Japan · Digital nomad · Temporary residence

Japan Designated Activities — Digital Nomad

Six months of designated-activities status for eligible remote workers and their accompanying family.

Value scoreCheckingPassport data under review

5-year costCheckingone applicant, not recoverable

DecisionCheckingComparable time under review

Official program page

Value: what the Designated Activities — Digital Nomad gives you

Passport reach 25 pts weightChecking

Path to citizenship 25 pts weightChecking

Work, family, healthcare 20 pts weightChecking

Stay rule 15 pts weightChecking

Tax on foreign income 10 pts weightChecking

Policy stability 5 pts weight60

Passport: visa-free destinations: CheckingAwaiting the shared Henley edition.
Years to permanent residence: CheckingA program-specific permanent-residence pathway was not verified.
Years to citizenship: CheckingCounting this status toward naturalisation was not verified.
Leads to citizenship: CheckingNo explicit exclusion from naturalisation was verified.
Can work for a local employer: CheckingPermission to work for a local employer was not verified.
Same application for spouse and children: YesOfficialMinistry of Foreign Affairs, checked 2026-11-15MOFA expressly provides a visa category for the accompanying spouse or child; individual visa forms are required.
Public healthcare: CheckingEligibility to join public healthcare was not verified; private insurance requirements alone do not establish exclusion.
Minimum stay per year: CheckingA minimum annual physical-presence rule was not verified.
Tax on foreign income: CheckingTax treatment after becoming tax resident was not verified.
Dual citizenship allowed: CheckingNationality-law position was not verified.
Rule changes, last 24 months: ChangedOfficialMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, checked 2026-11-15Visa fees changed for applications accepted from 1 July 2026; nationality and purpose exemptions still apply.

Cost: what the Designated Activities — Digital Nomad costs over five years

Government fees: CheckingOfficialMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, checked 2026-11-15From 1 July 2026 the standard single-entry visa fee is approximately JPY15,000; local-currency collection, nationality exemptions and any agency charges prevent a universal exact first-grant total.
Non-refundable contribution: CheckingNo explicit zero-donation rule or complete monetary schedule was verified.
Due diligence: CheckingSeparate government due-diligence charges were not verified.
Compulsory extras, first year: CheckingRequired insurance/document costs lack an actual compliant quote; insured coverage is not a premium.
Renewal fees, first 5 years: CheckingOfficialMinistry of Foreign Affairs, checked 2026-11-15The six-month status cannot be extended; a five-year continuous renewal cost is not applicable.
Investment you may get back: CheckingA compulsory recoverable capital amount or its explicit absence was not verified.
Minimum income per month: $5,208.39OfficialMinistry of Foreign Affairs, checked 2026-11-15JPY 833333; JPY 10 million annual income divided by 12; Conversion: JPY 833333.3333333334 to USD at 2026-11-13 reference rates.
Extra for a spouse and two children: CheckingComplete extra government charges for a spouse and two minors were not verified.
Typical adviser fees (not in the total): CheckingThree comparable licensed-adviser quotations were not obtained.

USD estimates use the 13 November 2026 reference rates of the European Central Bank, Central Bank of Armenia and Central Bank of the UAE, and the Central Bank of Uruguay rate for UYU. The Panamanian balboa uses its official one-to-one parity.

Speed: how long the Designated Activities — Digital Nomad takes

Official processing time: CheckingOfficialMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, checked 2026-11-15General consular guidance is 5 working days from the day after receipt; long-stay applications without a COE typically take 1–3 months, so no route-specific calendar-day total is established.
Reported processing time (median): CheckingNo median from at least two independent case-series sources was verified.
Approval to card or passport: CheckingApproval-to-card time was not verified.

Sources

Designated Activities — Digital Nomad — official information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Checked 2026-11-15.
Visa Fees — applications from 1 July 2026, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Checked 2026-11-15.
Visa Processing Time, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Checked 2026-11-15.

Every figure on this page last reviewed 2026-11-15. General information, not legal advice. Spotted an error? Email us from the contact page.

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