Japan

Digital Nomad visa. A 6-month, non-renewable stay for remote workers with a foreign employer — a trial stay, not a residence-building visa.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Digital Nomad visa

A single stay of up to 6 months, explicitly non-renewable and non-extendable; to return, the holder must spend 6 consecutive months outside Japan.

Who qualifies

Annual income of at least JPY 10,000,000 (about $65,000–68,000) from employment or contracts with a company based outside Japan.
Japan Digital Nomad visa
Private health insurance (not Japan’s national health insurance), and a nationality from one of the roughly 50 countries with a relevant tax treaty and visa-exempt entry to Japan.
Japan Digital Nomad visa

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

2 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Income: At least $5,556 a month, steady and documented.
Time: A few weeks once documents are ready.
Cost: The visa fee itself is nominal; the real cost is private health insurance for the stay (roughly $1,000–3,000) plus living costs.
The hard part: The hard 6-month, non-renewable cap and the nationality gate make this unsuitable as a family relocation plan — it is a trial stay, not a residence pathway.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

This visa doesn’t lead to a passport.

2027
First residence permit
0.5 years, not renewable.

Language: Japanese good enough for daily life: speaking, reading and writing.
Time away: The Nationality Act requires five years’ continuous domicile in Japan on a lawful status, but since 1 April 2026 the Legal Affairs Bureaus generally expect ten years or more as proof of integration. The ministry publishes no day count for trips abroad; long absences can break the continuity.
Two passports: Usually not: new citizens are asked to give up their other citizenship.

Time on this program does not count toward permanent residence or citizenship; the family would need to switch to one that does.
Six months at most, not renewable; it deliberately does not build residence.

The law behind these dates

Immigration Services Agency — Designated Activities (digital nomads, No. 53)

Living there.

Time you must spend there: Hard cap of 6 months per stay, non-renewable.
Tax: Because the stay is capped under 183 days, holders generally do not become Japanese tax residents — by design.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Review the Digital Nomad visa with the Immigration Services Agency of Japan.Open moj.go.jp ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of steady income: at least $5,556 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health insurance that meets the program’s rules

Postern can’t run this for you yet.

Which state do you live in?

Tell us which state you live in. Postern runs this application through the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago or Consulate-General of Japan in Boston or Consulate-General of Japan in Houston, for residents of IL, IN, WI, MO, KS, MN, NE, ND, SD, IA, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT, CT, TX, OK.

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