Japan's digital nomad route opened in 2024 under the Designated Activities status. It lets remote workers live in Japan for six months while working for clients or an employer outside the country. It is the shortest of Japan's long-stay options and the most restrictive in what it gives you once you arrive, and understanding that trade-off before you apply saves a lot of frustration.
The income bar is the main filter
You need annual income of at least ¥10 million, roughly US$65,000 to $70,000 depending on the exchange rate, from sources outside Japan. That income has to be documented: a tax certificate, an employment contract, or contracts with the clients paying you.
The threshold is high by the standards of digital nomad visas elsewhere, and it is deliberate. Japan designed this for established remote professionals, not for people building a freelance practice on the road.
Who can apply
Eligibility is limited to nationals of countries and regions that both have visa exemption arrangements with Japan and have a tax treaty or equivalent agreement in place. That comes to roughly 49 countries and regions, which is fewer than the 74 on the visa exemption list. Check your nationality against the Immigration Services Agency's current list rather than assuming exemption is enough.
You also need private health insurance
Coverage has to run for the whole stay and must include medical treatment for injury and illness with a benefit of at least ¥10 million. Travel insurance with a lower medical cap will not satisfy this, and the policy documents form part of the application.
The insurance requirement exists because of the next point.
Six months, and what that means in practice
The stay is capped at six months and cannot be extended. Because the permitted stay does not exceed six months, this route does not come with a residence card, and without a residence card you cannot register as a resident at a city office. The consequences follow from there:
- No enrolment in National Health Insurance, which is why private cover is mandatory
- No My Number card
- Difficulty opening a Japanese bank account, since most banks require a residence card and a registered address
- Difficulty signing a standard apartment lease, which pushes most people toward serviced apartments, monthly rentals and short-term housing
You also cannot come straight back for another six months. A repeat stay requires a gap, so this works as a long stay in Japan rather than as a base you return to continuously.
Family can come
Spouses and children can accompany you under a matching Designated Activities designation. They are covered by the same insurance requirement, and the household is assessed against the same income evidence.
What you may and may not do
The work has to be remote work for entities outside Japan. You may not take on a Japanese employer, and you may not provide services to clients in Japan for payment. If your business is genuinely international and none of your revenue comes from Japanese sources, the route fits. If you want to pick up local work while you are here, it does not, and you should be looking at a proper work visa instead.
Whether it is worth it
Six months in Japan with no route to extend suits a specific kind of plan: an extended stay to test whether you want to live here, a project that happens to be portable, a sabbatical. If your aim is to settle, the six months buy you time but build nothing. The stay does not count toward permanent residency, and you leave with no residence history.
Many people who arrive this way and decide to stay end up job-hunting for a role that supports an Engineer/Specialist status, or looking at whether they clear the Highly Skilled Professional points threshold. Both are worth investigating before you land, not at month five.
Where to go next
For how this compares with the other categories, see Work Visas. For fees, see Japan Visa Fees by Category.
Back to Work Visas.