How to get a Japan WHV (Working Holiday Visa) – for all nationalities

Chapter 1 of 2

The Japan Working Holiday Visa is a great way for young adults to explore and earn money in Japan. Participants can stay for up to 1 year (or 2 years for certain nationalities, explained later), during which they can freely travel around Japan and also work to fund their experiences.

Japan has signed accords with 30 countries. Eligible are young adults between:

• 18 and 30 years old from: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK, Uruguay
• 18 and 26 years old from: Iceland

Applicant eligibility:

• Must hold a passport from an eligible country, valid for at least one year
• Must be within the age limit (inclusive) for your nationality
• Must be in your country of citizenship for the application and issuance of your visa
• Not have previously taken part in Japan’s working holiday program (unless one of the nationalities eligible to participate twice, explained below)
• Must not be accompanied by child dependents

Program description and rules:

• Participants can stay for up to 1 year. Exception: nationals of Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Austria, and Denmark can apply for a second year.
• The primary purpose of your visit should be for vacation, but the WHV does give you open work authorisation. WHV holders are strictly prohibited from working at bars, cabarets, nightclubs, gambling establishments and other premises affecting public morals in Japan.
• The Japan WHV is a single-entry visa, which means if you want to leave and re-enter Japan, you will first need to obtain a re-entry permit, which can be done very easily at the airport directly.
• There is no official Japanese language requirement.
• Once your WHV is issued, you have up to 12 months to enter Japan.

If you meet the eligibility criteria and also can commit to respecting the program’s rules, you may want to confirm with the Japanese consulate or embassy of your jurisdiction that the annual WHV quota for your nationality has not yet been reached. If your nationality doesn’t have a quota, then you can skip this step.

Annual quotas by nationality:

• Australians: unlimited
• British: 6,000
• Canadians: 6,500
• French: 1,800
• Germans: unlimited
• Irish: 800
• New Zealanders: unlimited
• For all other nationalities’ quotas, check Japan’s official website.

Annual quotas do not change significantly year to year, if at all.

If there are no more available spots left, unfortunately you will have to wait until the following program year (which starts every April) to apply. For the best chances, apply early in the program year, as applications are processed on a first come first serve basis.