Moving to Japan from the USA: visas, timeline, US taxes and costs for Americans

foreign earned income exclusion for tax year 2026 (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32)

$132,900

whose licence converts to a Japanese one with no written or driving test

7 states

minimum wait after the rabies blood test before a dog or cat can land from the mainland US

180 days

Moving to Japan from the USA is open to any American who qualifies for a status of residence, and that is the real filter. A US passport gives you 90 days as a visitor and nothing more: no right to work, no working holiday visa, no retirement visa. This page covers what is specific to Americans as of 14 November 2026: the visa routes that are left, a timeline that starts a year out, the US tax return that follows you, the driver's license rules by state, banned medication, pets, shipping, Medicare, voting and the budget. Dollar amounts use our site rate of about ¥160 to $1.

Can Americans move to Japan? Yes, with a status of residence

Japan has no quota for Americans and no points test to enter. What it asks for is a reason to stay that fits one of its statuses of residence: a job with a sponsor, studies, a family tie or, for six months, a high remote income. You cannot move first and sort out the visa later. A visitor may not take paid work, and immigration will not normally change a visitor status into a work status from inside the country. The exception is a Certificate of Eligibility that comes through while you are still there.

Three points set Americans apart from British, Canadian or Australian applicants. There is no working holiday agreement between Japan and the United States. US citizens pay no consular visa fee under a reciprocal arrangement, where other nationalities applying in the US have paid $101 for a single entry since 1 July 2026. And the US is one of the few countries that taxes its citizens abroad, so the IRS comes with you.

Visa options for US citizens moving to Japan

Every long stay starts the same way: a sponsor in Japan (employer, school or spouse) obtains a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from the Immigration Services Agency, and you take it to the Japanese consulate that covers your state. The COE is free. The full map of statuses is in our Japan visa guide. These are the six routes Americans use most.

Work visa with a sponsor in Japan

This is how most Americans settle. The employer files the COE, you apply at the consulate, and there is no age limit and no minimum salary, only the rule that you are paid what a Japanese colleague would get. Americans with a strong profile can aim at the Highly Skilled Professional status (70 points on a grid of degree, experience, salary, age and Japanese ability), which gives five years from day one. Categories, documents and employer types are in our Japan work visa guide.

Teaching English and the JET Programme

For a graduate with no Japanese, teaching is the closest thing to a working holiday. Language schools and dispatch companies recruit from the US and sponsor the visa, as explained in our page on teaching English in Japan. The government-run JET Programme pays a starting salary of ¥4,020,000 a year (about $25,100) with flights included, but it runs on a fixed calendar: applications for 2027 departures closed on 13 November 2026, and the next round opens in fall 2027 for a summer 2028 departure.

Digital nomad, student and spouse routes

The United States is on the list of 50 countries for the Japan digital nomad visa. It suits a trial run rather than a move: six months, no extension, no residence card, so no ordinary lease and no public health insurance. A student visa is the usual answer to "how do I move without a job". Language schools sponsor it, and students may work up to 28 hours a week once they hold the work permission stamp. A spouse visa carries no restriction on work at all.

Staying permanently as an American

No visa gives permanent status on arrival. Permanent residency in Japan comes after 10 years of continuous residence, or 1 to 3 years for Highly Skilled Professionals and spouses of Japanese nationals, and the fee has been ¥200,000 (about $1,250) since 1 October 2026. Japan does not allow dual nationality for adults who naturalise, so most long-term Americans stop at permanent residency and keep the US passport.

Renewals in Japan are no longer cheap either. Since 1 October 2026 the fee depends on the period granted: ¥33,000 at the counter for one year (about $207), ¥27,000 online, and up to ¥75,000 for five years. The consular fee waiver for US citizens does not apply to these.

Moving to Japan from the US: a 12-month timeline

Two clocks decide the schedule: the COE, which your sponsor needs one to three months to obtain and which expires three months after it is issued, and, if you have a dog or cat, the 180-day rabies wait. Work backwards from your start date.

The general steps that apply to every nationality, from the residence card to the first lease, are in our guide on how to move to Japan.

