Japan supports the trend of post-COVID measures and is offering additional opportunities for remote professionals. From April 1st, this country has also opened its doors to digital nomads. The Nomad Visa allows individuals to live in Japan and work remotely for up to six months per year.
Like other countries that have launched similar programs, not everyone will be able to obtain a residence permit in the Land of the Rising Sun. According to the “Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act,” the visa can be obtained by qualified professionals and their family members from a limited list of countries. The current list of these countries includes:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Brazil
- Brunei
- United Kingdom
- Hungary
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Denmark
- Israel
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Iceland
- Spain
- Italy
- Canada
- Qatar
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- UAE
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- USA
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Uruguay
- Finland
- France
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Chile
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Estonia
- South Korea
This list is relevant for individuals applying for the digital nomad visa. There are also restrictions for nomad family members, but the list of nationalities they must hold is expanded by an additional 21 countries.
To obtain the digital nomad visa, one must have an annual income of at least 10 million yen (about 60,000 euros), have valid medical insurance, and have an active employment contract with a foreign (non-Japanese) legal entity.
