Japan recently announced that it is jumping on the digital nomad visa bandwagon by introducing its own version of the visa sometime next month.
As shared by the Japan Digital Nomad Association (JDNA) X account on the platform, Japanese Congressman Iameda Soichiro has released details of the new visa, which will allow citizens from 49 countries and territories with a tax treaty with Japan to stay in the country for 6 months.
📢 Breaking News! Thanks to Congressman Imaeda @imaeda_soichiro, details on Japan’s Digital Nomad Visa are now public. JDNA has created a comparison table of the Visas for Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea🇹🇼🇰🇷🇯🇵 What are your thoughts?
Join the discussion in our JDNA Community👇 pic.twitter.com/na0M5AWGcF— JDNA 日本デジタルノマド協会 (@jpndigitalnomad) January 31, 2024
Well, as it turns out, Malaysia is part of the list of 49 nations, as confirmed by multinational professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
There’s one BIG catch though for you to be able to apply for the digital nomad visa, which may make a majority of Malaysians ineligible to get it. Join us as we break it all down below.
What is a digital nomad visa?
For illustration purposes
In case you’re not familiar with the term, digital nomad refers to individuals who work remotely while only staying in any one place for a short term, hence the term ‘nomad’.
Hence, Japan’s digital nomad visa basically refers to a visa given out by the country to foreigners planning to stay in the country for a short term while working remotely. The length of digital nomad visas varies according to country, with Japan’s version allowing a foreigner to stay continuously in the country for 6 months.
Source: the smart local japan
As reported by The Japan Times, a 6-month period was chosen by the Japanese Government for the new visa based on a survey of digital nomads, many of whom preferred that period.
For context, Malaysians can already stay in Japan for 90 days without a visa. As per the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, Malaysian nationals holding biometric passports in compliance with ICAO standards do not need a visa to enter the country for a short-term stay of not more than 90 days if the purpose of the visit is for tourism, transit, business meeting, visiting friends and relatives in Japan.
For illustration purposes
However, if you intend to stay longer than 90 days, then this new digital nomad visa is an alluring prospect.
Requirements to apply for Japan’s digital nomad visa
For illustration purposes
Well, that is if you are financially capable of applying for it as Japan has imposed some strict requirements for the digital nomad visa.
One of which is that applicants must earn at least a whopping JPY10 million or approximately RM320,220.65 annually. This is around RM26,710 monthly income.
For illustration purposes
Furthermore, if you’re a freelancer or solo entrepreneur, you must produce proof of a service contract with an overseas public or private institution to apply for the visa.
Besides that, the Japanese Government is also requiring applicants to have private health insurance.
The digital nomad visa can’t be renewed
For illustration purposes
Another setback of Japan’s digital nomad visa is that you won’t be given a residence card or a residence certificate which provides individuals with certain government benefits in the country.
Moreover, the digital nomad visa can’t be renewed and you can only reapply for it 6 months after leaving Japan.
Check out a comparison of Japan’s digital nomad visa with the ones offered by South Korea and Taiwan below:
So, what do you guys think of Japan’s new digital nomad visa? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
