Contents
Key points
- The “Dependent” (kazoku taizai) visa is for the spouse and children of foreign nationals working or studying in Japan on certain statuses. Parents and other relatives are not eligible.
- Dependents may work only with permission to engage in activities other than those permitted, generally up to 28 hours a week.
- The older the child, the more carefully Immigration checks that the child will really live as a dependent and not mainly work.
- A child who came to Japan before turning 18 and graduates from a Japanese high school can change to Long-Term Resident or Designated Activities to work full-time, once a job offer is secured.
- A Dependent status depends on the supporting family member. A change in their job, status or marriage can affect the whole family.
1. What is the Dependent visa?
The “Dependent” status of residence allows the spouse or child of a foreign national living in Japan on certain statuses to live in Japan while being supported by that person. In this article, we call the person who provides support the “supporter.”
Which supporters can bring family?
The supporter must hold one of these statuses, among others:
- Work statuses such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Intra-company Transferee, Skilled Labor, Nursing Care, Highly Skilled Professional, Business Manager, Professor, Instructor and Specified Skilled Worker (ii)
- Student (at a university or similar institution) and Cultural Activities
Statuses that cannot bring family
Holders of Specified Skilled Worker (i), Technical Intern Training, Temporary Visitor and Trainee cannot bring family members on a Dependent visa. Holders of Designated Activities may be able to bring family under the specific category they hold, but not on a Dependent visa.
Who counts as family?
- Spouse: a legally married spouse. Common-law partners are not eligible, and the couple are generally expected to live together.
- Child: includes adopted children and children born outside marriage who have been legally acknowledged. Adult children are not excluded by law, but see section 4.
Parents of the supporter are not eligible for the Dependent visa.
2. Main requirements
Immigration mainly checks the following points:
- The family relationship: shown by a marriage certificate, birth certificate or similar document (with a Japanese translation).
- The supporter’s intention and ability to support the family: shown by an employment certificate and resident tax certificates, or bank statements or a scholarship certificate if the supporter is a student. If the supporter also supports family members in the home country, their number is taken into account.
- Actual dependence: a spouse is expected to live with and depend financially on the supporter, and a child to be raised by the supporter. A spouse or child who is financially independent does not qualify.
- The supporter is actually doing their own activity: if the supporter is between jobs, for example, Immigration looks closely at their ability to support the family and their plans to return to work.
How much income is needed?
There is no published minimum income. In practice, a useful reference is the public assistance (seikatsu hogo) level for a household of your size in the area where you live. Savings can also count. If the supporter is a student, savings from legal part-time work and stable support from family can be taken into account. Immigration checks this more strictly for new arrivals than for families already living in Japan.
Period of stay
The dependent’s period of stay is normally set so that it ends around the same time as the supporter’s (within one month after it). When the supporter renews their status, it is convenient to renew the family’s status at the same time.
3. Working on a Dependent visa
The Dependent status itself does not allow work. To work part-time, a dependent needs permission to engage in activities other than those permitted (shikakugai katsudo kyoka).
- Comprehensive permission: allows work of up to 28 hours a week, in almost any type of job. Only an application form is needed. Self-employed work, such as delivery jobs paid by results, can be done under this permission if the working hours can be objectively confirmed.
- Individual permission: needed for work that comprehensive permission does not cover, such as self-employed work or work under a service or outsourcing contract where working hours cannot be objectively confirmed. It is granted for a specific activity, based on a document explaining the work, hours and pay, and the activity period must not exceed half of your period of stay.
- Not allowed: work in adult entertainment businesses involving hosting customers, such as hostess bars. As an exception, Dependents can obtain individual permission to work at amusement businesses such as pachinko parlors and game arcades, within a total of 28 hours a week.
- Starting a company or hiring employees is not covered and requires a different status.
Want to work full-time?
Working beyond 28 hours a week on a Dependent visa is illegal work and can seriously affect your future applications. A dependent spouse who wants to work full-time needs to change to a work status, such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, and meet its requirements, including education and the type of job. See our page on change of status.
4. Bringing an older child
A child does not stop qualifying on turning 18. However, in practice, the older the child, the more likely Immigration is to suspect that the real purpose is to work in Japan rather than to live as a dependent. The same applies when the supporter has lived in Japan for several years and only then brings a child who has been living in the home country.
In these cases, explain clearly:
- who has been raising the child until now, and why
- what has changed, and why the supporter now needs to raise the child in Japan
- the child’s plans in Japan, such as school
Also note that a child who changes from Dependent to another status, such as Student, generally cannot go back to Dependent later, for example if a job search after graduation does not succeed.
