Japan opened its Digital Nomad Visa in March 2024, under the Specified Activities (特定活動) category. It does what it says: it lets you live in Japan for six months while working remotely for people outside it.
What it does not do is make you a resident. That distinction is the whole guide, and it is the part most write-ups skip.
Who qualifies
- Nationality. You must hold citizenship of one of the fifty-odd countries and territories with both a tax treaty and a visa-exemption arrangement with Japan — the US, UK, Canada, Australia, most of the EU, Singapore, South Korea among them.
- Income of at least ¥10 million a year, roughly $67,000, proven with contracts and statements that show the period and the amount. This is the bar most applicants fail.
- Private medical insurance covering injury and illness to at least ¥10 million, valid for the whole stay. You will not have access to Japanese public insurance, so this is your only cover.
- Income from outside Japan. You cannot take a job with a Japanese employer or perform local services.
Spouses and children can accompany you on matching six-month status, provided they too are insured.
The six-month wall
The visa cannot be renewed or extended. There is no path from it into a work visa, no conversion, and no grace period. At six months you leave.
And you cannot simply come back. You must spend six months outside Japan before you can apply again. Effectively it is six months on, six months off — which is workable for someone genuinely nomadic, and useless for anyone hoping to use it as a trial run at living here.
What no residence card actually means
Because the stay is six months or less, you are not a mid-to-long-term resident. You get a passport sticker, not a residence card. The consequences run further than people expect:
- No resident registration at a ward office, so no certificate of residence (住民票).
- No My Number, which is issued through resident registration.
- No national health insurance — hence the private cover requirement.
- No Japanese bank account in practice. Banks require a verified residential address and typically a residence card. Expect to run on foreign cards and international transfers.
- A hard time with phone contracts. Most carriers want a residence card; a prepaid or short-term tourist SIM is the realistic option.
- No standard rental contract. Agencies and guarantor companies work from resident registration. Monthly furnished apartments, serviced flats and long-stay hotels are the practical route.
None of this is an obstacle for six months with the right expectations. It is a serious problem for someone who arrives assuming they will set up a normal life.
Tax
A stay of six months or less generally leaves you a non-resident for Japanese tax purposes, and foreign-sourced remote income is generally outside Japanese income tax and residence tax under the applicable treaty. Residence tax in particular is assessed on people registered as residents on 1 January, which you will not be.
That said, tax residency turns on facts rather than visa labels, and treaties differ by country. If you are near the line — repeat stays, family here, a home you keep in Japan — take advice rather than assuming.
Before you apply
- Gather income evidence early. Contracts, invoices and bank statements covering a full year, showing the source is outside Japan.
- Buy insurance that states the ¥10 million figure explicitly. A policy that merely sounds comprehensive is not evidence.
- Book accommodation that does not need resident registration.
- Sort out money before you fly — a multi-currency card and a transfer service, not a plan to open an account on arrival.
Where to confirm this
- Immigration Services Agency
- Our guide to opening a bank account, and why this visa struggles with it
- Our guide to getting a phone number
Guides are dated rather than undated: last reviewed 21 August 2026. This is an organisational aid, not legal or immigration advice — always confirm anything consequential with your ward office, the Immigration Services Agency, or a qualified professional.