. However, persons who are not mid- to long-term residents (such as people with a period of stay of 3 months or less) and persons under 15 cannot use it. Check the online application page and the operation manual in advance for how to register as a user and what to prepare.

The main points to watch in an online application are as follows.

• You cannot apply online on the last day of your period of stay.
• You pay the fee by convenience store payment or bank payment, not with a revenue stamp. Credit cards and QR code payments cannot be used.
• When screening is finished, you receive a "screening complete" email. After that, an email with payment instructions arrives. The instructions come from "@service-dgft.com". The emails for the payment application and completion come from "@veritrans.jp". If you are asked to pay the fee from any other email address, it is a scam. Do not open the link. Keep the payment-complete email until you receive your residence card.
• An online application has a separate payment processing fee on top of the fee. (For a 1-year approved period, the counter fee is 33,000 yen, while online it is stated as 27,330 yen: a 27,000 yen fee plus a 330 yen payment processing fee.)
• The fee reduction system cannot be used for online applications. Apply at the counter.

The online application fee amounts differ from those at the counter. Check the table on the Immigration Services Agency's "Fee amounts for online applications" page.

Receiving the result and checking your residence card

When your application is approved, a new period of stay is decided and a new residence card is issued. If you applied at the counter, you receive it at the counter after being notified. According to the Immigration Services Agency, the residence card can be received by the applicant (or a person approved as an agent, for example). School staff and family members cannot receive it except in specified cases.

If you applied online, you choose how to receive it: "counter" or "mail". As of September 2026, the Immigration Services Agency says that delivery by mail takes a certain number of days to arrive, so it recommends choosing "counter" to people who want to receive the card quickly. You can also change to "counter" before the screening is complete.

On the new-format residence card issued from 14 June 2026, the expiration date of the period of stay appears on the card, but the "period of stay" (for example, 1 year 3 months) does not. You can check these with the Immigration Services Agency's "Residence Card Reading Application". When you receive the card, check the following on the spot.

• Your name, date of birth, and nationality/region match your passport.
• The status of residence is "Student" (留学).
• What the expiration date of the period of stay is.
• Whether there is an entry about permission to engage in activities other than that permitted by the status of residence (permission for part-time work).

If there is a mistake, tell the person at the counter on the spot.

What to keep in mind in your daily life for the extension

At the time of the extension, the Immigration Services Agency looks at things such as your conduct at school and your payment of living costs, and makes its decision. Whether you are approved is decided in the screening. This guide does not promise approval. If you keep the following in mind every day, you will be less likely to have trouble later.

• Attend school properly. Your attendance record and academic transcript go into the extension documents. If you are often absent, the extension may not be granted.
• Keep to your part-time work hours. For the hour limits and other rules, see the part-time work guide.
• Keep records of how you pay your living costs. Keep things that show you paid, such as remittance records and copies of passbooks.
• Notify the authorities when your school or address changes. For notifications, see the guide to changing schools or leaving school and the guide to procedures after arrival.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply just before my period of stay ends?

You can apply up to the day your period of stay ends. However, you cannot apply online on the last day. Collecting documents can also take time. Talk to your school early and start preparing.

What happens if my period of stay ends after I apply for an extension but before the result comes out?

If you applied by the day your period of stay ends, you can stay in Japan under your current status of residence until the earlier of when the result comes out or the end of the day on which 2 months have passed from the day your period of stay ends (the special period; it does not apply to a person whose period of stay is 30 days or less). Check the back of your residence card or, for an online application, the reception-complete email.

When do I pay the fee, and how much?

You pay after approval. At the counter, for applications made on or after 1 October 2026, the fee is from 10,000 yen to 75,000 yen depending on the approved period. If the approved period is 1 year, it is 33,000 yen. Online, the amounts and the payment method are different. For details, see "Fees" and "Applying online" above.

Will school staff apply for me?

It depends on the school. A person who is an agent approved by the Immigration Services Agency can submit the application on your behalf. Ask your school what they do.

What happens if my extension is not approved?

The Immigration Services Agency conducts the screening. Check the result with the immigration office. This guide does not explain the procedures for a case where the extension is not approved, because we could not confirm official information on that.

What to do next

Check the expiration date of your period of stay on your residence card and write it in your notebook or calendar. If you have a period of stay of 6 months or more, you can apply from 3 months before the period ends. Ask your school for the list of extension documents and when to prepare them. If a family member pays your living costs, ask them to read the guide to financial sponsor documents with you. The overall procedures after you arrive in Japan are in the guide to procedures after arrival. If you need someone to talk to, see the guide to where to get help. You can contact us, but we do not guarantee admission or a visa. This site is free to use.