CEMS Inbound - Applying for Keio and Information on Visa and Housing

Applying for a CEMS Exchange at Keio

Application Procedures

Once you are nominated by your home CEMS school to study at Keio as an exchange student, please follow the procedures below.

1.Online Application

Deadlines :
Term 1 April 25
Term 2 October 5
* You must be nominated as a CEMS exchange student by your home university by May 1.
* The deadlines listed above are provided for reference and may vary slightly depending on the academic year.

1) Complete Online Application by the deadline. The application website link and the details will be provided to the nomintated sutdents by March for Term 1/ August for Term 2.

2) List of Application Documents Required
Prepare these documents before you start the online application.
** Every document must be issued within 3 months prior to your application.

  • Photo
  • Study Proposal
  • Official Transcripts from your home university
  • A copy of Passport [for visa]
    Japanese nationals are also required to upload their Japanese passport.
  • Certificate of Health
  • Certificate of Financial Support
    The certificate is a bank statement or a bank letter with an official bank letterhead. A copy of your monthly bank statement or the screenshot of your bank statement will NOT be accepted.

2.Complete your CV on cems.org

For Term 1 students, please complete your CV on cems.org By July 10. For Term 2 students, please complete your CV on cems.org By November 10. This is very important as it will be shared with the professors for the Block Seminar and the Business Project. An incomplete CV will also be shared.


3.Obtain a visa before you enter Japan

Keio University will apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) on behalf of you, based on the documents (4), (5) and (6) above. Once issued, Keio will send you your COE, which you will use as part of your visa application. If you study at Keio in Term 1, you will receive your COE around mid/late August; if Term 2, mid/late February.

Housing Information

Keio Dormitory

Off-campus dormitories are available for all CEMS exchange students on an availability basis. Dormitories at Keio University are quite inexpensive because the fees are subsidized by the university. This has helped many international students since the living cost in the Tokyo area is very high. All CEMS students to Keio will receive an email regarding a dormitory application approximately three months prior to the beginning of the term.
For general information about housing and living costs, click here.
HID-unit-livingroom.jpg

Housing Platform

CEMS students have organized the "housing platform" that helps you find off-campus apartments which other CEMS students want to sublet. All students having an email address with @cemsmail.org* can use the platform for free. To find an off-campus apartment, visit the website below:

Visa Information

Applying for "Student" status under GENERAL VISA

In order to enter Japan as an incoming CEMS exchange student, you will need to obtain a "Student" status visa. Before you apply for a student visa, you will need a "Certificate of Eligibility (COE)" as one of the visa application materials. After your nomination has been decided, you will be asked to send us some necessary documents, one of which is the application form for a COE. Please fill out the form and send it back to Keio University. With this application form, the International Center at Keio will apply for a COE at the immigration authorities in Japan on your behalf. It could take at least one to two months before COE is issued.

Once COE has been issued, Keio will send it to you. Thus, it is very important that you keep us informed of the appropriate postal address so the document will reach you. You will then be able to apply for a "Student" status visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate in your country, submitting the necessary documents along with this certificate.

Note: Japanese nationals, including those with dual nationalities, must enter Japan as a Japanese national with a Japanese passport. They should apply for a Japanese passport at a Japanese embassy or consulate if they do not possess one.

To apply for a "Student" status visa:
(2) Follow the instructions in the website as well as any additional instructions provided by the local Japanese embassy/consulate in your country.

Applying for "Change of Status of Residence"

If you intend to take up an internship during the holidays right after you finish studying as a CEMS exchange student at Keio University, you should obtain a "Designated Activities" status by applying for a "Change of Status of Residence." Since it will take 1-3 months to make a change of status, you should be thinking ahead about when you should apply for this change of status. The following points are particularly important factors that may affect the timing of your application:

(1) CEMS schools have different starting dates for their academic semesters. If your plan to take up an internship in Japan during the holidays after your semester at Keio, make sure there is enough time to allow you to complete the internship requirement of more than 8 consecutive weeks in Japan AND start the following semester at your home school (or another CEMS school abroad) on time.

(2) You need to have a job offer by the time you make the application for a "Change of Status of Residence." This may require you to have a job offer as soon as you arrive at Keio, which means that you may need to look for an internship job at a company in Japan before you come to Keio University.

To apply for a "Change of Status of Residence":
(2) Click "List of Necessary Documents" and then Click "Application for change of status of residence"
(3) Follow the instructions in the page (Choose "Other Purposes" for the appropriate application form).

Internship Visa ("Designated Activities" status under SPECIFIED VISA)

If you intend to take up an internship at a Japanese company without studying at Keio as an exchange student, then you must apply for a visa categorized as "Designated Activities" under the Specified Visa. Follow the instructions below for obtaining this visa:

To apply for a visa for "Designated Activities" status:
(2) Follow the instructions in the website as well as any additional instructions provided by the local Japanese embassy/consulate in your country.
(3) Ask the company to apply for a "Certificate of Eligibility" and have it sent to you once it has been issued. For further information about a "Certificate of Eligibility" and its application form, click https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/16-1.html?hl=en .
(4) Once you have received a "Certificate of Eligibility," which will be sent to you from the company, apply for a "Designated Activities" status visa at the local Japanese embassy/consulate in your country.

Immigration Bureau Offices in the Tokyo / Yokohama Area

To find specific immigration offices in the Tokyo Area, visit:

General Information about Japanese Visa

(1) To get a general idea about how to obtain a visa, see this chart:
The "Inviting Person in Japan" described in the chart will depend on the type of visa you intend to obtain. For a student visa, Keio University will serve as the "Inviting Person in Japan." For an internship, the company offering you an internship will be the "Inviting Person in Japan." Please see the sections "Student Visa" and "Internship" below for specific instructions for the respective visa types.

(2) The visa requirements are subject to change, and thus you should consult the local Japanese embassy or consulate in your country for the final check.
Please note that Keio University does not hold responsibility for obtaining your visa although the university will apply for a "Certificate of Eligibility" as one of the required documents on your behalf. It is your responsibility to prepare all necessary visa documents and submit them to the appropriate governmental office in a timely manner to successfully obtain a visa.

(3) Specific procedures for visa application may depend on the applicants' nationality, so you should check BOTH the general procedures information described in the Ministry of Foreign Affair's website (Links are provided in the sections "Student Visa" and "Internship" below for the respective visa types) AND more specific information provided by the local Japanese embassy/consulate in your country.

(4) A visa is valid for three months after its issuance for entry. This means that you should obtain your visa within three months prior to your intended date of entry into Japan.
For other visa-related information, visit the Keio University International Center website below.

Others

Health Insurance

Foreign nationals living in Japan for more than 3 months are required to join one of the following insurance systems:
① Employees' Health Insurance (generally covers individuals who are employed by a company.)
② National Health Insurance (covers individuals who are not eligible to join employees' health insurance.) Most international students are required to join the National Health Insurance scheme unless they are covered by the Employees' Health Insurance of a family member who lives and works in Japan. Please see "International Student Handbook" for more information.