Japan · Working holiday
Japan Working Holiday
Age limit and funds needed: Ages and funds vary by passport
Working Holiday visa (Designated Activities; 32 partner countries and regions)
Checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Working Holiday is a working holiday route for Japan. Conditions: ages and funds vary by passport. Local work: casual jobs. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
- First stay
- 1 yr
Time and long term
RenewalRenewable, 2 years max
Each participation is one year; Canada and United Kingdom nationals can use two consecutive years, and some other nationalities can take a second one-year stay.
Where to applyFrom abroad
Apply for the working holiday visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate in your country, subject to the annual limit for your nationality.
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Time on this route is capped at 2 years in total
- Applications are made from outside Japan, not after arriving
- Only for passports from 32 countries
- Only for ages 18–30
What you'll need
Who can apply8
- The applicant is aged 18 to 30 inclusive at application.
- Australian, Canadian and Irish applicants are aged 18 to 30 inclusive at application.
- South Korean applicants are aged 18 to 25; up to 30 only where exceptional circumstances are recognised.
- The applicant is a national of a partner country and, for most partners, is living in that country when applying.
- Hong Kong residents need a HKSAR or BN(O) passport; Taiwan residents need a Taiwan passport.
- The primary purpose is a holiday, with no dependents or children accompanying.
- The applicant is in good health and has had no earlier Japanese working holiday visa, except where a second participation is allowed.
- Canadians can take part in Japan's working holiday programme twice.
Documents1
- A valid passport and a return ticket or funds for one are required.
Steps4
- Annual visa limits: Canada 6,283; South Korea 10,000; Taiwan 10,000; United Kingdom 6,000; France 1,800; Hong Kong 1,500; Ireland 800.
- Annual visa limits: Spain 700; Italy 500; Poland 500; Slovakia 400; Czechia 400; Argentina 400; Austria 200; Chile 200; Hungary 200; Netherlands 200; Finland 200.
- Annual visa limits: Lithuania 100; Estonia 100; Uruguay 100; Latvia 100; Luxembourg 100; Malta 100; Iceland 30.
- Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Sweden have no annual limit.
When you become tax resident
How Japan decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
Up to 2 years in total
- Tax residence
Resident individuals are domiciled in Japan or have continuous residence of 1 year or more.
- Foreign-source income
Remittance basis
Non-permanent residents are taxed in Japan on Japan-source income and on foreign-source income paid in or remitted to Japan; foreign-source income paid and kept abroad is outside the Japanese tax base.
- Special regime
Non-permanent resident foreign-source income treatment · Tax relief
All tax rules for Japan Tax records checked
Full official text
Bilateral working holiday programmes for young nationals of 32 partner countries and regions, who may take incidental employment to supplement travel funds; some nationalities may now participate twice. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Requirements
- The applicant is aged 18 to 30 inclusive at application. 1
- Australian, Canadian and Irish applicants are aged 18 to 30 inclusive at application. 1 4 2 5
- South Korean applicants are aged 18 to 25; up to 30 only where exceptional circumstances are recognised. 1 6 3
- The applicant is a national of a partner country and, for most partners, is living in that country when applying. 1
- Hong Kong residents need a HKSAR or BN(O) passport; Taiwan residents need a Taiwan passport. 1
- The primary purpose is a holiday, with no dependents or children accompanying. 1
- The applicant is in good health and has had no earlier Japanese working holiday visa, except where a second participation is allowed. 1
- Canadians can take part in Japan's working holiday programme twice. 2
- A valid passport and a return ticket or funds for one are required. 1
- Annual visa limits: Canada 6,283; South Korea 10,000; Taiwan 10,000; United Kingdom 6,000; France 1,800; Hong Kong 1,500; Ireland 800. 1
- Annual visa limits: Spain 700; Italy 500; Poland 500; Slovakia 400; Czechia 400; Argentina 400; Austria 200; Chile 200; Hungary 200; Netherlands 200; Finland 200. 1
- Annual visa limits: Lithuania 100; Estonia 100; Uruguay 100; Latvia 100; Luxembourg 100; Malta 100; Iceland 30. 1
- Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Sweden have no annual limit. 1
Stay
- One-year stay per participation; Australians are first given 6 months and apply in Japan to extend. Canada and United Kingdom nationals may use two consecutive years or two separate one-year stays; New Zealand, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Slovakia, South Korea and Taiwan nationals may use two separate one-year stays in a lifetime.
- Initial permitted stay: 12 months.
- Not renewable according to our source.
Nationality
Only nationals or residents of the 32 partner countries and regions listed by MOFA as of 1 April 2026. Open to: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Iceland, Czechia, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, Netherlands, Uruguay, Finland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Italy.
Work
Allowed: employment incidental to the stay, to supplement travel funds. Not allowed: work at bars, cabarets, nightclubs and gambling premises.
