Japan’s Digital Nomad Visa
On 1 April 2024, Japan opened a status of residence for digital nomads. This page explains what the status actually is — and documents how it came to exist, written by the civic community that proposed it.
RULEMAKERS DAO is a Japanese civic community that works on regulatory reform and rule-making. Our Region SubDAO proposed the creation of a digital nomad status of residence in 2023; the proposal was reflected in the Cabinet’s Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2023, and the status came into operation in 2024. After that, we led the founding of the Digital Nomad Public-Private Council and serve as its secretariat.
We are not an immigration law firm and we do not file or handle visa applications. For the application procedure, please rely on the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and your nearest Japanese embassy or consulate, and consult a qualified professional where needed.
The Status
What the visa actually is
There is no visa called the “digital nomad visa.”
What Japan created is a sub-category of the existing status of residence “Designated Activities” (Tokutei Katsudo). Two notices were added: Notice No. 53 for the nomad, and Notice No. 54 for an accompanying spouse or child. If you read Japanese guidance that refers to “特定活動（告示53号）”, that is this status.
The distinction matters in practice. Because it sits inside Designated Activities rather than being a work status, the permitted activity is defined narrowly: you may continue working for an employer or clients outside Japan, but you may not take up employment with an organisation in Japan. A permission to engage in activity outside the scope of the status is, in principle, not granted.
Requirements
Requirements at a glance
| Item | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Permitted activity | Work performed under a contract with a foreign organisation, using information and communications technology, for the business of that organisation’s office located outside Japan; or providing services to, or selling goods to, persons outside Japan using ICT |
| Not permitted | Employment under a contract with a public or private organisation in Japan. Permission for activity outside the status is, in principle, not granted |
| Income | Annual income of the applicant of ¥10 million or more, evidenced by tax or income documentation from the home country |
| Insurance | Private medical insurance covering death, injury and illness, with coverage of ¥10 million or more for medical treatment costs, valid for the intended period of stay |
| Nationality | Must hold a nationality listed by the Immigration Services Agency (the list reflects visa-exemption arrangements and tax treaties) |
| Period of stay | 6 months, not renewable. Re-entry under the same status is possible once 6 months have passed since departure |
| Residence card | Not issued |
| Family | A dependent spouse or child may accompany under Notice No. 54, for the same period (up to 6 months, not renewable) |
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Status of Residence “Designated Activities” (Digital Nomad / Spouse or child of Digital Nomad). Requirements and the list of eligible nationalities may change. Always check the official page before applying.
The Gap
Why Japan needed a new status
Before 2024, a digital nomad simply had no lawful way to stay in Japan for a meaningful length of time while continuing to work for clients abroad. Each existing option failed for a structural reason.
| Existing option | Why it did not work |
|---|---|
| Short-term stay | Capped at 90 days — too short for nomads, two thirds of whom stay 3–6 months in one place |
| Work visa | Presupposes an employment contract with a Japanese organisation. People employed abroad, and freelancers, cannot meet the requirement at all |
| Long-stay (tourism) | Required savings of ¥30 million or more — not a realistic route for a working professional |
We described this missing segment as the “fourth kind of visitor”: someone who stays long, spends locally, but does not take a job in Japan. As of our 2023 proposal, 43 countries had already introduced a nomad visa, and the global nomad population was estimated at 35 million with annual spending around ¥110 trillion.
How
How it happened
This status did not begin inside a ministry. It began with a group of citizens who kept showing up with a specific, written proposal.
2023
- 21 MarchDigital Nomad Visa Project kick-off
- April – MayProposal presented to members of the Diet, including the then State Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 26 AprilReferenced in the government’s Action Plan for Attracting Human Resources and Capital from Abroad
- 30 MayReferenced in the Japan Tourism Agency’s Action Plan for Expanding Inbound Tourism in a New Era
- 16 JuneReflected in the Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2023, adopted by the CabinetGovernment policy
- 9 OctoberJoint declaration for early institutionalisation announced at the 1st Japan Digital Nomad SummitDeclaration
2024
- 29 MarchThe Ministry of Justice notice creating the status is promulgated
- 1 AprilThe status of residence for digital nomads comes into operationEnacted
- 19 SeptemberFounding of the Digital Nomad Public-Private Council announced, together with local governments and industry bodies
- 16 OctoberDigital Nomad Symposium held in Tokyo (supported by the Japan Tourism Agency and JNTO). RULEMAKERS DAO serves as the Council’s secretariatCouncil founded
The full Japanese-language record, including links to each government document, is on the project page (Japanese).
