Japan's Immigration Services Agency announced in January 2025 that Indonesian nationals must undergo tuberculosis (TB) screening starting 2 November 2026. Applicants for certain mid- and long-term visas, such as Digital Nomad visas, are required to submit a Tuberculosis Clearance Certificate with their Certificate of Eligibility (COE) applications beginning 4 January 2027.
To obtain the clearance, individuals must complete a chest X-ray at a Japanese government-approved medical institution located in a designated country. The resulting certificate remains valid for 180 days from the date of the test.
Previous phases of this screening policy included requirements for nationals of the Philippines and Nepal, which began in March 2025 and became mandatory for COE applications in June 2025. Vietnamese nationals were scheduled to begin testing in May 2025, with the certificate requirement for those citizens set for 1 September 2025.
Several categories are exempt from these screening rules, including Specified Skilled Worker visas and government-funded exchange programs. Foreign residents with valid re-entry permits or those entering under programs that already mandate TB screening are also exempt.
