Digital Nomad Visa (Designated Activities)

Introduced in 2024, Japan's digital nomad visa allows a six-month stay for remote workers from 49 countries and regions with which Japan has a tax treaty or visa exemption agreement. The income bar of JPY 10 million a year, roughly USD 68,000, is high, and private health insurance covering JPY 10 million is mandatory. The critical limitation is structural: it is a Designated Activities status, not a mid or long-term residence status, so you receive no residence card and cannot register at a city office, which rules out a local bank account, a phone contract and a normal apartment lease. It cannot be extended, and you must wait six months after it ends before applying again.

49 nationalities are on the eligible list. Anyone not listed applies through a different route.

• Passport from an eligible country or regionRequiredOpen to nationals of 49 countries and regions that have a tax treaty or visa exemption agreement with Japan.
• JPY 10 million annual incomeRequiredAnnual income of at least JPY 10 million, roughly USD 68,000, evidenced by contracts, payslips or tax documents.Source
• Private insurance covering JPY 10 millionRequiredPrivate health insurance covering at least JPY 10 million, around USD 68,000, including death and repatriation, valid for the whole stay.
• Remote work for foreign entitiesRequiredThe work must be performed for companies or clients outside Japan. Working for Japanese employers or clients is not permitted.
• Stay of six months or lessRequiredThe status is granted for six months and cannot be extended or converted.
• No residence card or city registrationInfoDesignated Activities status for under a year does not produce a residence card, so you cannot register your address, open a Japanese bank account, sign a standard lease or take a phone contract. Plan around monthly furnished rentals and an eSIM.
• Six-month gap before re-applyingInfoAfter the six months end you must spend six months outside Japan before applying again, which prevents using this as a rolling base.

• Passport
• Certificate of Eligibility or direct embassy application
• Employment contract or client contracts with non-Japanese entities
• Income evidence totalling JPY 10 million
• Private insurance certificate covering JPY 10 million
• Itinerary and accommodation details

1. Arrange qualifying insurance

   ~7 days

   Secure a policy meeting the JPY 10 million requirement including repatriation. This is the step most applicants get wrong.

   1

2. Apply at a Japanese embassy or consulate

   ~30 days

   Submit the application with income and insurance evidence in your country of residence.

   2

3. Enter Japan

   ~1 day

   Enter with the visa and receive a six-month Designated Activities status on arrival. No residence card is issued.

   3

Not extendable and not convertible to another status. A six-month absence is required before re-applying.

• Spouses and children can accompany you on the same status, which is unusual for a six-month visa
• Book monthly furnished apartments such as Sakura House or Metro Residences, since standard leases are inaccessible
• For stays of 90 days or less, the visa waiver is simpler and has no income test
• No residence card means no bank account, no phone contract and no standard lease
• The six-month cooling-off period rules out consecutive stays
• Insurance that merely covers medical costs is usually rejected; the policy must include death and repatriation

• Immigration Services Agency of JapanImmigration Services Agency of Japan2026-07-27