Thailand has a memorandum of cooperation with Japan covering Specified Skilled Workers. Overseas employment is administered through the Department of Employment (DOE) under the Ministry of Labour, with licensed recruitment agencies and a registration process for workers leaving for employment abroad.
Confirm current requirements with the DOE, the Japanese embassy and the official Japanese bodies.
The steps
- Language test - JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 and above. JFT-Basic in Thailand, how to register.
- Sector skills test: the skills test explained.
- Employer and contract, directly or through a licensed agency: reading an SSW contract.
- DOE registration and departure formalities for overseas workers.
- Certificate of Eligibility from Japan: Certificate of Eligibility explained.
- Visa at the Japanese embassy.
- Departure and the first month. Your first month of Japanese at work.
Where candidates lose time
Waiting to start Japanese. The language test is the longest lead time and the only step entirely within your control. Nobody can sit it for you and no agency can accelerate it.
Deciding the sector late. The skills test is field-specific, so an undecided candidate cannot prepare: the sectors list.
Inconsistent documents. Your name must be spelled identically on your passport, your certificates and every form. A mismatch stalls a Certificate of Eligibility application.
On agencies and fees
Get every cost in writing, itemised, before paying anything. Verify any licence independently. No legitimate employer or agency holds your passport, and no legitimate arrangement requires a penalty payment for leaving a job.
Debt-funded migration is the single biggest risk to a worker’s wellbeing in Japan, because it removes the ability to walk away from a bad employer. Agency red flags and reading an SSW contract.
Why the timeline can be shorter
Two reasons Thai candidates often move faster than candidates elsewhere:
- Direct recruitment is more common. Japanese employers with Thai operations recruit directly, removing a layer of intermediaries and cost.
- Test availability is good, with regular sittings in Bangkok and other centres.
The practical implication: the language test is even more likely to be your bottleneck, because the other steps move quickly.
Common sectors
Food service, food and beverage manufacturing, manufacturing, agriculture, nursing care and accommodation - the last of these suiting candidates with hospitality backgrounds, of which Thailand has many.
Start with a measurement
Do not wait for an agency to tell you when to begin studying. Sit our free exam demo - a full 48-question JFT-Basic mock on a 60-minute clock - and plan your timeline from a real number rather than an assumption.