🇯🇵Visa options for Japan
Japan offers 37 visa types across 7 categories — from skilled-worker and study visas to family, investment, digital-nomad, and permanent-residency pathways. 26 lead to PR; 23 don't require a job offer. Here's every Japan visa tracked by VisaMatch.
37visa types
7categories
26PR pathways
23no job needed
Check which Japan visas you qualify for →
Visa categories in Japan
All Japan visa types
Work (16)
Business Manager
For founders, executives, and senior managers operating or managing a business in Japan.
Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services
The most common work visa for white-collar professionals.
Entertainer
For performers, artists, athletes, and entertainers appearing publicly in Japan.
Highly Skilled Professional (i) – HSP Type 1
Points-based visa for high-achieving academics, researchers, engineers, and business managers.
Highly Skilled Professional (ii) – HSP Type 2
Indefinite-stay status for those who held HSP Type 1 for 3+ years.
Instructor
For foreign language teachers and subject teachers employed at elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and equivalent educational institutions.
Intra-Company Transferee
For employees of multinational companies being transferred from an overseas branch, subsidiary, or affiliate to a Japanese office.
Legal / Accounting / Tax Professional
For licensed legal and accounting professionals holding specific Japanese professional qualifications: bengoshi (attorney), zeirishi (tax accountant), keirishi (certified public a…
Medical Services
For licensed medical professionals including physicians, dentists, nurses (with Japanese license), midwives, and physiotherapists who hold Japanese professional licensure.
Professor
For university-level instructors, associate professors, and research faculty at Japanese universities and graduate schools.
Researcher
For academics and scientists employed at research institutions, government agencies, or companies in a dedicated research role.
Skilled Labor
For skilled workers in specialized occupations not covered by other categories: ethnic cuisine chefs (Chinese, French, Indian, etc.), gem and precious metal craftspeople, aircraft…
Special Highly Skilled Professional (J-Skip)
Fast-track 'super talent' visa launched May 2023 for experienced, high-income professionals or top academic researchers.
Specified Skilled Worker (i) – SSW Type 1
Work visa for mid-level skilled workers in 16 designated industry sectors facing labor shortages.
Specified Skilled Worker (ii) – SSW Type 2
Higher-level work status for workers with specialized proficiency in designated sectors.
Technical Intern Training
Program nominally designed for skills transfer to developing countries but widely used as labor recruitment.
Special Status (6)
Digital Nomad Visa (Designated Activities – Digital Nomad) Special
Introduced March 31, 2024.
EPA Nurse / Certified Caregiver Candidate Special
Under Japan's Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) with Indonesia (since 2008), Philippines (since 2009), and Vietnam (since 2014), healthcare workers from these countries may co…
Future Creation Individual Visa (J-Find) Special
Launched May 2023.
Highly Skilled Professional – Family Member Benefits Special
Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) and J-Skip visa holders have expanded family rights not available to other visa holders: (1) Spouse can work in any job without restriction; (2)…
Start-up Visa (Designated Activities – Startup Preparation) Special
Allows foreign entrepreneurs to come to Japan to prepare for launching a business before meeting the full Business Manager visa requirements.
Working Holiday Special
Allows young people from 30 partner countries/territories to live and work part-time in Japan for up to 12 months.
Family (4)
Dependent (Family Stay)
For spouses and unmarried minor children of foreign nationals holding a work, study, or certain other statuses of residence in Japan (e.g., Engineer/Specialist, Student, Professor…
Long-Term Resident
A flexible status for foreign nationals who have a special personal or family connection to Japan but don't fit other categories.
Spouse or Child of Japanese National
Status of residence for foreign nationals who are the legal spouse or biological/adopted child of a Japanese citizen.
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident
Status of residence for the legal spouse or biological/adopted child of a person holding Permanent Resident status in Japan.
Humanitarian & Protection (3)
Complementary Protection (Quasi-Refugee) Humanitarian
Introduced by Japan's 2023 amendment to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (effective 2024).
