How to Move to Japan as a Digital Nomad: A Step-by-Step Timeline
Moving to Japan as a digital nomad takes more planning than a normal trip. The visa can only be used within three months of being issued, the stay can't be extended, and the embassy may keep your passport while it reviews your application. Here's the order that works.
8 to 12 weeks before: confirm you qualify
Check the four requirements first: an eligible passport, ¥10 million a year in income, remote work for employers or clients outside Japan, and private insurance. Our requirements guide explains each one, and the free eligibility check takes a minute.
Then pick your embassy and contact it directly. Ask for its Digital Nomad checklist, and if you're not applying from your home country, ask whether it accepts applications from people temporarily staying there. Some embassies only accept residents, and procedures differ a lot between locations.
6 to 10 weeks before: gather documents
- Ask your employer for a letter confirming your job, salary, start date and written permission to work from Japan.
- Collect pay stubs, matching bank statements and tax records.
- Buy insurance that covers your whole stay, and ask the insurer whether they'll confirm the coverage in writing for the embassy.
If you changed jobs recently, your last tax return won't show your current salary. That's allowed, but your packet has to prove the new salary clearly.
5 to 8 weeks before: fill in the forms
You'll need the standard visa application form and the Description of Intended Activities form. Keep every date and address consistent across both, your bookings and your letters. A one-page cover letter that explains anything unusual makes the reviewer's job easy. I included a Japanese version, and the officer used it to sort my whole packet on the spot.
4 to 8 weeks before: submit and watch your email
Submit at the embassy, write down your application number, and check your email several times a day, including spam. On day four of my approved application, the embassy emailed asking for one extra document. I sent it the same day and collected the visa that evening.
Make sure your legal stay in the country where you apply lasts longer than the processing time, and don't book non-refundable flights until the visa is in your passport.
After approval: book flights and a place to stay
The visa must be used within three months of being issued, and your six months start when you land. Most people start with a serviced apartment, a share house or a monthly apartment, since regular leases are hard to get without a residence card.
At the airport: expect it to take a while
This visa is still rare, and many immigration officers haven't processed one. You'll get a landing permission sticker and a designation document (指定書) attached in your passport. You won't get a residence card, and that's correct.
At my arrival, the officer had to call a supervisor, and the system started printing a residence card by mistake before he destroyed it. Carry a printout of the official Q&A, your insurance letter and your employer letter in your carry-on, and stay patient.
During your stay: know the re-entry rules
You can leave and come back within your six months, but don't just fly out. Either tick box 1 on the embarkation card for re-entrants (special re-entry permission) or get a re-entry permit before you go. Leave without either, and your status ends at departure.
At the end: leave on time
The stay can't be extended. Leave by the date on your landing sticker, and remember you'll need to wait six months before getting this status again.
Every step above has more detail, templates and checklists in the book. If you're planning the move, the guide puts it all in one place.