Young people living in Taiwan can apply for a Japanese working holiday visa if they are 18 to 30 on the day they apply. Japan issues up to 10,000 of these visas to Taiwan each year, and since February 2026 you can take part up to twice in a lifetime. The 2026 second-half application window is 19 to 30 October 2026, in person only, at the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA) offices in Taipei and Kaohsiung.
Key facts at a glance
- Program start: introduction announced on 3 April 2009
- Annual cap: 10,000 visas
- Age: 18 to 30 at the time of application
- Length of stay: up to one year from the day you are admitted to Japan
- Participation: up to twice in a lifetime (changed in February 2026)
- Where to apply: JTEA Taipei Office or Kaohsiung Office, in person
- Funds to show: at least NT$80,000
Who can apply
Under JTEA's 2026 guide, applicants must:
- be living in Taiwan when they apply and hold a valid Taiwan passport that shows a national ID number
- be between 18 and 30 at the time of application
- intend mainly to spend a holiday in Japan for no more than one year
- have received a Japanese working holiday visa no more than once before
- not bring dependants, unless those dependants hold their own visa
- have a ticket back to Taiwan, or enough money to buy one, plus enough money to live on at the start of the stay
- be in good health, of good character and without a criminal record
- hold insurance that covers death, injury or illness while in Japan
Two counting rules are easy to miss. If you were issued a visa but let it lapse unused because you cancelled or postponed without a special reason, it counts as one use. Visas issued in the first or second half of 2019 that could not be used because of COVID-19 do not count. Internships are not covered: they need a different visa.
2026 timeline
The first half of 2026 is closed: applications ran from 20 to 30 April, results were posted on 18 June, and visas can be collected from 22 June to 18 December 2026.
The second half looks like this:
- Applications: Monday 19 October to Friday 30 October 2026. Offices are closed on weekends and on 26 October, a substitute holiday.
- Counter hours: 09:15 to 11:30 and 13:45 to 16:00. Applications outside these hours are not accepted.
- Who is eligible this round: people born between 20 October 1995 and 30 October 2008 who plan to enter Japan for a working holiday within one year from 14 December 2026.
- Results: 11 December 2026
- Visa collection: 14 December 2026 to 11 June 2027
Step by step
- Gather the documents. For the 2026 second half, JTEA asks for: the visa application form; one colour photo (4.5 cm x 3.5 cm, taken within the last six months); a copy of the front and back of your national ID card on one A4 sheet; a CV; a statement of reasons; an activity plan; proof of your latest education; a balance certificate from a bank or post office issued within one month showing at least NT$80,000 (a passbook copy is not accepted); a copy of your passport, with the original brought along; and an original entry and exit record from the National Immigration Agency, issued within 10 days and covering the past three years. Extra material such as a JLPT certificate, BJT score or Japanese school certificate is optional.
- Write the CV, statement and plan yourself, in Chinese or Japanese, on JTEA's forms. The CV form was revised in September 2026, so use the new version. If you have already done a working holiday in Japan, explain why you want a second one.
- Submit in person. Proxy and postal applications are not accepted. Applying at both Taipei and Kaohsiung in the same round voids every application you made.
- Wait for review. Every application is reviewed. If applicants exceed the cap, JTEA selects those who best match the program's purpose, and it may call some applicants for an interview. Selection is not first come, first served, so there is no need to queue on the first day.
- Check the results by receipt number on JTEA's website or at the office entrance. Keep the receipt slip safe: without it you cannot check results or collect the visa.
- Collect your visa within the collection period. If you do not, the approval is treated as declined.
Mistakes that hurt applications
- Wrong pen or paper. Use plain white A4 paper, printed on one side (the application form alone may be double-sided), and a black or dark-blue ballpoint pen. JTEA says forms found to be filled in with an erasable pen will be refused.
- Changing passports midway. The passport you collect the visa in must be the same one you copied for the application, so renew before you apply if needed.
- Missing the entry window. The visa is valid for one year from the first day of the collection period and cannot be extended. If you do not enter Japan in time, it lapses.
After you land
If you arrive at Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, New Chitose, Hiroshima or Fukuoka airport, you receive your residence card on arrival; at other airports it is mailed to you after you register. Either way, report your address at the local city office within 14 days of settling. Work at bars, snack bars, cabarets and other adult-entertainment businesses is prohibited and can lead to arrest and deportation. Leaving Japan briefly? The special re-entry permit lets you come back and continue.
Since renting long-term from abroad is hard, some participants start in a furnished monthly rental and sign a lease once they know where they will work.
Sources
- 公益財団法人日本台湾交流協会「日台ワーキング・ホリデー査証案内（２０２６年分）」(checked 2026-10-04)
- 公益財団法人日本台湾交流協会「ワーキング・ホリデー査証申請書類」(checked 2026-10-04)
- 外務省「ワーキング・ホリデー制度」(checked 2026-10-04)
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.