How to get residency in Japan in 2026: every route

14 min read · Published 7 October 2026

Employment, points for specialists, your own company, a startup, remote work, study and family: conditions, amounts in dollars, the new fees and the path to permanent residence

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Key facts	2026
Routes	employment, points for specialists, own company, startup, remote work, study, family
Most common route	employment: a degree or 10 years of experience and a contract with a Japanese company
Own company	capital from $190,000, a full-time employee and Japanese
Not available	residency for buying property, for a deposit or for retirees
Status renewal	~$210-480 depending on the term
Permanent residence	after 10 years, or 1-3 years for specialists with 70-80 points
Citizenship	in practice after 10 years, no second passport

Data checked: 07.10.2026

In Japan a residence permit is called a status of residence. Each status is tied to a purpose: work in a particular field, your own company, study or family. Anyone coming for more than 3 months gets a residence card, which is what you need to open an account, rent a home and join health insurance.

Japan has no golden visa for buying an apartment or making a deposit, and no retirement visa. The working routes are a contract with a Japanese company, points for highly skilled professionals and your own business, where the requirements rose sharply in October 2025.

Below: all routes in one table, then the conditions, documents and pitfalls of each, health insurance, the new fees, reasons for refusal and the path to permanent residence and citizenship.

We will work out online the investment or income your family needs and what the permit costs for each member.

Calculate online

Every way to get residency in Japan: comparison

Route	Main condition	From	Processing time	Details
Employment	a degree or 10 years of experience and a contract with a Japanese company	visa ~$20	1-3 months	-
Highly skilled professional	70 points for education, experience, income and age	fast track: income from $130,000 a year	1-3 months	-
Job search for graduates of top universities	a degree from a top-100 university in the last 5 years	$1,300 in the bank	1-3 months	-
Your own company: the business manager visa	capital, a full-time employee, an office and Japanese	capital from $190,000	2-4 months	our guide
Startup visa	a business preparation plan and municipal support	no capital threshold	1-3 months	our guide
Remote work	a passport from one of 49 countries and income from $64,000 a year	income from $64,000 a year	up to 2-3 months	our guide
Study	enrolment at a university, college or language school	visa ~$20	2-3 months	-
Marriage and family	marriage to a Japanese citizen or permanent resident; family of a worker	visa ~$20	1-3 months	-
Specified skilled work	a trade exam and everyday-level Japanese	visa ~$20	1-3 months	-

"From" is the consular fee or the legal threshold per applicant. Processing time runs from the Certificate of Eligibility application in Japan to the visa at the consulate. A status is granted for 3 months, 1 year, 3 years or 5 years and renewed in the country.

Employment: engineers, humanities specialists, international services

The most common route. The status goes to those with a contract with a Japanese company and a university degree relevant to the job, or 10 years of experience; for translators and language teachers 3 years are enough. The salary must be no lower than a Japanese employee's in the same position.

First the employer obtains a Certificate of Eligibility from the immigration service, and only with it does the consulate issue the visa. The certificate takes 1 to 3 months. The status is tied to the type of activity, not the employer: you can change company, but not profession without a new status.

degree and proof of work experience
employment contract stating the position, duties and salary
employer's documents: registration, accounts, business description
passport, application form and photo

Pitfalls: if the position is unrelated to your education or experience the certificate is refused, and simple manual work does not qualify for this status.

Highly skilled professionals: points and the fast track

Specialists earn points for an academic degree, experience, annual income, age and Japanese ability. With 70 points you get a 5-year status straight away with benefits: your spouse may work, and you can apply for permanent residence after 3 years, or after 1 year with 80 points.

Since 2023 there is a fast track without points: researchers and engineers with a master's degree or 10 years of experience and income from $130,000 a year, and managers with 5 years of experience and income from $260,000. Graduates of top-100 universities who received their degree within the last 5 years get up to 2 years to look for work or prepare a business if they have about $1,300 in the bank.

points calculation with evidence for each item
degree, employment and income certificates
contract with a Japanese company or documents of your own company

Pitfalls: points are counted on the filing date and recalculated at renewal; if income falls the status is lost.