US taxes for Americans living in Japan: FEIE, foreign tax credit, FBAR and FATCA

Moving to Japan does not end your US filing obligation. As long as you hold citizenship or a green card, you file a federal return every year on your worldwide income, yen salary included. Most Americans in Japan end up owing little or nothing, thanks to two mechanisms, but the forms are still due. This is a summary, and our page on tax in Japan for foreigners covers the Japanese side.

Foreign earned income exclusion or foreign tax credit

The foreign earned income exclusion (FEIE), claimed on Form 2555, removes up to $132,900 of earned income from US tax for tax year 2026 ($130,000 for 2025). To qualify, your tax home must be abroad and you must pass one of two tests: 330 full days outside the US in any 12 consecutive months, or bona fide residence in Japan for a period that includes a full calendar year. The exclusion covers wages and self-employment income, not dividends, rent or pensions, and it does not reduce self-employment tax.

The foreign tax credit, on Form 1116, takes the other road: it subtracts the income tax you paid to Japan from your US bill. Japanese national income tax runs from 5% to 45%, with a 10% local residence tax on top, so on a mid to high salary the credit often cancels the US tax entirely. It also keeps you eligible for some credits that the exclusion blocks. Which one is better depends on your income, your family and your plans to return, and it is worth one session with a preparer who works with expats.

Filing deadlines when you live abroad

Americans living outside the country on 15 April get an automatic extension to 15 June, without filing anything. Form 4868 pushes that to 15 October. Interest on any tax due still runs from 15 April, so the extension buys time to file, not to pay.

FBAR and Form 8938: reporting your Japanese accounts

These are two separate reports with different thresholds, and neither is a tax.

A salary account, a savings account and a brokerage account at three Japanese institutions are added together for the FBAR. With a move-in budget and a few months of pay in the bank, most working Americans cross $10,000 in their first year.

The US-Japan tax treaty and the Social Security agreement

The income tax treaty between the two countries prevents some double taxation, on pensions and investment income for instance. Like all US treaties it contains a saving clause: with a few exceptions, the United States keeps the right to tax its own citizens as if the treaty did not exist. Do not expect the treaty to remove your filing duty.

The totalization agreement, in force since 1 October 2005, settles which country collects social security contributions. If a US employer sends you to Japan for five years or less, you stay in US Social Security and are exempt from Japanese pension contributions, on presentation of a certificate of coverage that your employer requests from the Social Security Administration. If a Japanese company hires you locally, you pay into the Japanese system only. Years worked in both countries can be combined to qualify for a pension on each side.

State taxes and Japan's own rules

Federal rules are only half of the US picture. Some states keep treating you as a resident until you prove you have left for good, and California is the usual example. Before you go, read your state revenue department's rules on domicile and close what ties you can: lease, voter registration choice, driver's license address.

On the Japanese side, you become a tax resident as soon as you live there. For your first five years, as a non-permanent resident, Japan taxes your Japanese income plus any foreign income you bring into the country, and worldwide income after that.

Banking in Japan as an American: FATCA and moving dollars to yen

You can open a Japanese bank account with a residence card, a registered address and a phone number. Americans meet one extra step. Since July 2014, Japanese banks have had to identify "US persons" under FATCA, so the application includes a self-certification of US status, your Social Security number and your consent to have the account reported to the IRS each year. Refuse the consent and the bank may decline the account.

Two more things to plan for. Several banks ask for six months of residence, or proof of employment in Japan, before opening a full account, and the policy changes from one bank to the next, so ask your employer which bank it uses for payroll. Our guide to banking in Japan compares what each bank asks. And investing is harder than banking: US tax advisers routinely warn that Japanese mutual funds, including those held in a tax-free NISA account, fall under the punitive PFIC rules on the US side. Get advice before you buy any fund in Japan.

Sending money from the USA to Japan

Your first weeks in Japan are paid in dollars: deposit, key money, furniture. A wire from a US bank usually combines a flat fee with a marked-up exchange rate, and the receiving Japanese bank may add its own charge. Specialist transfer services show the fee and the rate before you confirm, which makes the comparison easy on a $5,000 transfer. Our guide on how to send money to Japan compares the methods.

