🇯🇵 Is travel insurance mandatory for the Japan Working Holiday Visa

Volare Editorial | August 30, 2026

According to the guidelines of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA), having a health and accident insurance policy is a mandatory and universal requirement for all applicants to the Working Holiday program, regardless of nationality.

The Japanese health system requires every beneficiary of this visa to have private international coverage that guarantees their assistance in the event of any medical contingency. Failing to meet the coverage standards or the policy's duration is one of the main causes for consular rejection at the counter. Below, we detail the technical conditions and exact amounts required for this cycle.

Minimum amounts and coverage scope

Unlike previous years, the required amounts have been standardized according to the currency of the applicant's home region. It is not enough to buy any basic travel assistance; your policy must cover very specific areas. In the following board, we cross-reference the required amounts according to the block of countries and the non-negotiable coverages:

Region (Passports)	Minimum Required Amount	Mandatory Policy Scope
🇪🇸 🇵🇹 🇱🇹 Spain, Portugal, Lithuania	30,000 EUR	Expenses for illness, hospital accidents, and emergencies.
🇦🇷 🇨🇱 🇺🇾 Latin America and others	30,000 to 50,000 USD	Due to very high local costs, the upper range is recommended.
Critical Requirement (All)	No fixed amount applies	Must expressly include medical and funeral repatriation.

The Pledge option according to nationality

There is an extremely important administrative exception for certain European and Asian nationalities that changes the way documents are presented at the embassy.

These select countries allow signing a legal commitment document (Pledge) instead of paying for a private annual policy upfront:

Country Group	Presentation Method at the Embassy	Procedure Detail
🇩🇪 🇳🇱 🇸🇪 Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, Malta, Hong Kong	Signing the Pledge Document	The applicant signs that they will join the Japanese National Health Insurance upon arrival, exempting them from presenting the 12-month private policy at the appointment.
🇦🇷 🇨🇱 🇪🇸 🇺🇾 Latin America, Spain, and the rest of the world	Full Private Policy	Obliged to present the printed certificate of the private insurance already paid for the whole year at the time of attending the embassy.

The mandatory nature of Double Coverage NHI

It is fundamental to understand a point that generates a lot of confusion: having private insurance from your country does not exempt you from your legal responsibilities in Japan.

Regardless of having your international policy, any participant residing in Japanese territory for more than 3 months is required by law to enroll in and pay for the National Health Insurance (NHI) at their local municipal office (Kuyakusho).

This "double coverage" is strategic and mandatory. It guarantees that the traveler has the backing of the Japanese public system (which covers 70% of regular outpatient expenses) and uses their private insurance to cover the remaining 30%, major emergencies, or international repatriations that the Japanese State does not cover.

Technical specifications of the certificate

If you belong to the countries that must present the policy at the embassy, your printed certificate will be closely evaluated. For it to be accepted without delays, it must meet these parameters:

1. Total validity: Cover the entirety of your projected stay (generally 365 days from your entry flight).

2. Ownership: Be strictly in the name of the passport holder applying for the visa.

3. Territorial validity: Clearly specify in the document that the coverage is valid in Japanese territory or worldwide.

Volare Complete Guide

Having the right medical backing will give you the peace of mind to enjoy your exchange year without risking your finances. To know the list of recommended insurance companies that meet these amounts of 30k-50k USD and to download the Pledge format if it applies to your country, we invite you to consult our Official Japan Working Holiday Visa Guide.