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Passports and Visas
Check your passport expiration date to make sure your passport will be valid for the duration of your stay.
A US passport is an extremely valuable object; tampering with a passport or allowing its use by another person is a federal offense. When traveling to Japan, always keep your passport in a very safe place along with your wallet and airline ticket. Do not pack your passport. Passport holders can be bought and come in handy for holding embarkation cards and airline tickets as well.
Visas:
Depending on which program(s) you will be participating in, you will need one of the following visas for entry into Japan:
- Semester students will be issued a six month Cultural Activity Visa.
- Academic year students will be issued a one year College Student Visa.
- Summer/May Short students will be issued a 90 day tourist visa (automatically granted to American citizens upon arrival)
More information about each visa can be found here.
Obtaining a Visa:
Once you have been accepted into the JCMU program, you will be asked to fill out a number of post-decision forms. It is important that you complete these forms and return them with your passport photos promptly. JCMU will submit these materials to the Immigrations Office in Japan. The Immigrations office will then issue a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE). When JCMU receives your CoE, we will contact you and request that you send us your passport and a signed Release of Liability form. JCMU will send your passport, CoE, Release of Liability and visa application to the Detroit Consulate General of Japan. The Consulate will return your passport with visa to your home address.
Rules regarding use, transference, and renewals of visas are very restrictive. Students considering multiple programs should contact the JCMU-East Lansing office as soon as possible to arrange for the appropriate visa.