- Digital nomad visa
- Yes
Designated Activities
Overall5/10Harder visas than about 65% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- If your country is on Japan's 90-day visa-exemption list, you can move to Tokyo for a short nomad stint with zero paperwork — but Temporary Visitor status does not legally cover remote work, so treat it as a gray area rather than an official 'digital nomad visa'.
- Don't assume 90 days automatically — Indonesia and Thailand get only 15 days, and Brunei/Qatar get 30 days on the same list.
- Carry proof of onward/return travel and your first night's accommodation booking; officers can and do refuse entry even to visa-exempt travelers who look like they intend to overstay or work.
- Repeated back-to-back 90-day stays with short exits to nearby countries can get you flagged as a 'visa runner' and refused entry on a later trip.
- Only nationals of a handful of countries (UK, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Mexico) can extend their visa-free stay beyond 90 days without leaving Japan — everyone else must exit when their stamp expires.
- Japan is reportedly building an ESTA-style pre-travel authorization system (JESTA); it's not required yet, but watch for this before booking far in advance.
- The 10 million JPY income bar is very high compared to most countries' digital nomad visas — well above equivalents like Costa Rica or Spain — so many remote workers simply won't qualify.
- This visa gives no path to a Residence Card, so plan on short-term furnished rentals (Airbnb-style), foreign bank cards, and international insurance rather than local banking or long leases.
- Because there's no renewal, treat this strictly as a six-month stay: you must leave and stay out of Japan for six full months before you can apply again.
- Only income from outside Japan counts, and you cannot invoice Japanese clients or work for a Japanese employer on this status — if your work relationships are local, look at a different visa category.
- A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is optional but can meaningfully speed up processing if obtained before your embassy appointment.
Visa Free Entry
- Process
- No advance application, embassy visit, or online travel authorization is currently required. Travelers simply present a valid passport, proof of onward/return travel, and (if asked) proof of accommodation and sufficient funds to an immigration officer on arrival, who grants landing permission and the period of stay. Landing permission is discretionary — an officer can still refuse entry even to visa-exempt travelers.
- Overview
- Japan maintains reciprocal visa exemption arrangements with 74 countries and regions, covering most of North America, the EU/EEA, the UK, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and most of Latin America. Nationals of these countries can enter Japan for short-term tourism, business meetings, or visiting friends/relatives without applying for a visa in advance.
- Who Qualifies
- Passport holders of the 74 countries/regions on Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reciprocal exemption list, entering for tourism, short business meetings, conferences, or family/friend visits that do not involve any remunerative (paid) activity in Japan.
- Status Granted
- Temporary Visitor (短期滞在)
- Upcoming Change
- Japan is developing an electronic travel pre-authorization system (JESTA), modeled on the US ESTA, which would eventually require visa-exempt travelers to get online pre-approval before flying — not yet in effect as of mid-2026.
- Visa Run Warning
- Immigration officers actively watch for people using back-to-back 90-day visa-free stays (with brief exits, e.g. to South Korea or Taiwan) as a substitute for a residence status; this pattern can lead to refused entry.
- Standard Duration
- 90 days for the large majority of exempt nationalities (including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, EU countries, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mexico, and most of Latin America). Two documented exceptions: Indonesia and Thailand receive 15 days; Brunei and Qatar receive 30 days.
- Official Source URL
- https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html
- Non Exempt Travelers
- Nationals of countries not on the exemption list (e.g. India, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia in non-ePassport cases) must obtain a short-term visa in advance from a Japanese embassy or consulate; this cannot be done on arrival or from inside Japan.
- Activity Restrictions
- Temporary Visitor status does not permit any paid work for a Japanese or foreign employer, long-term study, or income-generating activity inside Japan. This status does not formally authorize remote work for a foreign employer either, though enforcement in practice is inconsistent.
- Extension Possibility
- For most exempt nationalities, the 90-day stay cannot be extended and the traveler must leave Japan before it expires. A small group of nationalities (Austria, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom) hold bilateral arrangements allowing a total stay of up to 6 months; those wishing to stay beyond the initial 90 days must apply for an extension at the Ministry of Justice's Regional Immigration Bureau before the initial period expires.
- Special Conditions Examples
- Some nationalities require a specific ePassport (biometric chip passport) rather than just being on the list, including Indonesia, Thailand, Serbia, Brazil, the UAE, Malaysia, Montenegro, Peru, and Paraguay — travelers without the correct passport type may be denied the exemption and face strict screening. Colombian nationals are technically visa-exempt but MOFA explicitly advises them to obtain a visa in advance, warning that visa-free entry attempts face strict examination and possible refusal.
