Working on a Dependent Status in Japan: The 28-Hour Rule and Renewal Checklist

If your residence card says Dependent (家族滞在, kazoku taizai), you cannot start paid work automatically. In most cases, you must first obtain permission to engage in an activity outside your status of residence. A common form of that permission allows work for up to 28 hours per week.

The limit is not 28 hours per employer. It applies to your combined working time across all jobs. You must also renew your period of stay separately; work permission does not replace immigration renewal.

This guide is for spouses and children living in Japan under Dependent status, as well as the family members and employers helping them prepare.

The essentials:

• Dependent status is intended for a supported spouse or child, not full-time employment.
• Obtain work permission before doing paid work unless Immigration Services confirms that permission is unnecessary in your case.
• Under comprehensive permission, total work across all jobs is generally limited to 28 hours a week.
• Some businesses and activities are prohibited even if the job itself appears ordinary.
• A job that becomes your main activity may require a change to a work-authorized status.
• For a stay of six months or longer, renewal applications are normally accepted from about three months before expiry.

First confirm that you actually hold Dependent status

The rules in this guide apply to the residence status named “Dependent,” not every person who is someone’s spouse or child.

Japan’s Dependent status generally covers a spouse or child supported by a foreign resident who holds one of the qualifying work, study, or cultural statuses listed by the Immigration Services Agency. The permitted activity is everyday life as that resident’s dependent.

This is different from statuses such as:

• Spouse or Child of Japanese National
• Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident
• Long-Term Resident
• Permanent Resident
• Designated Activities granted under a particular family arrangement

These statuses can carry different work conditions. Check the wording on your residence card rather than relying on the informal phrase “dependent visa.”

Who is usually outside this category

Parents, siblings, and unmarried partners do not ordinarily qualify simply because another family member works or studies in Japan. A separate route may exist in limited circumstances, but it should not be assumed to be Dependent status.

The sponsor’s own residence status also matters. For example, the official Dependent page identifies qualifying sponsor categories and should be checked before a new application or change of status.

The 28-hour rule: what it permits and what it does not

Comprehensive permission can allow flexible part-time work, but 28 hours is a ceiling across the entire week and all employers.

The Japanese name is 資格外活動許可 (shikakugai katsudō kyoka), meaning permission to engage in an activity outside the scope of the current residence status. You must receive it before beginning the paid activity.

Under the comprehensive form commonly used by Dependent-status residents:

• You may generally work no more than 28 hours in one week.
• The permission is not normally tied to one named employer.
• Hours from two or more jobs must be added together.
• The work must not interfere with the activity underlying your Dependent status.
• Work connected with an adult-entertainment business is excluded.

Unlike the separate rule for students during qualifying long school holidays, Dependent-status holders should not assume that a vacation allows longer hours. The published Dependent rules continue to use the weekly 28-hour limit.

Multiple jobs do not create multiple allowances

Suppose you work 18 hours at a restaurant and 12 hours as an office assistant in the same week. The combined total is 30 hours, so it exceeds a 28-hour comprehensive permission even though neither job individually does.

A practical approach is to keep:

• A weekly record of the hours worked for every employer
• Copies of employment contracts and work schedules
• Payslips and any records for last-minute shift changes
• A small buffer below 28 hours when schedules can overrun

Do not rely on each employer to know about the other job. The residence-status holder is the one who needs to keep the combined total within the permission granted.

Paid freelance and platform work also need attention

Paid activity is not limited to a conventional hourly job. Freelance services, delivery work, online contracts, and running a small business may also count as remunerated activity.

Comprehensive permission can cover certain business or contract work when the working time can be objectively checked. If the hours cannot be clearly measured, or the activity falls outside the comprehensive framework, individual permission may be required instead.

Ask Immigration Services before beginning when:

• Payment is based only on completed projects or sales.
• You control a business rather than work a defined schedule.
• Clients are outside Japan but you perform the work while living in Japan.
• It is difficult to show when the work starts and ends.
• The work would normally fit a professional residence status.

The location of the client or bank account does not by itself make paid work irrelevant to Japanese immigration rules.

ここがポイント: The permission written in your passport, permit, or residence records controls what you may do. A job offer, tax registration, or employer approval does not replace immigration permission.

Work that is prohibited or needs individual review

Comprehensive permission is broad, but it is not permission for every workplace or every kind of business.

Activities at establishments where adult-entertainment business is conducted are excluded under the official rules. This restriction may apply even when the employee’s task is cleaning, cooking, reception, or another role that is not sexual in nature.

Examples can include businesses regulated under Japan’s adult-entertainment laws. Because classification depends on the establishment and its operations, confirm uncertain workplaces before accepting a shift.

Individual permission may be considered for activity outside the comprehensive framework. Immigration Services examines matters such as the organization, duties, working conditions, and whether the activity prevents the person from continuing the activity attached to their present status.

When a status change may be more appropriate

Dependent status assumes that the person remains supported. A full-time role or a career that becomes the person’s principal activity may no longer fit that premise.

Before starting such a role, check whether you qualify for a work-authorized status based on the actual duties, education, experience, salary, and employer. Receiving an offer does not itself authorize full-time work, and an application does not necessarily permit you to start the new activity while it is under review.

How to apply for work permission

Apply before the first paid shift and keep evidence of the permission after approval.

The Immigration Services Agency states that an application for comprehensive permission by a Dependent-status holder generally requires the application form. Individual permission requires supporting documents appropriate to the proposed activity.

A practical sequence is:

1. Check your residence card and current period of stay.
2. Decide whether the proposed work fits comprehensive or individual permission.
3. Obtain a written job description, schedule, and contract if available.
4. Complete the official application form.
5. Apply through the immigration office with jurisdiction over your address or an available authorized application route.
6. Wait for permission before beginning paid work.
7. After approval, verify the exact conditions recorded for you.