Family
Dependents and children may not accompany the participant.
Official sources
- The Working Holiday Programmes in Japan (MOFA, 1 April 2026) · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · checked 2026-10-12 · published 2026-04-01
- Work and travel in Japan: International Experience Canada · Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · checked 2026-10-12
- Working Holiday: partner countries and age limits (Korean) · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea (Working Holiday Information Center) · checked 2026-10-11
- Working Holiday Visa: eligibility, funds and application (Embassy of Japan in Australia) · Embassy of Japan in Australia · checked 2026-10-12
- Working Holiday Scheme between Japan and Ireland: prerequisites and application (Embassy of Japan in Ireland) · Embassy of Japan in Ireland · checked 2026-10-12 · published 2025-02-24
- Working Holiday visa guide for nationals of the Republic of Korea (Embassy of Japan in Korea, Korean) · Embassy of Japan in Korea · checked 2026-10-12
- 2026 Japan-Korea Working Holiday visa application notice (Embassy of Japan in Korea, Korean) · Embassy of Japan in Korea · checked 2026-10-12 · published 2025-12-22
Working Holiday and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working Holiday | – | 1 yr | Casual jobs |
| Working Holiday Indonesia | – | 1 yr, renewable | Casual jobs |
| Work Holiday · AU & NZ Singapore | – | 1 yr | Casual jobs |
| Working Holiday (H-1) South Korea | – | 1 yr | Casual jobs |
| Working Holiday Taiwan | – | 6 mo | Casual jobs |
Questions people ask
How long can I stay on the Working Holiday?
One-year stay per participation; Australians are first given 6 months and apply in Japan to extend.
Can I work on the Working Holiday?
Casual jobs. Allowed: employment incidental to the stay, to supplement travel funds.
Can I bring my family on the Working Holiday?
Dependents and children may not accompany the participant.
Who can apply for the Working Holiday?
Only nationals or residents of the 32 partner countries and regions listed by MOFA as of 1 April 2026. Open to: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Iceland, Czechia, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, Netherlands, Uruguay, Finland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Italy.
Is there a tax break for Working Holiday holders in Japan?
Non-permanent resident foreign-source income treatment: Non-permanent residents are taxed in Japan on Japan-source income and on foreign-source income paid in or remitted to Japan; foreign-source income paid and kept abroad is outside the Japanese tax base. It's separate from the visa and has its own conditions.
Tax
Special regime
Non-permanent resident foreign-source income treatment
Tax relief
Details
- Who: Resident: domicile or continuous residence in Japan for one year or more
Non-permanent residents are taxed in Japan on Japan-source income and on foreign-source income paid in or remitted to Japan; foreign-source income paid and kept abroad is outside the Japanese tax base.
Taxed on
Income tax on all Japan-source income plus foreign-source income that is paid in Japan or remitted to Japan from abroad, at the progressive national rates of 5% to 45%.
Who it applies to
- Resident: domicile or continuous residence in Japan for one year or more.
- Non-Japanese nationality.
- Domicile or residence in Japan for an aggregate of five years or less within the preceding ten years.
Exclusions
- Japan-source income, including pay for work performed in Japan, is taxed in full.
- Residents who are not non-permanent residents are taxed on worldwide income.
Tax residence
Resident = domicile, or continuous residence of one year or more. Non-permanent resident = non-Japanese national resident for an aggregate of five years or less in the preceding ten years. Based on facts, not visa type.
Visas
No visa grants this treatment; it follows tax residence and nationality.
Other taxes
Consumption tax: standard rate 10% (7.8% national plus 2.2% local) and reduced rate 8% (6.24% national plus 1.76% local). Local inhabitant tax and social insurance are separate.
Checked against official sources on Change log
More in Japan
Similar visas elsewhere
Head to head
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 7 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- The Working Holiday Programmes in Japan (MOFA, 1 April 2026) · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan · checked 2026-10-12
- Work and travel in Japan: International Experience Canada · Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · checked 2026-10-12
- Working Holiday: partner countries and age limits (Korean) · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea (Working Holiday Information Center) · checked 2026-10-11
- Working Holiday Visa: eligibility, funds and application (Embassy of Japan in Australia) · Embassy of Japan in Australia · checked 2026-10-12
- Working Holiday Scheme between Japan and Ireland: prerequisites and application (Embassy of Japan in Ireland) · Embassy of Japan in Ireland · checked 2026-10-12
- Working Holiday visa guide for nationals of the Republic of Korea (Embassy of Japan in Korea, Korean) · Embassy of Japan in Korea · checked 2026-10-12
- 2026 Japan-Korea Working Holiday visa application notice (Embassy of Japan in Korea, Korean) · Embassy of Japan in Korea · checked 2026-10-12
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.