The digital nomad visa Japan is the latest to join an ever growing list of digital nomad visas. The Japanese government announced that the digital nomad visa Japan should be available from March 2024.
Current Visa Situation
Currently, most nationalities can visit Japan as a tourist for 90 days without the need to apply for a visa. However, this is aimed at people who come to Japan as a tourist. Digital nomads don’t only come to enjoy the local culture but they will also work remotely. Technically, this isn’t allowed if you enter the country as a tourist. Furthermore, many people want to stay longer than 90 days to explore the beauty of Japan.
In addition, Japan recognizes the economic benefits of attracting digital nomads to their country. Digital nomads basically spend their foreign income in the local economy.
Digital Nomad Visa Japan
For the aforementioned reasons, Japan created a new digital nomad visa. This digital nomad visa Japan allows you to stay in the country for six continuous months. So, double the time you can stay as a tourist. Furthermore, with the digital nomad visa you are allowed to work remotely, lifting you out of the grey area.
You can renew the visa for another six months. However, if you are looking to stay for one year straight in Japan I have to disappoint you. You can only renew if you have been outside of Japan for six months. Neither will it help you to qualify for any long-term residency.
For families it’s important to know that if you qualify you can also bring your children and spouse.
Requirements
In order to qualify for the digital nomad visa Japan you need to meet some requirements.
The first and probably most important condition is that the visa is only open to citizens from certain countries. In total, people from 49 countries can apply. These include the countries of the European Union, Australia, the UK, the US and some other countries who have certain international agreements in place with Japan.
Another important condition is the income requirement. You need to show that you make at least 10 million Japanese Yen or around €62.000 per year. Both income from employment or from your own business qualifies. You will need to work for a foreign company though as working for a Japanese company won’t be accepted.
In addition, you need to have a private health insurance which will cover you during your stay in Japan.
Finally, Japan wants to mainly target highly skilled individuals. We’ll still need to see how this will be interpreted from a practical point of view. Yet, people working in IT are the typical example.
Digital Nomad Visa Japan: Tax Consequences
As always, we have a particular interest in the tax consequences of spending some time in Japan. As mentioned before, the digital nomad visa Japan allows you to stay in Japan up to six months. Afterwards, you need to leave the country for at least six months before returning.
If we then have a look at the Japanese tax rules, this means that you won’t become a tax resident in Japan. Therefore, you won’t become liable to income taxes in Japan.
Conclusion
The digital nomad visa Japan looks like a good option who want to explore the rich Japanese culture as a digital nomad. First, it will let you stay for six months and at the same time you don’t need to worry about breaking any rules when you work remotely.