There is no standard application fee listed for permission to engage in outside activity. Other costs may still arise for photographs, translations, certificates, postage, or professional assistance.

Do not treat filing as approval. If an employer asks you to start immediately, show them that the application is still pending and agree on a start date after permission is confirmed.

Renewal is a separate test of the family arrangement

To renew Dependent status, you normally need to show that the qualifying family relationship and financial support continue.

For a current period of stay of six months or longer, Immigration Services normally accepts an extension application from about three months before the expiry date. Apply before the date printed on the residence card; preparing early leaves time to obtain municipal tax documents and correct missing information.

The standard official list includes:

• Application for extension of period of stay
• A photograph when required
• Passport and residence card
• Evidence of the relationship, such as a marriage or birth certificate
• A copy of the sponsor’s residence card or passport
• Evidence of the sponsor’s occupation and income
• Municipal residence-tax taxation or exemption and payment certificates when applicable

Documents issued outside Japan may need a Japanese translation. Immigration Services can request additional material, and documents issued in Japan are generally expected to be recent according to the instructions for the application.

Current renewal fees

For applications accepted from April 1, 2025, the fee due when an extension is approved is:

• ¥6,000 for the standard procedure
• ¥5,500 for an online application

The fee is paid when permission is granted, using the method specified by Immigration Services. Application methods and eligibility for online filing should be checked on the official site before relying on the lower online fee.

A document rule that changed in 2026

As of June 14, 2026, the official Dependent-status page states that a photograph is generally required when the residence card will be issued to a person aged one or older. Before that date, the exemption applied more broadly to children under 16.

There are separate exceptions, including people who will not be medium- or long-term residents and those requesting a period of three months or less. Families renewing a young child’s status should therefore use the current checklist rather than an old saved copy.

Changes that should be reported or checked promptly

Do not wait until renewal if the facts supporting Dependent status change.

Seek official guidance promptly if:

• The marriage ends through divorce or the spouse dies.
• A child is no longer supported in the same way.
• The sponsor changes status, leaves Japan, loses the qualifying activity, or can no longer provide support.
• The dependent plans to begin full-time work.
• An address, affiliated organization, or other reportable fact changes.

Some changes carry notification deadlines under immigration law. The correct form and deadline depend on the event and status, so use the Immigration Services Agency’s notification guidance or contact its information center.

A sponsor’s job loss does not automatically answer what happens next. Immigration will consider the actual status, activities, support, and plans. Keep evidence of job searching, savings, household finances, and any new employment rather than waiting until the extension deadline to reconstruct the record.

Tax, social insurance, and immigration use different tests

Permission to work does not guarantee that you remain a tax or social-insurance dependent.

Three separate systems may affect the household:

• Immigration rules decide whether the paid activity is permitted under your residence status.
• Tax rules decide matters such as taxable income and whether a spouse or other family deduction may apply.
• Health-insurance and pension rules determine whether you can remain a dependent under an employee’s plan or must enroll and contribute separately.

Their income thresholds, time periods, and definitions are not interchangeable. A person can stay within 28 working hours and still cross an income threshold used by an insurer or tax rule.

Before accepting a job, ask the employer’s payroll or human-resources team:

• Whether you will join employee health insurance and pension
• What income and working-condition tests apply
• Whether residence tax may be billed later
• Which withholding and year-end tax procedures apply

Municipal National Health Insurance and resident-tax amounts vary by municipality and household circumstances. Immigration permission is national, while these costs can depend on where you live and how you are insured.

Common mistakes that can create problems

Most avoidable problems come from starting too early, counting hours incorrectly, or assuming one system’s approval covers another.

Starting after applying but before approval

Submitting the form does not give permission to work. Wait until approval and confirm its conditions.

Counting 28 hours separately for each employer

The limit is combined across jobs. Share enough scheduling information with employers to prevent an accidental excess.

Assuming unpaid activity can never count

Ordinary volunteering is different from work, but arrangements involving benefits, allowances, future payment, or duties similar to an employee’s may require closer review. Confirm ambiguous cases.

Ignoring the type of establishment

A permitted job title does not make a prohibited establishment acceptable. Check what business is conducted at the workplace.

Treating renewal as automatic

A previous approval does not remove the need to show the continuing relationship, sponsorship, and financial support. Use the newest official checklist.

Letting the sponsor and dependent applications drift apart

The dependent’s period of stay may not match the sponsor’s exactly. Check every family member’s residence card and create separate reminders.

A practical action plan

Check the card, the permission, the schedule, and the expiry date as four separate items.

Before accepting paid work:

• Confirm that your card says Dependent.
• Check whether you already hold outside-activity permission and read its conditions.
• Add the planned hours to all existing jobs.
• Confirm that the workplace and duties are allowed.
• Ask about tax and social-insurance treatment.

Before renewal:

• Set a reminder about four months before expiry.
• Download the latest Dependent checklist.
• Obtain current relationship, employment, income, and municipal tax documents.
• Check whether every applicant aged one or older needs a photograph under the current rule.
• Compare your actual working pattern with the permission granted.
• If paid work has become your main activity, investigate a change of status before starting full-time duties.

The most important next check is not simply whether a job stays below 28 hours. It is whether the actual work, workplace, combined schedule, and continuing family support all match the permissions recorded for you. When any of those facts changes, confirm the correct route with Immigration Services before the first shift or the renewal deadline.

参照リンク

• Immigration Services Agency: Status of Residence “Dependent”
• Immigration Services Agency: Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted
• Immigration Services Agency: Permission Rules for Dependent-Status Residents
• Immigration Services Agency: Application for Permission to Engage in Outside Activity
• Immigration Services Agency: Application for Extension of Period of Stay