Driving in Japan with a US driver's license: IDP and conversion by state

A US licence on its own is not valid in Japan. You need an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, issued in the United States before departure (AAA issues them). In Japan it is valid for one year from your date of arrival, or until the permit expires if that comes first. A short trip home does not reset the year: the count only restarts after at least three consecutive months outside Japan.

To keep driving, you convert your licence at the prefectural licence centre, a procedure called gaimen kirikae. What you face depends on the state that issued your licence.

The list comes from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police licence conversion page, updated on 7 September 2026, and matches the guidance of the Yamagata licence centre. Confirm it with the centre for your own prefecture, because states are added from time to time.

Everyone, exempt or not, must show that they lived in the issuing state for at least three months after the licence was issued. Old passports with entry and exit stamps, or a driving record from the DMV, do the job. A licence renewed just before you left can cause trouble if it shows only the new issue date, so order a full driving record from your DMV before leaving.

The tests got harder on 1 October 2025. The written test went from 10 illustrated questions to 50 questions, with 45 correct answers needed, and applicants must be registered residents, which ended conversions for tourists. The driving test is taken on a closed course and is known for failing first attempts on procedure rather than skill. As an example of cost, Yamagata prefecture charges ¥2,500 for the test and ¥2,350 to issue the licence (about $30 in total), and the test fee is due again at each attempt.

Bringing medication to Japan from the US: Adderall, Sudafed and the Yunyu Kakunin-sho

Japanese drug law does not recognise a US prescription. Some medicines that are routine in America are illegal to bring in at any quantity, and customs does check.

The Yunyu Kakunin-sho, formerly called Yakkan Shoumei, is issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Since 1 July 2025, personal applications are made online through the ministry's import confirmation system. You upload the prescription, a list of the medicines with quantities and your flight details, and you show the certificate to customs on arrival. The ministry does not commit to a processing time, so apply at least a month before you fly.

Other ADHD medicines, such as Vyvanse or Concerta, fall under separate rules and may need written permission in advance. Ask the Narcotics Control Department for the region of your arrival airport, by email, with the exact drug name and dose. Injectable medicine is limited to pre-filled syringes and self-injection kits.

Moving to Japan with a dog or cat from the US: the 180-day rule

Japan is free of rabies and treats the mainland United States as a country where the disease exists. A dog or cat arriving with complete paperwork is released after an inspection of 12 hours or less. With a gap in the file, the animal is held for up to 180 days at your expense, or sent back. The Animal Quarantine Service sets the order of the steps, and the order matters.

1. Microchip to ISO standard 11784/11785, implanted before the first rabies vaccine.
2. Two rabies vaccinations, the first at 91 days of age or older, the second at least 30 days later and within the validity of the first. Live and mRNA vaccines are not accepted.
3. Antibody blood test after the second vaccine, at a laboratory designated by Japan, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. The result is valid for two years.
4. A wait of 180 days, counted from the day the blood was drawn.
5. Advance notification to the quarantine office of your arrival airport, at least 40 days before landing.
6. Clinical inspection by a vet within 10 days before the flight, and an export certificate endorsed by the US government veterinary authority (USDA APHIS).

Counted end to end, the process takes seven to eight months for an animal starting from nothing, which is why it sits at the top of the timeline. Dogs can only enter through designated airports and seaports, and airlines have their own limits on breeds, crate sizes and summer heat. Hawaii and Guam are on Japan's list of rabies-free regions, so pets that have lived only there follow a lighter procedure with no blood test or 180-day wait.

Shipping household goods from the US to Japan: cost, transit time and customs

Japanese homes are small and most rentals come with no furniture, so the first question is how little you can ship. Many single movers take three or four checked bags and buy the rest locally. Prices for a full move vary widely between quotes. The ranges below were published by moving companies and freight brokers in 2026 and are not official figures, so get three written quotes.