Refugee Recognition Humanitarian
Recognition as a Convention refugee under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol, as implemented in Japan's Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (amended 2023…
Special Permission to Stay (Humanitarian Grounds) Humanitarian
Discretionary permission granted by the Minister of Justice to individuals without valid status (overstayers, rejected asylum seekers, etc.) who have compelling humanitarian reaso…
Study & Training (3)
Cultural Activities Study
For foreign nationals engaged in unpaid cultural or academic activities in Japan: studying traditional arts (tea ceremony, ikebana, calligraphy, noh, kendo, etc.), participating i…
Student Study
Status of residence for full-time students enrolled at Japanese educational institutions: universities, graduate schools, junior colleges, colleges of technology, vocational schoo…
Training Study
Short-term training for employees of foreign companies/organizations dispatched to Japan for specific skill/knowledge training.
Visitor & Transit (3)
Temporary Visitor Visa (Short-Stay Visa) Visitor
Single-entry or multiple-entry visa for nationals of non-exempt countries wishing to visit Japan for tourism, business meetings, conferences, visiting relatives, or short-term stu…
Temporary Visitor – Visa Exemption (Short-Stay) Visitor
Entry without a visa for nationals of 74 countries and territories under bilateral visa waiver agreements.
Transit Visa Visitor
Visa for travelers transiting through Japan en route to a third country who do not qualify for Transit Without Visa (TWOV).
Permanent Residence (2)
Permanent Resident Permanent
The most stable long-term status, granting indefinite right of residence with fully unrestricted work rights (any industry, any occupation).
Special Permanent Resident Permanent
A unique status for ethnic Koreans, Taiwanese, and their descendants who resided in Japan before or during World War II and lost Japanese citizenship upon the 1952 Treaty of San F…
Frequently Asked Questions about moving to Japan
How many visa types does Japan offer?
Japan offers 37 visa types across 7 categories — covering work, study, family, investment, and permanent-residency pathways.
Can I move to Japan without a job offer?
Yes — 23 of Japan's 37 visa types don't require a pre-arranged job offer. These include points-based skilled visas, investor and entrepreneur visas, digital-nomad and remote-worker visas, study visas, and family-sponsored pathways.
Does Japan offer a pathway to permanent residency?
Yes. 26 of Japan's visa types lead — directly or indirectly — to permanent residency. PR typically requires meeting time-in-country, income, language, and eligibility thresholds specific to each visa.
Which Japan visa is right for me?
It depends on your goal. Employment-based visas suit skilled workers with qualifications and experience; family visas fit those with a spouse or close relative in Japan; investor and golden visas target entrepreneurs with capital; study visas cover education; digital-nomad and retirement visas suit remote workers and retirees. VisaMatch checks your profile against every Japan visa in seconds.
How do I check my eligibility for Japan?
Use VisaMatch's free eligibility checker. Enter your nationality, age, occupation, income, and education, then select Japan. You'll see every Japan visa you qualify for, with links to the official government source for each.
Japan in depth
Air qualityModerateAQI 25
ClimateTemperate, four distinct seasonsHumid summers, cold winters with heavy snow in the north.
Infrastructure9.4/10World-class rail network (Shinkansen) and exceptional public services.
Cost of living72Index, NYC = 100
SafetySafeExtremely low crime, among the safest countries in the world.
Internet120 MbpsGood
Political stabilityStableHighly stable parliamentary democracy.
Inflation2.5%Purchasing power index 78
Immigrant friendliness2.8/5The Specified Skilled Worker visa is expanding access, but language and cultural integration remain real barriers.
Income tax45%National top marginal rate on taxable income above JPY 40,000,000; combined with a flat 10% local inhabitant's tax and a 2.1% surtax, the effective top rate reaches roughly 55%
Median salaryJPY 3,840,000/yr
Healthcare accessUniversal (National Health Insurance / Employees' Health Insurance)Yes — any foreign national with a visa of 3 months or longer must enroll in National Health Insurance or employer-based Employees' Health Insurance; short-term visitors under 3 months are excluded from the system.
Best-performing job sectors
Tech/robotics — +4% YoY, global leader in automation
Healthcare — +5% YoY, aging-population-driven demand
Tourism — +6% YoY, record visitor growth
Curated research pass, sourced per field (tax, salary, healthcare and legal figures cite an official or named source) — not live data. Refreshed periodically, not real-time.
See full Japan insights →
Compare with other countries
Ready to check your Japan options?
Enter your profile once and see every Japan visa you qualify for — free, instant, personalised.
Check your eligibility →