You are looking for and considering a country to move to and build a better life for yourself or your family. Among all the options, Japan has got your attention. You have every right to become interested in this ancient country. The strong economy, well living conditions, high quality of life and education, and the need for skilled workers make it a perfect option for ex-pats. The point is that they need dentists, and you, as a foreign person, can immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist. This page of the Visa Library will bring you how to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist. You will find the procedure, requirements, and all the answers to your questions.
How to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist?
The process of immigrating and working in Japan as a dentist is a bit long and tedious. You have to work hard and pass a few stages. This section brings you the things you have to do. This section brings you the steps you have to follow, but you should know that there isn’t much information about the process in English, and if you need further information, you have to read in Japanese or get help from someone who knows the language.
Get your dental degree and license.
The first step you have to pass to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist is to get your dental degree and license in your home country. You need to complete your education and get your diploma, then pass the internship or training period. If there is an exam you have to pass, you need to take it to get your license. You have to become a licensed dentist in your home country to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist.
The university or school you study must be approved and verified by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. You’d better visit their website to find more information or know if the school you attended is approved or not.
You might have to get approval from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology in Japan to continue the below steps. As explained, there is not much information about this requirement in English. Reach the Misntiry to find more information.
Work on your Japanese language proficiency.
You need to work on your Japanese language proficiency and become fluent in it to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist. You need a Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) certificate. It is divided from N1 to N5, and N1 is the hardest level to get.
You will be working with Japanese people, and they speak this language. English is common, but not a lot and most people speak Japanese.
Moreover, the exams you will have to pass are in Japanese. You need a high level of fluency to pass them.
Approval from the Misntiry of Health Labor and Welfare.
You need to gather the supporting documents and send them to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare to get their approval to take the exams. They decide whether you can pass the exams or not. This is a list of the documents you have to gather:
- CV
- Identity documents.
- Residence permit.
- A copy of a dentist’s license obtained in a foreign country.
- Photo.
- Application forms.
You can find a full list of requirements on the Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare website. Most of the provided information is in Japanese. So you have to realize and figure them out yourself. After they evaluate your case and approve it, you can continue the rest of the procedure.
Pass the preliminary exam.
You need to pass the preliminary exam to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist. It is held once a year in Japan, and you need Japanese language fluency to pass it.
This exam evaluates your medical knowledge and Japanese language proficiency. You can find more information about it on the Ministry of Health website.
Pass the National Dental Practitioner’s Examination.
The last stage for you to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist is to pass the National Dental Practitioner’s Examination. This is the exam that evaluates your skills as a dentist and determines whether you are qualified to work in Japan or not.
It is in Japanese and is held once a year in Japan. You can find more information about it on the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare website. There is not much information about it in English.
Look for a job in Japan.
After you get your license to work as a dentist in Japan, you need to find a job in Japan. Every foreign person who wants to work in Japan needs a work permit. The employer you will work for can only apply for a work permit, so you need to find an employer willing to hire you.
There are various ways to find a job in Japan. The first one is to look for a position through the websites that advertise job positions in Japan. This is a list of them:
- YOLO Japan.
- GaijinPot Jobs.
- Daijob.com.
- WeXpats Jobs
- Career Engine
- Career Cross
- MyNavi
- Wantedly
- NINJA
- en world
- Indeed
You need to prepare a resume and apply for the available positions. If your CV/resume is good, the employers will reach you to negotiate employment.
The other way to find a job in Japan is to get help from employment agencies. These companies connect employees and employers together and get commissions. In this case, they can connect dentists and clinics. This is a list of these companies that can help you:
- FAIR Inc.
- ROBERT WALTERS.
- Nippon Shigoto.
- Pasona Global
- RGF Professional Recruitment Japan
- Daijob
- Disco International Inc. (DI).
- Project2
- Recruit Now
- Alberto Recruitment
- Find Chef-Agent
Visit their website to learn more about the available positions, or email them. You might be able to complete a form to get a counseling section as well.
The other way you can use to find a job in Japan as a dentist is to reach the clinics directly. You can find a list of them by googling them in the city you live, or you want to work.
After you find a job, you need to sign an employment contract with a Japanese employer. It’s part of the supporting documents that the employer must submit to the officials. The contract must explain every detail of the terms of employment and must be comprehensive. These are some of the items that must be included:
- Employment
- Position
- Compensation
- Benefits
- Probationary Period.
- Paid Time Off
- Termination
- Non-Competition and Confidentiality
- Legal Authorization
- Duration of employment
- Salary
- Job Responsibilities
- Work schedule
- Benefits
- Severance pay,
Read every line of the employment contract, then sign it.
Japan work permit and work visa.
The employer applies to immigration officials and submits the documents. He/she will inform you of the full list of the documents. After the Japanese officials agree, they issue the Certificate of Eligibility. You need it to apply for a Japan work visa. The Certificate of Eligibility is permission to work in Japan, and the work visa is permission to enter Japan, and you need the visa to enter the country.