Your own company: the business manager visa

The business manager status is for those who start or run a business in Japan. Since 16 October 2025 the rules are tougher: company capital of at least $190,000 instead of the previous roughly $32,000, at least one full-time employee who is a citizen or permanent resident, an office separate from your home, and upper-intermediate Japanese on the part of the applicant or an employee.

The applicant is expected to have 3 years of management experience or a relevant master's degree, and the business plan is reviewed by a licensed professional. Those who held the status earlier were given a transition period until renewal. How registration works is on our business in Japan for foreigners page.

articles and company registration, proof of capital
office lease
business plan with a professional's opinion
employment contract with a full-time employee
documents on management experience or education

Pitfalls: a company with no turnover is treated as a shell at renewal, and taxes and contributions for the employee are checked in the database.

Startup visa: up to 2 years to prepare

Those not yet ready to meet the business manager conditions get a status for business preparation for up to 2 years. Since 2025 the programme runs nationwide: you file a preparation plan with an authorised organisation attached to a municipality, and once it approves the plan the immigration service grants the status.

In that time you need to set up the company, raise the capital, hire an employee and switch to the business manager visa. Details are on our Japan startup visa page.

business preparation plan
proof of funds for living and launch
approval from the authorised organisation

Pitfalls: if the business manager conditions are not met within 2 years, the status is not extended.

Remote work: a 6-month status

The digital nomad status is granted for 6 months, with no extension, to citizens of 49 countries that have both a visa waiver and a tax treaty with Japan. You need income of at least $64,000 a year and private health insurance with cover of at least $64,000.

No residence card is issued on this status, and it does not count towards permanent residence. Details are on our Japan digital nomad visa page.

income documents for the last year
insurance policy for the whole stay
contract with a foreign employer or clients

Pitfalls: after 6 months you must leave, and you can reapply no sooner than six months later.

Study

Student status is granted on enrolment at a university, college or language school with proof of funds for tuition and living. It lasts from 3 months to 4 years and 3 months depending on the programme.

With permission from the immigration service a student may work up to 28 hours a week. After graduation the status is changed to a work one, and up to a year is allowed for job hunting.

letter of acceptance
bank statements and the sponsor's financial documents
previous degree or diploma

Pitfalls: low attendance and working more than 28 hours mean the status is not renewed.

Marriage and family

The spouse and children of a Japanese citizen or permanent resident get a status for 6 months to 5 years and may work without restrictions. The spouse and children of a foreign worker get dependant status, which allows up to 28 hours of work a week with permission.

A separate long-term resident status exists for descendants of Japanese people up to the third generation and for people admitted on humanitarian grounds.

marriage certificate registered in both countries
the host's income and tax documents
questionnaire on the relationship history and photos together

Pitfalls: marriages are examined closely, and after a divorce the spouse status is not renewed.

Specified skilled work

For 16 sectors short of workers, including care, construction, food service, agriculture and manufacturing, there is a separate status. You must pass a trade exam and a Japanese test at everyday level.

The first tier gives up to 5 years with no right to bring family. The second tier can be renewed without limit, lets you bring a spouse and children and leads to permanent residence.

certificates for the trade and language exams
contract with a Japanese employer
support plan from the employer or an authorised organisation

Pitfalls: years on the first tier do not count towards permanent residence.

Health insurance for a residence permit

Everyone who lives in Japan for more than 3 months must join public health insurance. Employees are insured through the employer: the contribution is split in half and deducted from salary. Business owners, students and family members join National Health Insurance at the municipality where they live, with the contribution based on the previous year's income.

With a policy the patient pays 30% of the bill and the system covers the rest. Private insurance is not needed for the status, but people take it for the first months, before contributions have been assessed.

The exception is the digital nomad status: it gives no access to the public system, so you need a private policy with treatment cover of at least $64,000 for the whole stay. Unpaid health and pension contributions are among the main reasons for refusing a renewal or permanent residence.

Fees and timelines: what residency in Japan costs

Item	Amount
Visa at the consulate, single entry	~$20
Certificate of Eligibility	no fee
Change or renewal of status for 1 year	~$210
Renewal for 3 years	~$410
Renewal for 5 years	~$480
Company capital for the business manager visa	from $190,000
Permanent residence permit	~$1,300

Fees are per applicant for filing in person; online filing is cheaper. The rates rose on 1 October 2026: a renewal used to cost about $40 and permanent residence about $65. Translations, degree certification and rent for the first months come on top. A manager will work out the total for your family in the chat.

