Japan digital nomad visa (2026)

Who can apply

Only nationals of countries/regions on Japan's list (visa-exempt and covered by a tax treaty).

• National of a listed country or region
• Annual income of at least ¥10 million
• Remote work for a foreign employer, or selling services or goods to people abroad
• Private medical insurance covering death, injury and illness, with at least ¥10 million medical cover

Income requirement

You need to show at least ¥10 million per year (about US$5,256 a month at rates from 11 Nov 2026). Based on the most recent annual income (or expected income after a raise or new job); sole proprietors count profit after expenses, and spouses or children need no extra income.

Documents you need

• Visa or Certificate of Eligibility application form and photo
• Tax or income certificate proving ¥10 million annual income
• Employment contract or certificate of employment
• Private medical insurance certificate and terms
• Activity schedule for the stay in Japan
• Family: proof of relationship and the main holder's passport copy

How to apply, step by step

1. Check that your nationality is on the list
2. Collect the income, work and insurance documents
3. Apply directly at the Japanese embassy or consulate where you live (no sponsor in Japan is needed)
4. Enter Japan; you may move between cities with no extra procedure

Where and how to apply

Most digital nomads apply for the visa directly at the Japanese embassy or consulate-general that covers the country or region where they live. The usual long-stay route, a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from a Regional Immigration Services Bureau, needs an agent inside Japan to file it. The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) says that because nomads normally have no one in Japan to act for them, an applicant outside Japan should go straight to the embassy or consulate. If a COE is obtained, it replaces the activity schedule, income and insurance documents at the visa stage. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) says visas are applied for at the mission covering your place of residence: in person, through a proxy with a letter of authorisation, or through an accredited travel agency, depending on the mission. Applications made while travelling in a third country are generally not accepted, and visas cannot be obtained after arriving in Japan. The embassy or consulate decides on the visa. An ISA immigration officer then decides on landing permission at the airport, and that permission records the six-month 'Designated Activities' status.

Timeline

1. Confirm eligibility Before anything else
   Check that your nationality is on ISA's list and that your insurance meets the ¥10 million medical cover rule. Dependants are checked against a separate, longer list.
2. Prepare documents 1–4 weeks
   Use ISA's activity-schedule and insurance-coverage forms. Japanese-issued certificates must be under 3 months old, and documents in other languages need a Japanese translation.
3. Visa examination Usually 5 working days; longer without a COE
   MOFA's standard is five working days from the day after the application is accepted. Long-stay applications made without a COE, or files that need extra checks or an interview, can take from a few weeks to several months.
4. Enter Japan Within 3 months of issue
   The visa is single-entry and valid for three months. It cannot be extended, so a new application is needed if travel slips.
5. Six-month stay Up to 6 months from landing
   The period of stay cannot be extended. Leaving temporarily with re-entry permission keeps the status if you return before the end date.
6. Cooling-off period 6 months outside Japan
   After the stay ends, you must spend six months outside Japan before the same status can be granted again.
7. If refused 6 months before reapplying
   Missions generally do not accept a new application for the same purpose within six months of a refusal, unless circumstances have changed significantly.

Proving your income

The ¥10 million is judged on annual income, and MOFA lists acceptable evidence: a tax payment certificate, an income certificate, an employment contract, or a contract with a business partner that clearly states the contract period and amount. ISA requires a tax or income certificate from the country where the applicant worked, plus proof of current work such as an employment contract or certificate of employment. ISA accepts a raise or a new job that takes pay to ¥10 million or more from the time of application, even if last year's income was lower. For sole proprietors, ISA looks at profit after necessary business expenses, not the gross contract value. Several stable income sources, for example contracts with multiple start-ups, can be added together. The ¥10 million is a yen figure, so income in another currency is converted, and exchange-rate movements can push an applicant just above or below the line. Any document not in Japanese must come with a Japanese translation. Original documents are generally not returned, so ask for the return of irreplaceable originals when you apply.

Bringing your family

A spouse or child supported by the nomad receives a separate 'Designated Activities' status for the spouse or child of a digital nomad, with the same six-month limit and no extension. Dependants only need to be nationals of a country or region covered by Japan's short-stay visa exemption; the tax-treaty condition applies only to the main applicant, so the dependants' list is longer and includes countries such as Argentina, Costa Rica, Malta and Tunisia. Each dependant needs private medical insurance with at least ¥10 million of medical cover. Cover under the main applicant's family policy is accepted if the documents show that the family members are covered. They also need an activity schedule, proof of relationship such as a marriage or birth certificate, and a copy of the main applicant's passport. The permitted activity for dependants is day-to-day life as a family member supported by the nomad. The status is not intended for work, and ISA says permission for activities outside the granted status is not given in principle. A child born in Japan during the stay needs an application for permission to acquire status of residence.

