This article was written by the NIPPON VISA & LIFE editorial team based on information from public organizations such as the national government and local governments. Rules and fees may differ depending on the city, ward, town or village where you live.
When you look for a job in Japan, you can use Hello Work (ハローワーク, Public Employment Security Office (公共職業安定所): a government office that introduces jobs). Job counseling and job referrals are all free of charge. The first time you go, bring your residence card or passport, and complete “job seeker registration” (求職申込み, kyūshoku mōshikomi: registering that you are looking for a job) at a Hello Work office near your home.
The Overall Flow First
- Find a Hello Work office near your home (some Hello Work offices have interpreters)
- Go to Hello Work with your residence card or passport
- Fill in the “job application form” (求職申込書), or enter your information on a computer or smartphone
- Talk with a staff member at the counter and receive a “Hello Work registration card” (ハローワーク受付票)
- Search for job openings (求人: information from companies looking for workers)
- When you find a company you want to work for, get a “referral letter” (紹介状) at the counter
- Prepare your resume and other documents, and have an interview with the company
(Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Hello Work Checklist for Foreign Nationals”, Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 3)
What You Can Do at Hello Work
At the employment counseling counter of Hello Work, you can receive all of the following services for free.
| Service | Details |
|---|---|
| Job counseling | Various kinds of consultation about looking for a job and about work |
| Finding a company you want to work for | You can see job opening information from many companies. You can also see it on Hello Work computers or on your own smartphone |
| Referral to a company you want to work for | A staff member explains the key points of the company and the job opening, and gives you a “referral letter” so that you can have an interview |
| Job search support | Guidance on how to write a resume (履歴書) and a work history (職務経歴書), advice on interview manners, mock interviews (interview practice), and seminars |
The services offered differ from one Hello Work office to another. Please ask at the Hello Work office near your home.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 3, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Hello Work Checklist for Foreign Nationals”)
The Immigration Services Agency’s “Guidebook on Living and Working” explains that you do not need to pay money to be introduced to a job or in order to work. If you were asked for money and paid it, keep evidence.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 3)
Things to Check Before You Go
The Jobs You Can Do Differ by Status of Residence
The jobs you can do in Japan differ depending on your status of residence. Before you look for a job, check your status of residence on your residence card.
- People with Permanent Resident (永住者), Spouse or Child of Japanese National (日本人の配偶者等), Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident (永住者の配偶者等), or Long-Term Resident (定住者) have no restrictions on the kind of work they do.
- People with Student (留学), Dependent (家族滞在) and similar statuses are, in principle, not allowed to work. To work part-time, you need to receive “Permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted” (資格外活動許可) from immigration.
- People with other statuses of residence that allow work can only do work within the scope set for their status of residence.
If you want proof of what kind of work you can do, you can also ask immigration to issue a “Certificate of Authorized Employment” (就労資格証明書). You can also give this certificate to a new company. The status of residence procedures when changing jobs differ for each status of residence (example: Changing jobs on Specified Skilled Worker status: the change of status process, processing time, and can you work while your application is pending?).
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 3, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Hello Work Checklist for Foreign Nationals”)
What to Bring
| What to bring | Points |
|---|---|
| Residence card or passport | Hello Work checks your status of residence with your residence card or passport |
| Hello Work registration card (from the second visit) | You receive it when you complete job seeker registration. Do not forget to bring it whenever you go to Hello Work |
If you have left your company and will also do the procedures for employment insurance (雇用保険: a system that pays you money when you lose your job), other documents are also necessary. Please check with the Hello Work office where you will do the procedures.
(Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Hello Work Checklist for Foreign Nationals”)
How to Use Hello Work
1. Find a Hello Work Office Near Your Home
There are Hello Work offices all over Japan. You can find one near where you live in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s list (with furigana).
2. Complete Job Seeker Registration
Fill in the “job application form” available at Hello Work, or enter your information on a smartphone or a Hello Work computer. After that, talk with a staff member at the counter.
At the counter, show your residence card or passport. If you are allowed to work with your status of residence, you will receive a “Hello Work registration card.” The registration card has your “job seeker number” (求職番号) written on it. With the registration card, you can search for job openings even at a Hello Work office different from the one where you registered.
- How to fill in the job application form (for foreign nationals): Hello Work Internet Service “How to Fill in the Job Application Form”
If you have never registered as a job seeker at Hello Work, you can also create a “My Page for job seekers” (求職者マイページ) on your own computer or smartphone from “Job seeker registration” on the Hello Work Internet Service (the Hello Work website) (the screens are in Japanese). If you have registered as a job seeker within roughly the past 5 years, tell the Hello Work counter that you want to use My Page for job seekers.
(Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Hello Work Checklist for Foreign Nationals”, Hello Work Internet Service)
3. Search for Job Openings
At the counter, staff can search for job openings that match your wishes. Look at the job offer sheet (求人票: a paper that shows the company’s job duties, pay, working hours, etc.) and check whether it matches your wishes. If it is difficult to read the job offer sheet, talk to a staff member and tell them what you want.
You can also search for job openings on the Hello Work Internet Service from your own computer or smartphone. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare advises that, if you want to find job openings that welcome foreign nationals, it is convenient to enter “外国人” (foreign national) or “日本語” (Japanese language) in the “free word” field.
- How to read a job offer sheet (for foreign nationals): Hello Work Internet Service “How to Read a Job Offer Sheet”
(Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Hello Work Checklist for Foreign Nationals”)
4. Get a Referral Letter and Have an Interview
When you find a job opening that matches your wishes, talk with the staff at the Hello Work counter. Hello Work contacts the company, sets the interview date, and gives you a “referral letter.”
By the interview date, prepare a “resume” (履歴書: a document showing your school and work history, qualifications, etc.) and a “work history” (職務経歴書: a document describing the work you have done so far). On the interview day, do not forget to bring the referral letter and your resume. If you might be late or cannot go, contact the company by phone.
Hello Work also offers seminars on how to write a resume and on interviews, as well as interview practice (mock interviews).
(Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Hello Work Checklist for Foreign Nationals”)
If You Are Not Confident in Japanese
Hello Work Offices with Interpreters
Hello Work offices in areas where many foreign nationals live have interpreters for Portuguese, Spanish and other languages. The days, hours and languages for interpreters are set by each Hello Work office, and interpreters are not necessarily there every day. Before you go, please check the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s list.
If you cannot go to Hello Work, you can call some Hello Work offices in a foreign language. The phone number differs by language. The hours when you can call are fixed, and Sundays, national holidays and the year-end and New Year holidays are excluded. Please check the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s flyer for the Hello Work offices covered and the hours.
(Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Introduction to Hello Work Offices with Interpreters”, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “You Can Call Hello Work in a Foreign Language”, Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 3)
Places with Extensive Services for Foreign Nationals
The following 5 places have extensive services for foreign nationals.
- Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners (東京外国人雇用サービスセンター)
- Hello Work Shinjuku (ハローワーク新宿)
- Nagoya Employment Service Center for Foreigners (名古屋外国人雇用サービスセンター)
- Osaka Employment Service Center for Foreigners (大阪外国人雇用サービスセンター)
- Fukuoka Employment Service Center for Foreigners (福岡外国人雇用サービスセンター)
However, you cannot do employment insurance procedures at the Employment Service Centers for Foreigners. If you have left your company and want to do employment insurance procedures, go to a Hello Work office near where you live. Please check the addresses and phone numbers in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s list.
(Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Locations of Hello Work Offices Nationwide”, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Introduction to Hello Work Offices with Interpreters”)
Frequently Asked Questions
Does It Cost Money?
No. The services at the Hello Work employment counseling counter are all free.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 3)
Can I Use It Even If I Have Just Left My Company?
Yes. After leaving your company, you can look for a job and do employment insurance procedures at Hello Work. Please check at Hello Work whether you can receive employment insurance money (the basic allowance, 基本手当) and which documents are necessary.
(Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Locations of Hello Work Offices Nationwide”, Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 3)
What If I Have Trouble with My Current Company, Such as Pay or Dismissal?
For working conditions such as wages and dismissal, you can get telephone consultation in foreign languages.
- “Consultation Dial for Foreign Workers” (外国人労働者向け相談ダイヤル): Connects you to a Consultation Corner for Foreign Workers. Call charges apply.
- “Working Conditions Consultation Hotline” (労働条件相談ほっとライン): You can consult for free after the Prefectural Labour Bureaus and Labour Standards Inspection Offices have closed, and on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays.
Please check the phone numbers, languages and hours on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s page.
(Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Consultation Dial for Foreign Workers”, Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 3)
What If the Address on My Residence Card Changes?
Hello Work checks your status of residence with your residence card. When you move, submit a notification at your new city, ward, town or village office within 14 days, and also change the address on your residence card. How to submit the notification is summarized in Moving-in Notification and Resident Record: Go to Your City Office Within 14 Days After Your Address in Japan Is Decided (What to Bring, Steps, and When You Move).
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Notification of Change of Place of Residence”)
Primary Sources Used for This Article
- Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” (8th edition)
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Hello Work Checklist for Foreign Nationals”
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Introduction to Hello Work Offices with Interpreters” (August 2026)
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “You Can Call Hello Work in a Foreign Language”
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Locations of Hello Work Offices Nationwide”
- Hello Work Internet Service
- Immigration Services Agency “Notification of Change of Place of Residence”
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Consultation Dial for Foreign Workers”
This article is a translation of the original Japanese version.
