MMoving to Japan

Combining two bank accounts for COE (student visa)

  • January 29, 2026

Hi all,

I’m starting to gather my documents for long-term language school application and having some difficulties with the ‘proof of funds’ section.

I opened a sole proprietorship in June 2025, so it has not yet hit a 12 month mark since I began receiving that income. The income in question is stable and greatly exceeds the required amount. That sole proprietorship bank account currently has around ¥4 million in savings, enough to cover 2 years of studies.

However, my school said that I *have* to show proof of stable income for 12 months. They also said that I can’t use two different sponsors, which means I can’t use my parent’s income for the first 6 months, but I can show two different bank accounts if it’s in my name. This is a slight problem because, whilst I do have a personal bank account, it *currently* does NOT have the needed minimum amount in savings — I would just preferably use it as monthly income proof of the first six months. My school basically asked for two documents: current bank statement (minimum ¥1.5 million) + stable income proof — ideally, I would provide the current bank statement of my sole prop bank account, as well income proof for the previous 6 months; and I would provide the income proof for the first 6 months from my personal bank account.

Now, it leaves me with a few questions…

  1. Does the minimum required savings include both bank accounts combined, or do they need to have a minimum of ¥1.5 million separately?

  2. Would I need to show the current bank balance of my personal bank account, and if yes, will it be a problem that it does not have a lot of money in it? I’m talking barely ¥50k…

  3. Am I allowed to provide some sort of ‘explanation letter’ to immigration along with other COE documents, explaining why I switched from a personal to a business account? From what I understood, immigration mostly cares about whether I have money to sustain myself during my studies, which I do have, so I’m hoping that all of this won’t be such a big problem.

I appreciate all and any help regarding this!

by ThrowRA_anchiixz