Used household goods enter Japan free of duty if customs accepts them as your personal effects. The condition is a form: on arrival, give customs the Declaration of Personal Effects and Unaccompanied Articles (form C No. 5360) in two copies, even though your boxes are still at sea. One stamped copy comes back to you, and your mover needs it to clear the shipment, which must be imported within six months of your arrival. Skip the form at the airport and the shipment is treated as ordinary imports.

Leave large appliances behind. Japan runs on 100 volts, at 50 hertz in the east and 60 in the west, against 120 volts in the US. Laptops and phone chargers cope, but American hair dryers, kitchen appliances and anything with a motor run weak or wear out, and US-size washers and refrigerators rarely fit a Japanese apartment. What to expect from housing is in our guide to renting in Japan.

Flights from the USA to Japan and the time difference

Nonstop flights to Tokyo take about 9 hours from Honolulu, 10 to 12 hours from the West Coast, around 13 hours from Chicago and close to 14 hours from New York. Japan Airlines, ANA, United, Delta and American all fly nonstop between the two countries. Routes, seasons and fares are in our page on flights to Japan.

Japan is on UTC+9 all year and has no daylight saving time, so the gap with the US changes twice a year. Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of New York in summer and 14 in winter, 16 and 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles. For anyone keeping a US job or US clients, a 9 a.m. meeting in New York is 10 or 11 p.m. in Tokyo, and West Coast mornings fall after midnight. Check this against your working hours before choosing the digital nomad route.

Medicare, Social Security and health insurance for Americans in Japan

Medicare does not pay for care in Japan. Its coverage stops at the US border, apart from a few narrow cases that do not concern residents abroad. US private plans and ACA marketplace plans are not a substitute either. As a resident staying more than three months, you must join Japanese public health insurance, through your employer or at the city office, and it covers 70% of medical bills. How the system works, and when a private policy is useful on top, is in our guide to healthcare in Japan.

Retirees and people near 65 face a real choice. Part A costs nothing for most people and can simply be kept. Part B has a monthly premium for cover you cannot use in Japan, but dropping it has a price: if you enrol later, the premium rises by 10% for each full 12 months you could have had Part B and did not, for as long as you have it. If you might move back to the US in old age, do the maths before cancelling.

Social Security retirement benefits can be paid to US citizens living in Japan, by deposit to a US or a Japanese bank account.

Voting, mail and US consular services from Japan

You keep the right to vote in federal elections from abroad, in the state where you last lived. The tool is the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which both registers you and requests absentee ballots. The Federal Voting Assistance Program recommends sending a new one every January and each time you move. Each state decides whether the ballot comes back by mail, email or fax. Before choosing how you register, weigh it against the state tax question above, because some states read voting in state elections as a sign that you never left.

For mail, file a change of address at your post office before leaving, since it cannot be done online for a foreign address. USPS forwarding is temporary, so move every account that matters to paperless statements, and give banks and the IRS an address that will still work in a year: a family member, or a mail scanning service.

Passport renewals, notarial services and reports of birth abroad are handled by the US Embassy in Tokyo and the consulates in Osaka-Kobe, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Naha. Not every post offers every service, so check the appointment system before travelling to one.

Cost of moving to Japan from the USA in 2026

The government fees are the small part: the COE is free and US citizens pay no consular visa fee. The money goes into the apartment. A standard lease in Japan asks for about five months of rent upfront, and the place comes empty, often without a fridge, a washing machine or ceiling lights. The budget below is for one person renting an average small flat in Tokyo's 23 wards.

Add two to four weeks of temporary housing while you look for a flat, and a reserve. Your first Japanese salary usually arrives at the end of your first full month, so $10,000 in savings is a sensible floor for a single person, and $15,000 to $20,000 for a couple or anyone shipping a container. An employer who provides housing, as JET placements and some teaching jobs do, removes the largest line.

After the move, a single person spends about ¥265,800 a month in Tokyo ($1,661) with average rent, and ¥203,000 to ¥226,000 in Sendai, Fukuoka or Osaka. Americans paid in dollars are helped by the exchange rate: a rent of ¥100,000 cost $936 in 2020 and about $625 today. The full breakdown by city and household is in our guide to the cost of living in Japan.