Visa & Entry
Working holiday in Japan
ワーキング・ホリデーwākingu horidēA year of travel, with work to pay for it
Japan's working holiday programme lets young people from partner countries spend up to a year in Japan primarily on holiday, with paid work allowed to help fund the stay. Germany and Austria are partner countries with an age limit of 18 to 30; Switzerland has no working holiday arrangement with Japan.
Working holiday arrangements are bilateral agreements that allow young citizens to experience each other's country for an extended period. The stay is meant primarily as a holiday; work is allowed as an incidental activity to supplement travel funds. Japan's programme began with Australia in 1980 and has grown to more than thirty partners.
For young Germans and Austrians it is the simplest way to live in Japan for a year without a job offer or a place at a school. The rules are set in the bilateral arrangement and implemented by the Japanese embassy in each country, whose pages are the authoritative reference.
Step by step
- 1Check eligibilityConfirm citizenship of a partner country, age between 18 and 30 at application, and that you have not already used your permitted participations.
- 2Prepare documentsCollect the documents listed by the Japanese embassy of your country, typically passport, application form, photo, CV, a written plan for the stay, a motivation letter, proof of funds and proof of a return ticket or the means to buy one.
- 3Apply in personSubmit the application at the responsible Japanese mission in your country: in Germany the embassy in Berlin or a consulate-general; in Austria the embassy in Vienna.
- 4Travel to JapanEnter within the validity of the visa. At major airports you receive your residence card at immigration.
- 5Register locallyRegister your address at the municipal office within 14 days of moving in, and complete health insurance and pension enrolment there.
Who can apply
Applicants must be citizens of a partner country, living there at the time of application, and aged between 18 and 30 inclusive when they apply; the stay may continue past the 31st birthday. They must intend primarily to holiday in Japan, hold a return ticket or sufficient funds to buy one, have enough money for the initial period of the stay, be in good health, and not be accompanied by dependants unless those hold their own visas.
Germany and Austria now allow participation twice in a lifetime, with separate applications and stays. Switzerland does not have a working holiday arrangement with Japan, so Swiss citizens need another residence status to work in Japan.
Germany
The Japan–Germany programme began in 2000. German citizens apply in person at the Embassy of Japan in Berlin or at one of the Consulates-General in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main or Munich, depending on their place of residence. Applications may be made up to a year before departure. The visa permits a stay of up to one year, which cannot be extended in Japan. There is no fixed annual quota.
Austria
Austrian citizens apply only at the Embassy of Japan in Vienna. The number of visas is capped each year, and the permitted stay is up to twelve months. Since December 2024 Austrians may take part a second time, so that two separate stays add up to a maximum of twenty-four months.
Work and daily life
Working holiday makers may take paid work, including full-time jobs, but not in businesses regulated as adult entertainment under Japan's entertainment business law, such as hostess bars and nightclubs of that category. Typical jobs are in hospitality, ski resorts, farms, language teaching and tourism.
On arrival at a major airport, participants receive a residence card and must register their address at the local municipal office. As mid- to long-term residents they are generally enrolled in the public health insurance and pension schemes through the municipality. Opening a bank account and signing a phone contract are easier with a residence card and registered address.
Issued on arrival; to be carried at all times.
Workplace culture and contracts.
After the working holiday
The working holiday status cannot be extended, but participants who find an employer during their stay may in some cases apply to change to a work-related status if they meet its requirements. The immigration bureau decides case by case.
Residence statuses for employment.
Frequently asked questions
Can Swiss citizens get a working holiday visa for Japan?
No. Switzerland is not a partner in Japan's working holiday programme. Swiss citizens can visit visa-free, but working requires a different residence status.
Can I extend my working holiday in Japan?
No. The stay granted under the working holiday visa cannot be extended. Germans and Austrians may, however, take part a second time with a new application from home.
Can I work full time on a working holiday?
Yes, work is allowed, but the stay is meant primarily as a holiday. Work in adult entertainment businesses is prohibited.
Is there an age limit?
Applicants must be between 18 and 30 at the time of application. For Germany and Austria the upper limit is the day before the 31st birthday.
Related
Sources
- 1.The Working Holiday Programmes in Japan (opens in a new tab) — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
- 2.Working Holiday Visum (opens in a new tab) — Botschaft von Japan in Deutschland
- 3.Das Working Holiday Programm (opens in a new tab) — Japanische Botschaft in Österreich
- 4.Japanische Botschaft in der Schweiz – Visa (opens in a new tab) — Embassy of Japan in Switzerland
- 5.Immigration Services Agency of Japan (opens in a new tab) — 出入国在留管理庁 (Immigration Services Agency)