Coto Japanese Academy
Japan’s Digital Nomad Visa: Everything You Need to Know! (Free PDF Guide Download)

Japan’s Digital Nomad Visa: Everything You Need to Know! (Free PDF Guide Download)

2024 Mar 11
Life in Japan
Study Japanese

This blog article is an extract from our Ebook “Being A Digital Nomad in Japan Ultimate Guide.” To read the full content, you can simply download our free ebook at the end of this article!

Want to experience living in Japan to work remotely for a few months, but a 3-month tourist visa is not enough, and finding a job in Japan seems like a hassle. Don’t worry! Japan is introducing a Digital Nomad Visa, perfect for remote workers and digital nomads — people who work remotely while only staying in any one place for the short or midterm worldwide. This visa makes moving to and working in Japan easier by eliminating the stress of getting a job offer first, offering a unique chance to mix work with experiencing Japan’s culture.

Coto Academy is a Japanese language school located in Tokyo and Yokohama. With its small class sizes and flexible course schedule, we ensure the students find their community here in Japan and learn practical and useful daily-life Japanese by focusing on conversational practice.

A Quick Jump To…

Details About Digital Nomad Visa

To legally work remotely and live in Japan, you can apply for the Digital Nomad Visa issued in March 2024. With this visa, visitors can stay up to 6 months, longer than the usual 90 days provided by the regular tourist visa. Besides experiencing the Japanese culture and lifestyle, this visa allows you to bring dependents, such as your legally married spouse and children, under the same visa. For this visa, however, it cannot be renewed and must be reapplied for by leaving the country after the 6 months period.

Requirements To Apply for The Digital Nomad Visa

  • Employment Status: Applicants should work remotely as an employee, freelancer, or business owner for a company registered outside of Japan.
  • Income Requirement: A minimum annual income of at least 10 million Japanese Yen (approximately 68,000 USD) is required. 
  • Nationality Requirement: The visa is available to individuals holding a passport from countries with visa-free entry and double taxation agreements with Japan. This includes the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, and nations within the European Union in 49 countries and territories. 

To Check If You Are Eligible

List of Countries with Visa-free Status

List of Countries with Double-taxation Agreements

  • Health Insurance Requirement: You must hold private health insurance because such visa holders are not eligible to obtain a residence card or a residence certificate, preventing them from accessing certain government benefits. This applies to your dependent as well.

Important Documents Required to Apply For The Digital Nomad Visa

  • Valid passport with at least six months of validity and two blank pages
  • Passport-size photos taken within the last six months
  • Proof of remote work (e.g., employment contract, employment letter, or client invoices)
  • Proof of earnings with income statements indicating earnings over 68,000 USD from non-Japanese entities (e.g., bank statements or tax returns)
  • Proof of health insurance with documents indicating you and your family (if applicable) are insured under a private health insurance company
  • Application form
  • Certificate of Eligibility
  • Visa application fee
  • Birth certificate (if applicable)
  • Marriage certificate (if applicable)

How to Apply For The Digital Nomad Visa

For this, please wait for the Immigration Services Agency to announce the application form officially.

Tax Obligations for Digital Nomads in Japan

For the digital nomads, here is some information about paying taxes in Japan.

  • Residency Status and Tax Liability: Japan divides residents into “non-permanent” and “permanent” for taxes. If you are a non-permanent resident, you only pay taxes on your income made in Japan and sent to Japan. As for permanent residents, they pay taxes on all their income, no matter where it comes from.
  • Earned Income in Japan: Money earned by working with Japanese companies or within Japan is taxable.
  • Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs): There is an agreement established between Japan and other countries to prevent an individual from getting taxed twice.

We also recommend looking at Digital Nomad Taxes for more related information.

What If You Are Not Eligible For The Digital Nomad Visa?

There are a few options out there that you should consider!

  • Tourist Visa: Various countries are eligible for visa-free entry for up to 90 days
  • Working Visas: There are a few types, such as Engineer, Specialist in Humanities, or International Services, Intra-Company Transferee, Skilled Labor, Startup Visa in Japan, Business Manager Visa, Highly-Skilled Professional, and more! Read this for more information.
  • Non-Working Visa: This visa allows you to work under limited hours weekly. This includes student visas, trainee visas, dependent visas, and more. Read this for more information.
  • Student Visa: This is a non-working visa. It allows you to work under limited hours, as mentioned above. Want to apply for one? Coto School Finder is here to help. Click the button below to learn more about it.
Apply To Coto School Finder

Last Reminder!

To get this visa, you need to:

  • Have an employment status outside of Japan
  • Earn at least 10 million Japanese yen annually (about 68,000 USD).
  • They come from certain countries with visa-free entry status to Japan and have double tax agreements with Japan. 
  • Have private health insurance

Bonus Tips

  1. Prepare your documents before applying for a visa.
  2. Stay updated; follow the Japanese Immigration Services website for the latest visa information.
  3. Apply for private health insurance; make sure your health insurance covers your stay in Japan.
  4. Enjoy Japan; take the chance to work and explore! Japan also has fast internet and suitable workspaces if you are looking for places to work.
  5. Learn Japanese! Knowing a bit of the Japanese language can significantly help you during your stay here. At Coto, we provide several classes and different locations for you to start your Japanese learning journey. For example, part-time classes would suit your busy schedule, as it provides flexibility. Lite-intensive courses are for those with more bandwidth to study Japanese here in Japan. We also offer online courses for those who want to learn Japanese before coming to Japan or study Japanese remotely, even when they arrive in Japan! Check out more of the classes we offer here.

Are you interested in becoming a digital nomad in Japan? Here is an eBook just for you.

“Being A Digital Nomad In Japan Ultimate Guide” 

Will help you have a smoother life in Japan as a digital nomad.

Scroll down to subscribe and download it!

Follow our social media channels for updates on upcoming events, special offers, and useful information about Japan.

You Might Be Wondering

Absolutely! You can explore Japan’s cities, countryside, and everything in between.

The answer varies; depending on your income sources and residential status in Japan, you may need to pay taxes.

Basic Japanese can significantly improve your stay. Consider taking Japanese lessons online or using language apps. Coto also offers a range of Japanese courses that may suit your needs. Check here.

We answer all the questions related to the obtention of a Digital Nomad Visa in our Ebook, just below.

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