Digital Nomad Visa And Tax
- Max Stay
- Up to 6 months, non-renewable
- Overview
- Japan's Immigration Services Agency created a dedicated remote-work status called "Designated Activities," commonly referred to as the Digital Nomad Visa. It lets eligible foreign nationals stay in Japan for up to six months while working remotely for an employer or clients based outside Japan.
- Visa Name
- Designated Activities (Digital Nomad, Spouse or Child of Digital Nomad)
- Launch Date
- April 1, 2024
- Visa Ease Tier
- moderate
- Application Fee
- ¥3,000
- Income Requirement
- ¥10,000,000
- Insurance Requirement
- ¥10,000,000
- Eligible Nationalities
- Restricted to citizens of countries/regions that have BOTH a visa-exemption arrangement AND a tax treaty with Japan — roughly 49-50 countries and territories including the US, Canada, UK, most of the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. The official list should always be checked on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs site before applying.
- Visa Ease Tier Rationale
- Japan offers 90-day visa-free entry for many nationalities and a dedicated 6-month non-renewable Digital Nomad visa, but the visa demands a very high $61,500 income threshold, mandatory expensive insurance, and cannot be renewed or converted locally, limiting long-term legal residency ease.
Tax Notes
- Day Count Caveat
- The 183-day threshold is not the only test — if an individual's 'center of life' (family, home base) is in Japan, tax residency could in theory be found even under six months. This mainly matters for people relocating with family rather than short-term solo nomads.
- No Special Regime
- There is no special reduced-tax regime or tax holiday tied to this visa (unlike some countries' nomad visas) — it simply relies on the visa holder falling below the general residency threshold.
- Residency Trigger
- Japanese tax residency is generally triggered by having a domicile in Japan or a continuous residence of one year or more. Because the Digital Nomad visa caps stays at six months, holders generally remain non-residents for Japanese tax purposes as long as they stay 183 days or fewer in a calendar year and their income is foreign-sourced.
- Income Tax Exposure
- As long as income is earned from and paid by an entity outside Japan, and the visa holder does not become a tax resident, no Japanese income tax should apply on that foreign-sourced income. Japan has not issued a definitive standalone tax ruling specific to this visa category, so treatment follows Japan's general non-resident tax rules.
- Double Taxation Treaties
- Eligibility for the visa itself requires the applicant's home country to have a tax treaty with Japan, and Japan has double taxation treaties with 60+ countries (including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia) intended to prevent the same income being taxed twice — though treaty application varies by home country and requires clean documentation.
Renewal Path
- Renewable
- No
- Residence Card
- Digital Nomad visa holders are not classified as "mid- to long-term residents" and are not issued a Residence Card (Zairyu Card), which makes opening a local bank account, signing a long-term lease, or getting a local phone contract difficult — most nomads rely on short-term furnished rentals, foreign bank accounts, and international fintech cards instead.
- Reapplication Rule
- The visa cannot be extended or renewed. Holders must leave Japan and remain outside the country for at least six consecutive months before they are eligible to apply again for the same status.
Application Path
- Where To Apply
- Directly at a Japanese Embassy or Consulate in the applicant's home country or country of legal residence — cannot be applied for or converted to from within Japan while on a tourist or other short-term entry.
- Processing Time
- Typically several weeks up to around six weeks; some sources recommend applying at least three months ahead of an intended arrival date given inconsistent familiarity with the process at some consular posts.
- Work Restrictions
- Holders may only work for/invoice employers or clients located outside Japan. Working for a Japanese company or billing Japanese clients is not permitted under this status.
- Certificate Of Eligibility
- A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is optional, not mandatory, for this visa category (unlike most standard work visas). Obtaining one in advance from an immigration office can streamline the embassy process, but applicants without one simply submit extra supporting documents directly.
Core Documents
- Completed visa application form with recent passport photo
- Valid passport (at least 6 months remaining validity)
- Description of planned activities and duration of stay in Japan
- Proof of income (tax returns, tax payment certificates, employment contract, or client/business contracts) showing at least 10 million JPY annually
- Proof of remote work — certificate from employer or client contracts confirming work is performed for an entity outside Japan
- Proof of private health insurance meeting the 10 million JPY coverage minimum
- For accompanying spouse/children: passport, proof of relationship (marriage/birth certificate), and their own qualifying insurance
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.