(JAPAN) — Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs updated its Working Holiday Programme rules to let people from Taiwan join the scheme twice in their lifetime, a change that takes effect February 1, 2026 and opens the door to repeat stays for young travelers who previously expected a one-time chance.
The revised terms allow a second participation but keep a firm limit: two inconsecutive one-year stays, meaning the two visits cannot run back-to-back as a single continuous period.
For Taiwan residents weighing whether to work and travel in Japan now or save the experience for later, the shift changes how a working holiday can fit into study plans, early careers, or long-term ties to Japan.
Japan has offered working holiday pathways to partner jurisdictions for years, generally as a youth mobility arrangement that blends travel with limited work. The Working Holiday Programme typically sets an age band, emphasizes holiday travel as the primary purpose, and allows participants to take jobs mainly to support their stay.
Under the updated approach for Taiwan, the second chance does not erase the one-year structure that shapes most working holiday stays. It adjusts participation expectations by recognizing that some travelers may want to return after time at home, rather than trying to do everything in a single year.
Similar expansions for repeat participation have already rolled out for other nationalities, and Japan’s move for Taiwan aligns with that direction. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs framed the Taiwan change as part of the same policy pattern it has used elsewhere.
In practice, “twice in their lifetime” means a Taiwan resident who completes one Working Holiday Programme stay may later apply again for a second stay, subject to the program’s conditions. It does not mean a participant can simply add another year onto an existing stay without leaving and reapplying.
The “inconsecutive” requirement is central to how the new rule operates. A participant must take a break between the two one-year stays, rather than spending two straight years in Japan under the same working holiday arrangement.
That distinction matters for travel and work planning because it creates a natural pause point. Someone might spend a year traveling and working part-time, return to Taiwan for work or studies, then come back for another year to revisit regions, improve Japanese, or pursue new seasonal work.
For prospective applicants, the new flexibility could shape decisions about timing and goals. A first stay might focus on travel and short-term jobs, while a later return could prioritize language immersion or a different part of Japan, as long as the core program rules remain satisfied.
Eligibility conditions still set boundaries, even with the new second-participation option. Applicants generally must be 18-30 years old, though the framework also notes that some nationalities have different age caps, including 18-25 for some countries like Australia, Canada, South Korea, Ireland unless extended.
The program’s emphasis remains that participants intend primarily to holiday in Japan, with work treated as incidental to travel rather than the main purpose. Applicants also cannot be accompanied by dependents, a common restriction designed to keep the scheme focused on individual youth mobility.
Passport and travel readiness requirements remain in place. Applicants must hold a valid passport with a return ticket or funds, along with sufficient maintenance funds, without the policy summary listing any specific amounts.
Japan’s Working Holiday Programme also keeps basic health and admissibility expectations. Applicants must be in good health, and participation assumes general eligibility to enter and stay in Japan under the program’s terms.
The policy update for Taiwan sits alongside a broader relaxation of what had often been a single-participation norm. The same eligibility structure references how prior one-time participation rules have been relaxed for certain nationalities, and Taiwan now falls within that expanded approach.
Taiwan residents also face a distinct procedural channel for applying because applications must go through the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association. The filing route reflects the way Japan handles working holiday intake for Taiwan, rather than processing through the standard diplomatic mission structure.
Applicants submit their materials to either the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office or the Kaohsiung Office. The update indicates those are the relevant offices for Taiwan-based submissions.
While the policy summary does not lay out a step-by-step filing guide, it signals that processes can be office-specific. Intake can hinge on how each office handles appointments, document formatting, and translations, making it important for applicants to check current requirements with the office they plan to use.
Japan’s move for Taiwan follows earlier milestones that expanded repeat participation for other partner countries. Canada, UK, New Zealand, Denmark, and Austria gained expanded options from December 1, 2024, with Canada and the UK permitted two consecutive years or two inconsecutive one-year stays, and New Zealand, Denmark, and Austria set to two inconsecutive one-year stays.
Germany, Ireland, and Slovakia followed from January 1, 2025. South Korea joined the same general structure from October 1, 2025, with the program described as allowing two inconsecutive one-year stays.
Those earlier dates show Japan has been building a patchwork of repeat-participation arrangements across partners rather than making a single global change. Taiwan’s update places it among the jurisdictions whose travelers can plan for a return working holiday without losing the one-year structure.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the change on February 26, 2026, describing it as promoting youth exchanges with democracies, and it specified Taiwanese students among eligible applicants. The summary did not describe any matching shift on Taiwan’s side for Japanese participants.
No matching updates appear for reciprocal changes in Taiwan’s working holiday visa policy toward Japan participants. That leaves open, at least in the information released with this update, whether the expansion is symmetrical or limited to Japan’s intake policy for Taiwan residents.
Even with the new option for a second participation, applicants still must treat the scheme as a working holiday rather than a conventional work visa. The structure continues to tie eligibility to youth status, personal travel intent, and self-sufficiency through maintenance funds and travel documents.
With the updated rule beginning at the start of February 2026, Taiwan residents considering a first or second stay may now build plans around two separate one-year opportunities rather than one. Before submitting an application, prospective participants are expected to confirm the latest document checklist and intake method with the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association office in Taipei or Kaohsiung.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lets Taiwan, Japan Join Working Holiday Programme
Japan has announced that Taiwan residents can now join its Working Holiday Programme twice. Effective February 2026, the policy allows two non-consecutive one-year stays. This provides flexibility for young travelers to revisit Japan after a break. While the primary purpose remains tourism, incidental work is permitted to fund the stay. Applications continue to be processed through the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association offices in Taipei and Kaohsiung.
