Japan Just Launched a Digital Nomad Visa, Here’s How It Works

All your dreams of living like a local in Tokyo and tasting Japanese delicacies on a daily basis are about to become a reality.

Japan just announced that next month (towards the end of March) it is launching a new digital nomad visa program, which will allow citizens of selected countries (49, to be exact, including all states member of the EU as well as the US) to stay up to six months. According to Euronews, there are currently over two million foreign workers in Japan, which has been reported as the highest number ever for the country.

There are, however, some requirements you have to satisfy in order to be eligible for the new Japanese nomad visa. Japan will only grant the permit to highly qualified professionals. To qualify, applicants will need to demonstrate having a job for either a company outside of Japan or as a freelancer for foreign clients.

That’s not all, though. Applicants are required to have an annual income of at least 10 million Japanese Yen, which is roughly $68,000 at the time of writing, and they must have private health insurance. If you have children or are married, you’ll be allowed to bring them with you on your digital nomad visa, but they’ll also need to be covered by your private health insurance.

Once your digital nomad visa is up, you can apply for a renewal, but you can only do so after leaving the country—so you won’t be allowed to stay consecutively in Japan. Also, be mindful of the fact that digital nomad visa holders won’t be able to rent long-term accommodation during their stay.

Digital nomad visas have been a trending offering of late. Last month, South Korea launched its new digital nomad visa program, and late last year Peru announced a similar initiative.