In Japan the certificate decides, not the visa

The law does not prevent you from applying for a status on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fees: the Certificate of Eligibility is refused if the position does not match the degree, under the new business manager rules an application without a full-time employee and the capital is returned, and a missed pension contribution closes the road to permanent residence years later. Murblz support removes these risks: we match the status to your profession and income, calculate points, prepare the documents for the certificate and manage renewals so that your years count towards permanent residence. We guarantee professional work and a transparent process, and in most cases a result on the first filing.

The support fee depends on the status and family size; a manager will calculate it in the chat.

Find out the support fee

Common reasons for refusal

the position does not match the applicant's degree or experience
the salary is lower than Japanese employees get in the same position
the employing company is loss-making or does not pay contributions
the applicant's company lacks the capital, a full-time employee or a separate office
inconsistencies in documents: employment and study dates differ from earlier applications
unpaid taxes or pension and health contributions at renewal
work outside your status, or over 28 hours for students and dependants

The immigration service explains the reasons for refusal orally and briefly, and at a second filing expects the reason to have been fixed. That is why we build the file so that the position, the degree and the contract tell one story.

Restrictions for certain nationalities

Statuses of residence are open to citizens of all countries, but two routes depend on your passport. The digital nomad status is only for citizens of 49 countries with a visa waiver and a tax treaty: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, most of the European Union, Australia, South Korea and others. Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia are not on the list.

Citizens of countries without a visa waiver need a visa even for a short trip, so coming to look around and changing status on the spot does not work: the Certificate of Eligibility is obtained in advance. You apply at the Japanese embassy in your country of citizenship or lawful residence.

The specified skilled worker programme holds its exams in a limited number of Asian countries, so citizens of other countries take them in Japan or in a country where the exam is held.

Path to permanent residence and citizenship in Japan

Permanent residence is granted after 10 years of continuous life in Japan, at least 5 of them on a work status. Specialists with 70 points need 3 years, and with 80 points 1 year. Spouses of Japanese citizens need 3 years of marriage and 1 year of living in the country.

Since 2026 the rules are stricter: household income must be above the national average, about $37,000 a year as a guide, tax and contribution payments are checked for all years, and from April 2027 Japanese ability becomes part of the assessment. The fee is about $1,300. Details are in our review of permanent residence in Japan.

By law citizenship is granted after 5 years of residence, but since 1 April 2026 the practice is to expect 10 years. Japan does not recognise dual citizenship: you must give up your previous passport. Details are on our Japanese citizenship page.

This topic in other countries

How to get residency in other countries:

FAQ

How do I get residency in Japan in 2026?

Choose a status of residence for your purpose: employment, highly skilled professional, your own company, a startup, study or family. First a Certificate of Eligibility is obtained in Japan, then a visa at the consulate and a residence card on entry.

Can I get Japanese residency by buying property?

No. Buying a home gives no status, and Japan has no golden visa or residency for a deposit.

How much money do I need for a business visa in Japan?

Company capital of at least $190,000, a full-time employee, a separate office and upper-intermediate Japanese on the part of the applicant or an employee. Before October 2025 about $32,000 was enough.

Can I move to Japan without speaking Japanese?

Yes, a work status or highly skilled professional status does not require the language. It is needed for the business manager visa, specified skilled work and, from 2027, permanent residence.

Is there a retirement visa in Japan?

No. Japan has no separate status for retirees or people living on passive income.

How much does it cost to renew residency in Japan?

Since 1 October 2026: about $210 for one year, about $410 for 3 years and about $480 for 5 years when filing in person.

How many years until permanent residence in Japan?

10 years, 5 of them on a work status. Specialists with 70 points after 3 years, with 80 points after 1 year.

Which nationalities cannot use the digital nomad route?

Citizens of countries outside the list of 49, including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Work, study and family statuses remain open to them.

Can my spouse work in Japan?

The spouse of a citizen or permanent resident, without restrictions. The spouse of a foreign worker, up to 28 hours a week with permission, and the spouse of a highly skilled professional, full time.