How to Move to Japan from the UK: Visa Routes and First Steps
A qualifying short visit is not the same as moving to Japan. If you plan to work for pay, study long term, join family, use a working holiday, or live in Japan under another long-term purpose, choose the appropriate route before you make relocation commitments.
This guide is primarily for British citizens based in the UK. Japan's Embassy in the UK says visa-exemption treatment follows the passport, not UK residence alone. The ordinary British Citizen rule does not automatically apply to British Overseas Citizens, British Subjects, British Overseas Territories Citizens, Convention Travel Document holders, or every other person living in the UK. Emergency and temporary passport holders should also check directly with the Embassy.
Last updated: 2026-09-08
Official sources checked: The immigration, housing, and banking sources used below were checked on September 8, 2026.
This is general planning information, not individualized immigration, legal, employment, housing, banking, or financial advice. Requirements and your facts can change the answer. MOFA explains that a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) does not guarantee visa issuance and a visa does not guarantee landing permission. Confirm the current procedure with the responsible official source before applying, resigning, paying a deposit, or booking a move.
Visa Routes for Moving to Japan from the UK
Start with the purpose of your stay. Japan has separate visa and status categories for different activities; there is no single route called a general "moving visa."
| Plan | What the route means | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying short visit | An ordinary British Citizen passport holder does not need a visa in advance for permitted Temporary Visitor activities for six months or less. Immigration normally grants 90 days on landing. To seek the further period, apply for an extension before the original period expires. Profit-making operations and paid activities are excluded, so this is not a work or relocation route. | Embassy Temporary Visitor guidance and general visa guidance |
| Working holiday | Applicants must meet the current UK criteria, including being a British citizen with a valid British passport, resident in the UK, and age 18 through 30 inclusive when applying. The main purpose must be a holiday; work is incidental to funding it. Each participation allows a stay of up to one year, and eligible UK nationals may participate for a maximum of two years total, consecutively or on two separate occasions. | Embassy Working Holiday Visa guidance |
| Employer-supported work | Find the activity-specific status that matches the actual job. MOFA lists distinct working and long-term categories, and the COE and application procedure depend on the route. A job offer or COE is not an approval guarantee. | Embassy work or long-term stay guidance and MOFA's category map |
| Study | Confirm that the institution and course fit the appropriate Student or other study route, then follow the current COE and visa procedure. School acceptance alone does not guarantee a visa or landing permission. | MOFA's work and long-term category map and, for language school, our Student route guide |
| Spouse, family, business, or another long-term purpose | Use the status-specific route that matches the relationship or activity. Work rights, COE handling, and evidence differ by category. | MOFA's long-term category map and the Embassy's visa page |
If your passport is not an ordinary British Citizen passport, do not borrow the short-visit answer from the first row. Check your exact passport nationality and type against the Embassy guidance and MOFA's current visa-exemption list.
Costs to Plan Before Leaving the UK
Moving costs depend on your route, city, household, housing choice, support from an employer or school, and the time before reliable income begins. Build the plan in yen, using current quotes and invoices, rather than relying on an undated monthly average or an old yen-to-pound conversion.
| Budget category | What to price for your move |
|---|---|
| Route documents | Passport, photographs, translations, certificates, application costs, and any school- or employer-specific documents |
| Travel | Flights, baggage, shipping, local transport, and changes or delays |
| Temporary housing | Accommodation while you complete arrival tasks and search for longer-term housing |
| Rental move-in costs | Deposit, key money if charged, agency fee, insurance, advance rent, guarantee arrangement, furnishings, and other quoted charges |
| First-month setup | Phone, internet, utilities, household essentials, local transport, and route-specific administration |
| Monthly runway | Rent, food, transport, utilities, insurance, pension, medical needs, and the wait before dependable income |
| Emergency reserve | A failed housing application, delayed pay, urgent travel, medical costs, or another disruption your main budget cannot absorb |
Use the cost to move to Japan guide to turn these categories into a route-specific worksheet and convert the finished yen budget using the rate available when you plan.
