Can Foreigners Obtain a Cab Driver Visa?

What is Specified Activity No.46?

First of all, “Specified Activities” is a new status of residence created in May 2019, and is a status of residence that allows the Ministry of Justice to specifically permit activities that are not permitted under other statuses of residence, and allows the person to reside in Japan.

According to the guidelines published on the official website of the Immigration Department.

“This system allows Japanese university graduates to engage in a wide range of work activities at public and private organizations in Japan, on the condition that they utilize the broad knowledge and applied skills they acquired at Japanese universities, etc., as well as the high level of Japanese language skills they acquired through their experience as international students. Under the “Engineering/Humanity/International Services” visa status, general service and manufacturing activities are not permitted, but under this system, such activities are permitted if the above requirements are met.

However, they are not permitted to engage in work that is legally required to be performed by qualified persons (requiring so-called business monopoly qualifications), and adult entertainment-related work is not permitted.”

Reference: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/930005094.pdf

In other words, this visa allows for a wider range of jobs (e.g., service jobs, manufacturing jobs, etc.) than the “Engineering/Humanity/International Services” visa.

What does a cab driver do?

To become a cab driver, you must have a Class 2 driver’s license.

Under the Road Traffic Act, there are no special provisions for foreigners to obtain driving licenses, and foreigners may obtain Class 1 and Class 2 driving licenses.

To work as a cab driver in the capacity of “Special Activity No. 46,” it is not sufficient to hold a Class 2 driver’s license; one must also perform work that utilizes one’s language skills, such as interpretation and translation.

This is because “Specific Activity No. 46” applies to employees who use advanced Japanese language skills to perform their work, and cab drivers are required to interact with customers regularly, so “Specific Activity No. 46” applies.

※For example, in addition to your regular duties as a taxi driver, you must also be involved in the following duties, or be expected to engage in such duties in the future.

-Tourist information services and interpretation services for foreign tourists,

-Visitor planning and programs (to attract visitors), drafting programs to attract visitors, etc.

Requirements

All of the following requirements must be met.

• Graduated from a Japanese university or graduate school, completed the program, and received the respective degree.

※ Not applicable to junior colleges, technical colleges, or foreign universities and graduate schools.

• Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N1 or BJT Business Japanese Language Proficiency Test 480 points or above.

※ Graduates who majored in Japanese language at a university or graduate school are not required to fulfill this requirement because they meet the requirements of ①. Those who majored in Japanese at a foreign university or graduate school are also exempt from this requirement but must also have graduated from a Japanese university or graduate school.

• Full-time job

※Part-time workers, etc. are not eligible.

• Receive remuneration equal to or higher than that of Japanese nationals.

• The job requires smooth communication in Japanese.

• The work utilizes a wide range of knowledge and application skills acquired at Japanese universities and graduate schools.

Advantages

As noted above, “Specified Activity No.46” allows its holder to engage in a broader range of activities than an “Engineering/Humanity/International Service” visa. There are various requirements for obtaining this status, but the advantage is that it has fewer restrictions on activities.

In addition, family members may likewise be permitted to accompany them and eventually obtain permanent residency.

Important things of notes

• A change to the visa is required when changing jobs.

Please note that if you are changing jobs while on a Specific Activity No.46 visa, you will need to apply for permission to change your status of residence.

This means that if you are engaged in Designated Activities 46 the organization you work for is indicated in the “Designation” attached to your passport, and if you change jobs, the organization you work for will also change, so you will need to go through a new procedure for changing your status of residence.

• Currently, truck drivers cannot obtain activity-specific visas.

　Unfortunately, as of December 1, 2023, truckers are not covered under Specified Activity No.46

　Truck drivers (long-distance drivers) cannot obtain activity-specific visas, because unlike cab drivers, who frequently interact with customers, their work cannot be described as “work that requires smooth communication in Japanese” and is judged to be a form of “unskilled labor”.

　On the other hand, the transportation industry is facing a severe labor shortage due to the decline in Japan’s birth rate leading to a decrease in the working-age population. It has also been decided that overtime hours for drivers will be capped at 960 hours per year from April 2024, also noted as the “2024 problem”, constituting a further escalation of the future labor shortage in the logistics industry.

　To overcome this situation, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, in consultation with the Immigration Office and other relevant ministries and agencies, has begun to consider the inclusion of truck and bus drivers and other motor vehicle transportation workers in the Specific Skills System and is expected to announce a work visa policy for truck drivers soon, as the need to secure foreign human resources has become urgent. The truck driver work visa policy is expected to be announced soon.

Summary

This time we explained the Specified Activity No.46 visa.

While the Specified Activity No.46 visa has numerous requirements, however, once approved, you will be able to find work in a wider range of areas, so if you can meet the requirements please consider utilizing this visa.

However, there are various rules and regulations regarding the nature of the work, which makes it necessary to carry out appropriate checks.

If you have any questions, please contact us!

Related Blogs

We are Yanagi group, which have offices in Osaka (Abeno and Tennoji), and our affiliated offices in Tokyo (Shibuya and Ebisu) are also available for an on-site consultation. We have handled many applications for permanent residence permits, naturalization permits, work visas, college student visas, management visas, etc., as well as visa renewal procedures related to the status of residence with the Immigration Bureau (Immigration Bureau) as a one-stop service. Our experienced administrative scriveners are also available to help you with any problems you may have.

We also have staff members who can speak each of the native languages and can assist you in obtaining a visa.

※If you wish to be consulted in Nepali or Bengali, please inform us in advance via our website or social media, and the translator will contact you ahead of time.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your status of residence or visa, even if they are trivial.

Toll-free number: 0120-138-552

For English speakers: 080-9346-2991

For Chinese speakers: 090-8456-6196

For Korean speakers: 090-8448-2133

For Vietnamese speakers: 080-5510-2593