5. Your child’s options after graduating from a Japanese high school
Many children who came to Japan with their parents grow up and graduate from a Japanese high school. If they go on to university or vocational school, they can usually continue on a Dependent visa or change to Student. If they want to start working full-time after high school, the following routes are available, provided there are no particular problems with their residence record.
| Long-Term Resident | Designated Activities | |
|---|---|---|
| Age at entry | Under 18 | Under 18 |
| Schooling in Japan | Graduated from a Japanese elementary and junior high school, and graduated (or will graduate) from a Japanese high school | Graduated (or will graduate) from a Japanese high school. If the child transferred into the high school, Japanese ability at JLPT N2 level (or BJT 400 points) is also required. |
| Job | A job offer for work beyond the 28-hour limit | A job offer for work beyond the 28-hour limit |
| Duties | Residence and other notifications have been filed properly | Residence and other notifications have been filed properly |
| Guarantor | A letter of guarantee is required | The parent who supported the child must remain in Japan as guarantor |
| Work allowed | No restriction on type of work | Work for an employer in Japan (adult entertainment businesses excluded) |
Which route applies?
- A child who came to Japan by elementary school age and went through Japanese elementary, junior high and high school: Long-Term Resident.
- A child who came to Japan later, for example during junior high school or just before high school, and graduated from a Japanese high school: Designated Activities.
A person on this Designated Activities status can later change to Long-Term Resident after 5 years or more in Japan after high school, counting time spent working and time spent studying at a Japanese university or similar institution, provided they have a job and can support themselves.
Timing and preparation
- The application can be made while the child is still expected to graduate. Start preparing once the job offer is secured, typically in the final year of high school.
- Typical documents include a résumé, graduation certificates (or a certificate of expected graduation), the job offer or employment contract showing the terms of employment, a letter of guarantee and a certificate of residence for the household.
- Leaving Japan without a re-entry permit (including a special re-entry permit) ends the Dependent status and breaks eligibility. Keep the family’s notifications and tax payments in order.
No job offer by graduation? The requirements do not set a deadline after graduation. A graduate who continues to hold a Dependent visa and is supported by their parents can generally keep looking for work and apply once they receive an offer, working part-time within the 28-hour limit in the meantime. However, the longer the period without work or study, the more likely questions are to arise at renewal, and if your parents leave Japan, the Dependent status loses its basis. Plan the job search early.
Going on to university or vocational school?
These routes are for children who start full-time work after high school. A student who only works part-time within the 28-hour limit does not need them. After graduating from a university or vocational school, the usual path is a change to a work status. See changing from Student to Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services.
6. When the supporter’s situation changes
A Dependent status exists only while the supporter lives in Japan and supports the family. Changes on the supporter’s side therefore affect the whole family.
- Job change: the supporter files a notification within 14 days. The family’s status continues if the supporter’s status continues. See changing jobs on a work visa.
- Leaving a job: while the supporter is unemployed, the family’s ability to stay can be questioned at the next renewal. Health insurance and pension also need to be switched. See what to do after leaving a job.
- Divorce or death: a dependent spouse must file a notification regarding the spouse within 14 days, and will need a different status to stay in Japan. See our article on divorce and spouse visas for the notification procedure.
- The supporter leaves Japan: the family’s residence cards remain valid until they expire, but a Dependent visa assumes that the supporter lives in Japan. If the family stays on without the supporter, this counts against them in future applications, and the status may even be revoked. The family should either leave Japan as well or, if they need to stay, apply early for a status of their own, such as a work visa or Student.
- The supporter’s extension is refused: the supporter is usually given a short “Designated Activities” status to prepare for departure. Since the family’s Dependent visas depend on the supporter’s status and expire at about the same time, the family’s extensions are usually refused as well, and they are given the same kind of status to prepare for departure.
7. FAQ
Can I bring my parents on a Dependent visa?
No. Only a spouse and children are eligible.
Can my spouse and I both hold work visas instead?
Yes. If your spouse qualifies for a work status on their own, they can hold it independently. This removes the 28-hour limit, and their status no longer depends on yours.
My child was born in Japan. What should I do?
Apply for a status of residence for the baby within 30 days of birth. See having a baby in Japan as a foreign resident.
How do I bring my family from abroad?
The supporter applies in Japan for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for each family member, and the family then applies for visas at a Japanese embassy or consulate. See how to enter Japan with a COE.
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, “「家族滞在」の在留資格をもって在留し、高等学校卒業後に日本での就労を希望する方へ” (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency, “「家族滞在」の在留資格に係る資格外活動許可について” (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency, “遊技場営業店舗における資格外活動許可” (Japanese)
- e-Gov, Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 19 and Appended Table I (Japanese)
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information only and is not legal advice on any individual case. The information is based on sources available as of October 27, 2026. Laws, guidelines and their application may change without notice. The practical points described in this article are not official criteria published by the ISA. TKG Immigration Consulting Office accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of this information. In case of any difference between our English descriptions and the original Japanese texts, the Japanese texts prevail.