Terms & Conditions for
Work Japan


Your Work Japan program conditions 

 

The Work Japan program is offered by BUNAC Travel Services Ltd (the “Company”). The program is designed to support participants to complete the steps required to obtain a Japanese Working Holiday Visa issued separately by the Japanese government. 

 

By joining the program you are bound by the company’s general terms and conditions which are listed HERE. 

 

1. Program inclusions

If you are booked on to our Essentials programme you will receive: 

  • Guidance on applying for the Working Holiday visa
  • Arrival orientation (Help setting up your tax number registration, national health insurance, Japanese bank account and other work formalities.)
  • 5 weeks arrival accommodation 
  • 12-month ground support from the team in Japan
  • 90-120 minute job counselling session in your first week, Translation of your CV into Japanese, access to our English-speaking jobs portal, and accompanied appointment to the employment centre.
  • Airport meet and greet  (if arriving on Friday)
  • Pre-departure online intercultural training + live group Q&A 

  

If you are booked on to our Ski programme you will receive: 

  • Guidance on applying for the Working Holiday visa
  • Access to winter ski roles and interview with at least one of our employers
  • Arrival orientation (Help setting up your tax number registration, national health insurance, Japanese bank account and other work formalities.)
  • 3 nights arrival accommodation 
  • Airport meet and greet  (if arriving on Friday)
  • Pre-departure online intercultural training + live group Q&A 

 

 2. Program costs and payments schedule

The cost of the program is outlined on our website at the time of your booking. The relevant payments will be shown on the payments page of your online account. 

What are you paying the Company for? 

 

Essentials 

Stage 1 - Visa Guidance Fee 

Receive welcome email  

 

You receive the visa guide and apply for the visa 

Stage 2 - Final Payment 

You let us know when you want to arrive in Japan 

 

After you arrive in Japan, your support package will start 

 

Stage 1 - At the time of booking your Work Japan program, you must pay a non-refundable Visa Guidance Fee. You acknowledge that your application cannot progress further until you have obtained the working holiday visa. If you don’t pay the second payment, your application will stay as it is and your deposit will remain non-refundable.

 

Stage 2 – Your final payment will be due after your initial payment. This payment will allow us to book your arrival accommodation and select the start date for your support package. This payment must be made at least 8 weeks prior to your intended arrival date.

 

Ski 

Stage 1 – Visa Guidance Fee

Receive welcome email  

 

You receive the visa guide and apply for the visa 

 

You let us know when you’ve received the visa 

Stage 2 – Final payment 

You gain access to the jobs portal on our system and apply for various jobs  

 

You let us know when you’ve secured a job 

 

You let us know when you will be arriving in Japan 

 

After you arrive in Japan, your support package will start 

 

Stage 1 - At the time of booking your Work Japan program, you must pay a non-refundable Visa Guidance fee. After booking, you will receive a welcome email with guidance on how to apply for the working holiday visa. You understand that you are responsible for informing the Company once you have obtained the visa.

Stage 2 – Your final payment will be due after your initial payment. This will grant you access to the live jobs portal where you will be able to apply for positions with various employers. It will be your responsibility to let us know when you have secured a job with one of our employers. Once we have received confirmation of this, we will then ask you to let us know when you plan to arrive in Japan so your arrival accommodation can be booked.

We need to know your planned arrival at least 8 weeks before to ensure we can book your arrival accommodation. 

 

What fees will you need to pay to third parties? 

  • Visa fee paid directly to the Japanese embassy 
  • Return flights  
  • Proof of funds (you must be able to show proof that you have at least £1500 in support funds if you have a return flight ticket or £2500 if you don’t have a return ticket. These must be proven to be in your account for at least 3months prior to applying. 
  • Click here for a list of nationalities and proof of support funds)
  • Accommodation 
  • Spending money 

 

Regardless of the circumstances, the Company are unable to refund any of these fees. 

Cost increase notice

In the event of a cost increase for the program, the Company will provide customers with at least 30 days notice before the new cost takes effect. Customers are responsible for paying the increased cost as specified in the notice.

 

By continuing to use the program after the specified notice period, customers acknowledge and agree to the revised cost.

 

The Company reserves the right to adjust the program costs as necessary to reflect changes in operational expenses, market conditions, or other factors that may affect the overall service provision. Any such adjustments will be communicated to customers in a timely manner, allowing them to make informed decisions regarding their continued participation in the program.

 

 3. Transferring or changing your booking

The deposit is transferable to any Company program up until the point you receive visa guidance from the Company. After this, your deposit will be considered as used and therefore be non-transferable. If you have already secured your visa, your deposit will be considered used after you have informed us of the date you wish to travel to Japan or if you have interviewed with one of our employers. 

Date changes might be available for your arrival but will incur the following costs: 

  • 60 days or more before your booked date: Free date change  
  • 15 – 59 days before your booked date: £100 
  • Within 14 days of your booked date: No tour date change available  

All date changes are subject to availability.  

Your deposit is protected for life, however, is not transferable to another person. Your Working Holiday Visa must be printed with your correct name, date of birth, place and country of birth. It is your responsibility to provide details on all application forms that exactly match your passport. 

Customers on the Essentials programme can upgrade to the Ultimate programme at least 10 weeks prior to departure. 