Health insurance

Holders are not mid- to long-term residents, so they cannot join Japan's public health insurance. ISA therefore makes private insurance a condition: it must cover death, injury and illness for the whole stay in Japan, with at least ¥10 million of medical cover for injury and illness. For death, the policy must pay for transport of the body home or pay a death benefit, but no minimum amount is set. Insurance attached to a credit card is accepted if you can prove the cover, for example with the card copy and the documents describing the cover. ISA provides a standard 'explanation of insurance coverage' form, which is submitted with a copy of the certificate of insurance and the policy terms. The cover should start no later than your arrival date and run until you leave.

Cost and processing time

The fee is about ¥15,000 single entry or ¥30,000 multiple entry (from 1 July 2026). Processing takes 5 working days as standard; some long-stay cases take weeks. Budget extra for translations, certified copies and health insurance.

After you arrive

• At the airport, the immigration officer grants landing permission with the Designated Activities status for up to six months; no residence card is issued.
• You do not need to follow any special procedure to move between cities or stay in several places during the six months.
• Carry your passport and keep your insurance documents with you, because you are outside the public health insurance system.
• If you leave Japan temporarily, depart with re-entry permission or special re-entry permission and return before the end date to keep the status.
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices without Japan's technical conformity mark may be used for 90 days only. After that, use certified devices or a rented certified router.
• Track your days in Japan and check your tax treaty. If work income is taxable in Japan and was paid abroad without Japanese withholding, a non-resident must file a quasi-final tax return.
• Leave Japan by the end of the stay; you cannot apply again for this status until six months after you leave.

Tax

According to the National Tax Agency, you are a non-resident for Japanese income tax unless you have a domicile in Japan or have lived there continuously for one year or more. A six-month nomad stay therefore normally leaves you a non-resident. Non-residents are taxed only on Japanese-source income, but that includes salaries and other pay for work physically done in Japan, even if the employer is abroad. Relief comes from tax treaties, and the nomad status is open only to nationals of treaty countries. ISA explains that pay for work done in Japan is usually exempt if you meet the treaty conditions, which commonly include staying 183 days or less in the tax year or in any 12 months. Under the NTA's description, the pay also must not come from, or be charged to, an employer or permanent establishment in Japan. Exact conditions vary by treaty. If a treaty exemption does not apply and the pay was received outside Japan without Japanese withholding, the NTA requires a quasi-final tax return and payment of the tax. There is no special tax regime for this status.

Does it lead to permanent residence?

The nomad status does not lead to permanent residence. It lasts at most six months, cannot be renewed, does not come with a residence card, and must be followed by six months outside Japan before reapplying. ISA's permanent residence guidelines, revised on 24 February 2026, generally require ten or more years of continuous residence, including at least five years in a work or residence status. The applicant must also hold the longest period of stay available for their current status (a three-year period is treated as the longest until 31 March 2027), and must have paid taxes, pension and health insurance contributions on time. Short, interrupted nomad stays cannot meet the continuity requirement. Anyone aiming for long-term residence needs a different status, such as a work visa sponsored by a Japanese employer, normally applied for from abroad.

Why applications get refused

• Nationality is not on ISA's eligible list (for dependants, not on the visa-exemption list).
• Income evidence does not show ¥10 million a year, for example because a sole proprietor shows gross contract value instead of profit after expenses, or the contracts do not state amounts and periods.
• Insurance does not meet the rules: medical cover under ¥10 million, no death cover, or a policy that does not cover the whole stay in Japan.
• Planned activities involve Japanese clients or an employment or contractor agreement with a Japanese organisation or individual, which the status does not allow.
• The application is not accepted because it was filed at a mission outside your country of residence, documents contain errors or omissions, the passport lacks validity or blank pages, a COE application is still pending, or a refusal for the same purpose was issued less than six months earlier.
• Delays: applications without a COE, or files needing extra documents or an interview, can take weeks or months. Missions do not give specific reasons for a refusal.

Cost of living in Tokyo

1-bedroom rent

¥150,000–295,000 a month for a one-bedroom in the city centre (average about ¥205,000); ¥78,000–200,000 outside the centre (Numbeo, updated 12 Nov 2026)

Coworking desk

Not confirmed: operator price pages could not be read

Home broadband of 60 Mbps or more typically costs ¥4,000–8,000 a month (Numbeo, Nov 2026); for a six-month stay, furnished monthly apartments are usually more practical than standard leases.

Good to know

• No residence card and no access to Japan's public health insurance
• Working for Japanese companies or individuals is not allowed
• Wi-Fi devices without Japan's conformity mark can be used for 90 days only

Visiting first? Entry rules for popular passports

71 passports can enter Japan visa-free for a short stay, a common way to try the country before applying. Check Japan visa requirements for your passport.

Official source

Immigration Services Agency of Japan