🇯🇵 Medical Exams for the Japan Working Holiday Visa

Volare Editorial | September 3, 2026

According to the regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA), being in good health is an indispensable requirement to participate in the Working Holiday program. The Japanese government seeks to ensure that young travelers can enjoy their experience without putting their integrity or the local healthcare system at risk. However, the way to accredit this condition varies significantly depending on the applicant's home country.

When preparing your file, it is fundamental to know if the consulate requires professional clinical backing or if it allows self-management of health information. For this cycle, we have classified the nationalities into three clear administrative categories.

Summary Board Mandatory Medical Certificate

For this first block of countries, the applicant's word is not enough. The consulate requires a technical validation performed by a health professional before approving the visa.

Nationalities (Passports)	Document Regulation	Clinical Observation (Detail)
🇦🇷 🇨🇱 🇪🇸 🇺🇾 Argentina, Chile, Spain, Uruguay	Original Medical Certificate	Must be issued, signed, and stamped by a registered medical professional.
🇨🇦 🇫🇷 🇮🇸 🇵🇹 Canada, France, Iceland, Portugal	Original Medical Certificate	The document must explicitly state that the applicant is in good physical and mental health to undertake a long trip.

Summary Board Applicant Sworn Declaration

This intermediate group enjoys greater bureaucratic flexibility. They do not need to go to a doctor's office to get a paper signed, but they must assume written legal responsibility.

Nationalities (Passports)	Document to Present	Format and Legal Detail
🇸🇰 🇱🇹 Slovakia and Lithuania	Health Sworn Declaration	No medical signature required. It is a text written and signed by the applicant themselves.
Text Requirement	Statement under oath	It must be formally declared that you are in good health and that there are no clinical impediments to your stay.

Summary Board No Additional Certificate

This is the largest group in the program. For these nations, the process is greatly simplified, as the Japanese government relies on the principle of good faith during the filling out of the main application.

Country Block (Passports)	Accreditation Method	Process Detail
🌍 Oceania and Americas: Australia, New Zealand.	Visa Form Only	They do not require an external medical certificate or additional clinical exams at clinics.
🇪🇺 Europe: Germany, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, UK, Czech Republic, Sweden.	Visa Form Only	Good health is accredited by checking the corresponding security boxes (Yes/No) within the standard application form.
🌏 Asia: South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan.	Visa Form Only	The real health backing for this group relies on the demonstration of the mandatory medical insurance.

Medical document format and validity

If you belong to Group 1 (Argentina, Chile, Spain, etc.), you must pay special attention to the format of the certificate.

Some Japanese embassies provide an official PDF template that the doctor simply must fill out and sign. Others accept a generic certificate, as long as it is written on the clinic's letterhead, indicates the professional's medical license number, and clearly expresses the phrase "fit to travel and work in Japan". Furthermore, be careful with the timing: just like criminal records, the medical certificate usually has a maximum validity of 3 months from its issuance. Do not process it too far in advance.

Final considerations and prevention

Regardless of the group you belong to, it is important to remember that any history of serious infectious diseases must be declared with absolute honesty on the forms. Lying about your medical history is grounds for visa cancellation.

Likewise, the fact of not requiring a mandatory medical exam for the embassy does not exempt you from personal responsibility. We highly recommend getting a complete preventive check-up before departing, considering the very high costs of specialized medicine in Japanese territory.

Volare Complete Guide

Having your health folder in order will save you unnecessary delays. To learn about the international insurance requirements (which is mandatory for everyone) and the breakdown of funds to demonstrate in the bank, we invite you to check our Official Japan Working Holiday Visa Guide.