You need to gather the work visa supporting documents and submit them to your home country’s Japanese embassy/consulate.
- The Eligibility Certificate
- The Japan work visa application form must be completed and signed by the applicant.
- A valid passport with a copy of it
- The photo of the applicant should be 3 * 4 cm in size and should be on a white background. It must have been taken in the last three months. The applicant’s face in the photo must be completely visible.
- Details of the job position, company name, salary, and length of work must be provided.
- Previous academic and work experiences
- Documents related to the company, including company registration, profit, and loss statement
- Artists must show documents that confirm their achievements.
- Religious workers must provide details of their religious organization. Documents related to your religious position must also be provided.
- Researchers must provide academic evidence.
- Researchers, instructors, and teachers must also provide their academic evidence and professional qualifications.
- For intra-company transferees, documents showing the relationship between the two companies should be submitted.
The above list is just a sample of the documents you have to submit to the Japanese embassy. You might have to submit further documents, and they often ask for additional documents. You’d better determine it with the embassy. Then, you will have to schedule a meeting with the Japanese embassy/consulate or a visa center in your home country. Figure out who is responsible for visa processing.
Visit them in person and bring the documents. Submit everything to the officials, and answer their questions regarding the purpose of your visit. There is also a fee for visa processing you should pay. Ask the embassy how much it costs you. Visa processing takes time, but the embassy informs you when it’s ready. You can enter Japan after you get the visa label on your passport.
You can find more information about Japan’s work visa from the Visa Library article or watch the related video on our YouTube channel.
Can I Get a Job as a Dentist in Japan Speaking English?
Securing a job as a dentist in Japan while only speaking English, especially for a non-Asian individual, presents significant challenges. Japan’s medical and dental sectors are highly regulated, requiring practitioners to pass rigorous licensing exams, which are conducted in Japanese. Furthermore, the ability to communicate effectively with patients, who are predominantly Japanese-speaking, is crucial for providing high-quality care. While there may be niche opportunities in clinics catering to expatriates or in academic positions where English is a medium of instruction, proficiency in Japanese is generally a critical requirement for most dental positions to ensure both regulatory compliance and the highest standards of patient care.
Immigrant dentists’ salaries in Japan.
Your salary as a dentist in Japan depends on various elements:
- Work experience.
- Education.
- Expertise
- The place you work with.
- The city.
- Employment terms.
- Tasks and responsibility.
- Etc.
The available sources which estimate the average salary in Japan have mentioned different figures for dentists’ salaries.
According to Salary Explorer, the average salary of a dentist in Japan is about 1,290,000 JPY per month, while the lowest salary is about 671,000 JPY, and the highest figure is about 1,970,000 JPY.
According to the Average Salary Survey, the average salary of a dentist in Japan is about 433,148 JPY ($49,035). This source says that the most typical salary is about 1,574,340 JPY ($12,000). According to Glassdoor, the average salary in Yokohama is about $172,500 per year, while the national average salary is about $150,000 per year.
How long does it take you to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist?
There are two ways to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist. The first one is to study a dental course in Japan, which takes about 5 years. Then you will have to take the exams and find a job, look for a job, and apply for a work permit. It might take up to six months to a year to complete the process after completing your study. So you can expect 6 years to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist.
The second way is to get your degree in your home country and then apply to pass the exams. It might take one year for you to take the exams as the available seats are limited, and you might miss the deadline. Then you will have to find a job and apply for a work permit and a work visa. This could take from 2-3 years. But this is after you complete your education in your home country and get a dental license.
Can you immigrate and work in Japan as a foreign dentist?
Yes, you can immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist as a foreign person. There are two ways for you to do it; study a dental course and pass the exams or get your degree in your home country and then pass the exams. Either way, you will have to find a job and apply for a work permit. Look at the above section to learn more about each way. It’s up to you to pick the appropriate way by your conditions. Each one has its pros and cons, and you need to figure out which one is appropriate.
Let’s sum up…
This page of the Visa Library brought you how to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist. You learned that there are two ways to do it; study a course in Japan and pass the exams or get your degree from your home country and then pass the exams. This article brought you the required information for both ways and explained the procedure you have to follow in detail.
In case you have questions, write them down in the comment section. The Visa Library team will answer all of them and provide the necessary information.
FAQs
Yes, you need Japanese language proficiency to immigrate and work in Japan as a dentist. You need it to get admission to a dental school and pass the exams.
It depends on the way you pick. It could take 5-6 years if you study a course in Japan and 2-3 years if you get your degree in your home country and want to pass the exams in Japan.
Yes, the country lacks skilled dentists, and they need them. You can work well and have good living conditions in the country.
- Author
- Max-B.
- May 30, 2023