Customers on the Ski programme can downgrade to the Essentials programme before they arrange an interview with an employer. After you interview with employers, the regular cancellation terms will apply

 

4. Program cancellation

The Visa Guidance Fee is a non-refundable fee. The only exception is if your application is rejected by the company before the visa application is submitted, in which case you are subject to a £25 administration fee. The below amounts will be held by the Company when cancelling at specific stages. Any non-refundable fees as stated above are not included in the below amounts:

Essentials: 

  • Cancellation received 60+ days before departure: Visa guidance fee will be held
  • Cancellation received 45-59 days before departure: 25% will be held
  • Cancellation received 31-44 days before departure: 50% will be held
  • Cancellation received 15-30 days before departure: 75% will be held
  • Cancellation received within and including 14 days before your departure: 100% (no refund due)

Ski: 

  • Cancellation received 60+ days before departure: Visa guidance fee will be held
  • Cancellation received 45-59 days before departure: 25% will be held
  • Cancellation received 31-44 days before departure: 50% will be held
  • Cancellation received after a job is offered: 50% will be held
  • Cancellation received 15-30 days before departure: 75% will be held
  • Cancellation received within and including 14 days before your departure: 100% (no refund due

If you cancel from the program you must confirm this in writing. Your cancellation will be effective from the date it is received in the office where the booking was made, and the relevant cancellation fees will apply. Please ask for details of cancellation fees at the time of booking. Refunds normally can take up to 15 working days from the time all appropriate documentation is received into the Program Department.  

 

5. Visa 

Working Holiday Visa Eligibility:  

  • Must hold a valid passport from one of the countries listed here 
  • Must be aged 18-30 (some nationalities are up to 25. Full information can be found here) 
  • Must not have previously held a Japanese Working Holiday Visa 
  • You must have lived in your home country for 12 months before your visa application is submitted
  • You can only apply for this visa and visit the Japanese embassy in your home country to apply.
  • Must have a minimum of £1500 in support funds or £2500 if you don’t have a return ticket home. Funds must be proven 3 months prior to application, Eg applying in October, must be able to prove funds in bank statements for July, August, and September.
  • Visas are capped per passport nationality. It will only be possible to apply for a visa if your home country’s quota has not been reached. It is your responsibility to check if visas are available before booking on to the programme 

The requirements of the Working Holiday Visa are subject to Japanese government approval and may change without notice. 

Visa conditions 

  • Open work permit, allowing you to work for any employer except nightclubs, dance halls and gambling venues 
  • Visas are issued at the discretion of the Japanese embassy. 
  • The Company do not accept responsibility for any costs incurred through a delay in visa processing or where a visa is refused. If your visa is refused the above program and product extra cancellations conditions apply. 
  • The visa cost is set by the Japanese embassy and is subject to change without notice. The Company will notify participants of any change to the advertised cost.
  • Where there is an increase in the visa cost, the participant will be responsible for meeting such costs. 

If your visa is refused the above programme cancellation conditions apply. 

 

We strongly advise not entering Japan until your Visa has been sent to you by the Japanese Government. Any entry before this time would be as a tourist. Entry to Japan before your visa is issued is at your own risk and the Company does not accept any responsibility for refused entry to Japan. 

 

6. Additional program documentation and fees

To apply for your Japanese Working Holiday Visa you may be required to submit a police criminal background check or medical examinations. This could lead to additional third-party fees and delays to your application. You are required to disclose information relating to existing medical conditions, criminal history, nationality and occupation during the initial application stage so the Company can determine if you will be required to submit extra documents and how it will affect your application processing time. 

 

7. Flights

Flights are not included as part of the program and you will be responsible for booking them. You should not arrange travel until you have received your Working Holiday Visa. You must provide your booked travel information to the Company at least 4 weeks before you intend to fly. 

The applicant agrees that the Company will not be held responsible for any costs incurred if a flight change needs to be made. Examples of this include, but not limited to, visa delays, border closures, etc. 

 

8. Insurance

Travel insurance is mandatory for all participants. Please refer to our General Terms and Conditions. 

 

 9. Job support

  • It is up to the participant to find their own job; it is recommended you do research on the area you are travelling to, to ensure you are travelling to an area where placements are readily available 
  • For participants on our ski programme, we do not guarantee any job locations in Japan. 
  • Please also note, by signing up to a job interview through your online account, there is no guarantee that you will be hired. Hiring is at the sole discretion of the employer.
  • It is up to each participant who has availed of job assistance to apply for an interview for their Japanese job through the employer database released to them once their application materials have been received by and fully processed by the team. We do not allocate interviews to participants, you must sign up for an interview yourself. All job interviews listed on the jobs database are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. 

 

10. Declaration 

You know of no reason why you may be refused a visa (e.g. have been arrested or convicted of a crime; previously experienced visa/immigration problems; or have overstayed on a previous visit). If you suspect that you may have problems, you will disclose these reasons in writing to the Work Japan team. If a visa is refused for reasons previously undisclosed, no refund will be given. 

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The BUNAC® logo and many of the programme names on this website are registered trademarks in the USA, the United Kingdom and in other jurisdictions. Company registration number: 1391030. Trading as BUNAC Travel Services Limited, 5 Richbell Place, London, WC1N 3LA, United Kingdom.