Housing and Address Notification
Finding an Apartment
Rental terms are property-specific. A listing or quote may include key money, a deposit, an agency fee, insurance, advance rent, common service fees, a guarantee fee, and other charges, but no single list or amount applies to every home.
A guarantor or rental guarantee company is often requested; that does not mean every renter must provide a Japanese-national guarantor. The actual listing, quote, important-points explanation, rental contract, and guarantee terms control the transaction. Read them before paying or signing.
For the full search, screening, document, contract, and move-in process, use our guide to renting an apartment in Japan as a foreigner. MLIT also publishes an official multilingual Apartment Search Guidebook.
Notifying Your Residence Address
The 14-day rule is not a task for every visitor on arrival. A newly landed mid-to-long-term resident who has determined a place of residence must notify the municipality for that residence within 14 days after determining it. Bring the residence card, or the passport if it records that the residence card will be issued later, as applicable. See the Immigration Services Agency's residence procedure for the official rule.
Address notification is only one part of arrival setup. Do not assume that a residence certificate is required for every bank or utility, or that obtaining a My Number Card is an immediate universal task. Use the first-month checklist to separate the steps that apply to you and confirm them with your municipality, employer, school, bank, and other providers.
Banking and Money Access
Banks set their own application, identity, and purpose checks. The Financial Services Agency's English banking guide says financial institutions verify details such as name, address, period and status of residence, and employment status, and that required items can differ by institution.
Check the chosen bank's current requirements and application method before you visit a branch or apply online. Keep backup access to money while you wait for address, phone, mail, or screening steps. Our bank-account guide for foreign residents explains what to check without treating one document list or bank as universal.
Working in Japan
Start With Route Fit, Not an Industry List
A sector name does not tell you whether a job fits a status of residence, and an English-language vacancy does not prove that an employer will consider an overseas applicant or support the relevant COE process.
Use the job-search guide for applicants outside Japan to match real duties to an official status category, screen employers for overseas hiring and immigration support, and avoid making travel commitments before the route is credible. If you are already reaching interviews, move on to the Japanese job interview guide.
Workplace Expectations
- Hierarchy: Titles, decision-making, and formality vary by employer and team; observe how your workplace operates rather than assuming one national rule.
- Timekeeping: Confirm working hours, attendance expectations, and meeting norms with the employer.
- Communication: Ask how decisions and feedback are documented, especially when working across Japanese and English.
Language & Culture Tips
Japanese-language expectations vary by route, school, employer, and daily-life task, but learning Japanese can make appointments, housing, work, and community life easier.
Essential Etiquette
- Greetings: Bowing is common, but the level of formality depends on the setting.
- Gift-giving: It can be appropriate in some social situations; follow the host or local context rather than treating it as a requirement.
- Punctuality: Confirm the expected arrival time for work, school, and appointments.
Language Learning Resources
- Apps: Duolingo, Memrise, and Anki are possible self-study tools.
- Courses: Compare course level, schedule, teaching format, and cost before enrolling.
- Language schools: If school may be your route to Japan, start with our article on language school in Japan.
Common Challenges & How to Overcome Them
Culture Shock
- Language barriers: Save key addresses and contacts in Japanese and ask your school, employer, or municipality about interpretation support.
- Unfamiliar procedures: Use the responsible official or provider source instead of assuming another newcomer's checklist applies to you.
- Homesickness: Plan regular contact with people at home and identify local groups or activities that fit your interests.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Route drift: Do not treat short-visit permission as permission to work or settle long term.
- Housing assumptions: Check every quoted charge and guarantee term before paying.
- Generic job advice: Confirm the duties, employer support, and status fit before building a move around an offer.
Your Next Steps
Choose the next guide for the decision in front of you:
- Still comparing routes: Use the broader moving to Japan guide.
- Building a realistic budget: Work through the cost guide.
- Choosing housing: Read the rental guide.
- Sequencing arrival tasks: Follow the first-month checklist.
- Preparing for banking: Check the bank-account guide.
- Seeking employer-supported work: Start with the overseas job-search guide.