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Working holiday

South Korea to Japan Working Holiday Visa 2026: Quota, Quarterly Rounds and How to Apply

South Korean citizens living in Korea can apply for a Japanese working holiday visa, normally between the ages of 18 and 25, or up to 30 when there are unavoidable circumstances. Japan issues up to 10,000 of these visas to Koreans a year, and since 1 October 2025 a person can receive one up to twice. In 2026 the Embassy of Japan in Korea is running four application rounds; the last one is 12 to 16 October 2026, and it can only be filed through an embassy-designated agency.

Key facts at a glance

  • Program start: April 1999
  • Annual cap: 10,000 visas
  • Age: 18 to 25 at the time of application, in principle (up to 30 if unavoidable circumstances are recognized)
  • Visa: single entry, valid for one year from the date of issue
  • Length of stay: up to one year per visa, with a maximum of two visas; no extension inside Japan
  • Funds to show: roughly 2.8 million won
  • How to apply: through an embassy-designated agency only, in quarterly rounds

Who can apply

The embassy's requirements, in plain terms:

  • You are a Korean national who lives in Korea.
  • Your main reason for going is a holiday. Internships, where students work at a Japanese organization as part of their course, are a different scheme and are not eligible.
  • You are 18 to 25 when you apply, or up to 30 if the embassy accepts that you had unavoidable circumstances.
  • You will not bring children with you.
  • You have enough money for a flight home and for living costs at the start of your stay, about 2.8 million won.
  • You are in good health.
  • You have been issued a Japanese working holiday visa no more than once before. A visa that expired unused because you cancelled or postponed the trip without a special reason still counts as one.
  • You have the minimum Japanese needed for daily life, or a clear willingness to learn it.

The 2026 rounds

The embassy announced that it would accept applications four times in 2026 and posts the details of each round on its website ahead of time. Two rounds are confirmed on the pages we checked:

  • Round 1: applications 19 to 23 January 2026; results 24 February 2026
  • Round 4: applications Monday 12 October to Friday 16 October 2026; results Tuesday 24 November 2026

Results are posted on the embassy website and are also passed on by the agency you applied through. The embassy does not answer result inquiries by phone. Being selected is not the very last step: when the visa is issued, the embassy does a final check against your passport, and the visa is not issued if a requirement turns out not to be met.

Where and how to file

Individual walk-in and postal applications are not accepted. You must apply, and later collect your visa, through one of the agencies on the embassy's designated list. Anything mailed to the embassy by mistake will not be returned, and if the same person applies more than once in a round, all of those applications are void.

Which mission handles your file depends on your registered address:

  • Consulate-General of Japan in Busan: Busan, Daegu, Ulsan, and North and South Gyeongsang provinces
  • Consulate-General of Japan in Jeju: Jeju Special Self-Governing Province
  • Consular Section of the Embassy in Seoul: everywhere else

For general questions, the embassy asks applicants to contact their agency, because its own phone lines are often busy.

What the embassy checks

The embassy publishes a checklist for each round. The points it stresses:

  • Photo and bank certificate: the photo must be from the last six months, and the balance certificate should be recently issued.
  • Signatures: sign the application form and the questionnaire by hand.
  • Write the reason letter and plan yourself. The embassy says it sees near-identical documents when agencies write them, and that advanced Japanese is not expected. Each should be at least one A4 page.
  • Be specific. Explain why you want a working holiday rather than a visa-free tourist trip, what you hope to experience through your activities, how that fits the program's purpose, and how it might help your future. A simple list of places is not enough.
  • Show your Japanese. Attach a JLPT certificate, a Japanese school certificate or records of your study. If you have none, describe how and how long you have studied in your CV or reason letter.
  • List every past application. Include all previous working holiday applications and visas in your CV. The embassy says a past rejection has no bearing on a new review, so be honest.
  • Formatting: do not staple the documents, and copy your passport at its original size so the details are clear.

Once you are in Japan

The visa allows a year in Japan, and you cannot extend it there, so plan the length of your stay with that in mind. Work at bars, cabarets and other adult-entertainment businesses is not allowed. Under MOFA's general guidance for working holiday makers, once you have a place to live you need to report your address at the local municipal office within 14 days.

Because the visa has a fixed one-year window, some participants spend the first month in a furnished monthly rental, which lets them settle in and register quickly before choosing a neighbourhood for the rest of the year.

Common mistakes

  • Going to the embassy in person. Only designated agencies can file.
  • Letting an agency write your essays. Similar documents are noticed.
  • Assuming you can extend in Japan. You cannot; a second visa requires a new application.
  • Leaving it to the last day. The embassy notes that the final day of each window is very crowded.

Sources

Facts are summarized in our own words; see the linked pages for the official details.

Rules and dates can change. Always confirm with the official source before you apply.