Proposal vs Result
What we proposed vs. what was enacted
Not everything we asked for survived.
We publish our original 2023 proposal unedited, so that the gap between what was asked and what was enacted can be examined by anyone. That gap is the most useful thing we can offer to people in other countries doing similar work.
| Issue | Our proposal (June 2023) | What was enacted (from April 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| A dedicated status | Create “Designated Activities (Digital Nomad)” | Adopted (Notice No. 53) |
| Income threshold | ¥400,000–500,000 per month plus comparable savings (roughly ¥4.8–6.0 million per year) |
¥10 million per year Set considerably higher than proposed |
| Who qualifies | Employed by a foreign organisation, independently self-employed, or managing a business | Substantially similar in effect |
| Length of stay | Remove the 90-day ceiling and enable long stays | 6 months, not renewable The 90-day wall was removed, but a new ceiling was set |
| Family | Raised as a need voiced by nomads themselves | Adopted (Notice No. 54) |
Open Issues
Open issues
Enactment is a starting line, not a finish line. As the Council’s secretariat we hear these four points repeatedly.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q.What exactly is Japan’s digital nomad visa?
It is a sub-category of the status of residence “Designated Activities”: Notice No. 53 for the nomad, and Notice No. 54 for an accompanying spouse or child. There is no status formally named “digital nomad visa.”
Q.When did it become available?
It came into operation on 1 April 2024 (the notice creating it was promulgated on 29 March 2024). The starting point was the Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2023, adopted by the Cabinet on 16 June 2023, which reflected the proposal.
Q.What work am I allowed to do in Japan?
You may work under a contract with a foreign organisation, using ICT, for the business of that organisation’s office outside Japan; or provide services or sell goods to persons outside Japan using ICT. You may not take employment with an organisation in Japan, and permission for activity outside the status is in principle not granted.
Q.How much do I need to earn?
Annual income of ¥10 million or more, evidenced by tax or income documentation from your home country.
Q.Do I need insurance?
Yes. You need private medical insurance covering death, injury and illness, with coverage of ¥10 million or more for treatment costs, valid for your intended period of stay.
Q.Can anyone apply?
No. You must hold a nationality on the list published by the Immigration Services Agency, which reflects visa-exemption arrangements and tax treaties. Check the official list before making plans.
Q.How long can I stay, and can I extend?
Six months, and it cannot be renewed. You may enter again under the same status once six months have passed since you left Japan.
Q.Can my family come with me?
A dependent spouse or child may accompany you under Notice No. 54, for the same period of up to six months, also non-renewable.
Q.Will I get a residence card?
No residence card is issued for this status. Nomads frequently report that this makes practical matters such as opening a bank account or signing a phone contract harder.
Q.Can RULEMAKERS DAO help me apply?
No. We are a civic community working on rule-making, not an immigration services provider, and we do not handle applications. For procedures, use the Immigration Services Agency’s official information and your nearest Japanese embassy or consulate, and consult a qualified professional. If you want to discuss the policy itself, or how regions can host nomads better, you are welcome in our Discord.
Who We Are
About RULEMAKERS DAO
RULEMAKERS DAO is a Japanese civic community where citizens, entrepreneurs, experts and politicians work across their usual boundaries to redesign the rules of society. Rules, we think, should not only be handed down and obeyed — the people closest to a problem can design them.
Alongside the digital nomad status, our members contributed to the 2024 reform that made the LLC-type DAO a practical option in Japan, and we run OPEN BLUE, an accelerator that supports startups tackling social issues from a rule-making perspective (a partnership programme of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s TOKYO SUTEAM initiative).
Participation is free. You do not need to hold any cryptocurrency to join. More about us in English ／ Japanese site
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan — Status of Residence “Designated Activities” (Digital Nomad / Spouse or child of Digital Nomad)
- Cabinet Office — Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2023 (adopted 16 June 2023)
- Japan Tourism Agency — Action Plan for Expanding Inbound Tourism in a New Era (30 May 2023)
- RULEMAKERS DAO Region SubDAO — Proposal for the Creation of a Digital Nomad Visa (8 June 2023)
Join the conversation
We discuss policy, regional hosting and rule-making every day on Discord. Free to join, no cryptocurrency required.