Japan runs 29 statuses of residence. Most people only need to identify one, and the fastest way to do that is to answer three questions: how long you are staying, what you will be doing, and whether someone in Japan will sponsor you.
Before any of that, one piece of vocabulary. A visa is permission from a Japanese embassy to travel to Japan. A status of residence is what Immigration grants you on arrival, and it is what decides how long you stay and what you may do. Everyone says "visa" for both. The distinction is explained on Visa vs. Status of Residence, and it matters as soon as you need to renew anything.
Staying 90 days or less
If you are visiting, the Temporary Visitor status covers tourism, family visits, conferences and short business trips. Nationals of 74 countries and regions get it on arrival with no application. Everyone else applies at an embassy, consulate or through the eVisa system.
No work is permitted on this status, including remote work for a foreign employer.
Coming to work
Japan has around a dozen work-related statuses, each tied to a type of activity rather than to a general permission to work. The Work Visas section compares the six that cover most situations:
- Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services, the default for professional office work
- Highly Skilled Professional, the points-scored status with the fastest route to permanent residency
- Specified Skilled Worker, for the sixteen designated shortage industries
- Intra-Company Transferee, for postings within a corporate group
- Business Manager, for running a company, with requirements that rose steeply in October 2025
- Digital Nomad, six months of remote work for clients outside Japan
Coming to study
The Student status covers universities, graduate schools, vocational colleges and language schools. Your institution sponsors you. Part-time work is possible with separate permission and capped at 28 hours a week.
Coming through family
Two different statuses, with very different work rights, are covered on Spouse, Dependent & Family Visas. Spouse of a Japanese national carries unrestricted work rights. Dependent status, for the family of a work or student visa holder, carries none by default.
Coming for a year, without a sponsor
The Working Holiday visa is the only route into Japan that needs no job, no school and no sponsor. It is limited to nationals of 32 partner countries, aged 18 to 30, and it cannot be used twice. The United States is not a partner country.
Staying for good
Permanent residency detaches your residence from any employer or purpose. The standard route is ten years, with much faster tracks for spouses of Japanese nationals and for Highly Skilled Professional holders. The rules are changing significantly between October 2026 and April 2027: a ¥200,000 application fee, tighter income standards, and a Japanese language requirement arriving in 2027.
Long-Term Resident is a separate status, granted case by case on family or humanitarian grounds, that also carries unrestricted work rights.
One change affecting visa-free travellers
Japan approved a pre-travel screening system called JESTA in March 2026, modelled on the US ESTA. Nationals of visa-exempt countries will eventually register online and receive authorisation before boarding. Full rollout is targeted for 2028. It does not replace any visa category and does not affect anyone who already needs one.
Where to go next
Once you have found the category that fits, check Eligibility & Requirements to see whether you qualify, then How to Apply for the procedure and Fees & Costs for what it will cost.