This is one of those rules where guessing is expensive: work beyond what your status allows and you risk your visa. Mio doesn't guess โ it reads the Immigration Services Agency's (ISA / moj.go.jp) own pages. Here's the plain-English read. It is general information, not legal or immigration advice โ confirm your case with Immigration.
The Dependent (Kazoku Taizai) status is for the spouse or children of someone in Japan on a work or student status, who are financially supported by that person. Per ISA, it covers "daily activities" as a family member โ living together, going to school, everyday life. It does not include income-earning work on its own. So a spouse on a Dependent visa cannot legally take a paid job until they get the extra permission below.
To do paid work, a Dependent-visa holder must first obtain "Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted". Key points from ISA:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free (no application fee) |
| Work limit once granted | Generally up to 28 hours/week |
| Where to apply | Regional Immigration office, or at the airport on arrival (landing inspection) |
| Not allowed | Adult-entertainment / "public morals" businesses (bars with hostessing, pachinko, etc.) |
| Processing | On the spot at the airport; otherwise roughly 2 weeksโ2 months at an office |
If you hold more than one part-time job, Immigration adds the hours together โ the total still can't exceed the weekly cap.
Working without the permission, or beyond the 28-hour cap, is working outside your status. That can count as unauthorized work and put your visa at risk โ think trouble at your next extension or change-of-status, and in serious cases penalties or loss of status. The rule is not a suggestion; treat 28 hours as a hard ceiling and keep evidence of your hours. If anything about your situation is unusual, verify with the Immigration Services Agency before you start.
The part-time permission is exactly that โ part-time. If your spouse wants a full-time job, the correct route is usually a change of status of residence to an appropriate work visa (for example, "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services"), which depends on the job, your qualifications, and the employer. Once on a work visa, the 28-hour cap no longer applies, but you're then tied to that visa's permitted activities instead.
Even within 28 hours a week, part-time income can bump into Japan's tax and social-insurance "walls" โ the income thresholds where a dependent starts owing tax or has to enrol in their own health insurance and pension, and where the household's dependent deductions change. The visa cap and the money walls are separate rules: staying under 28 hours keeps you visa-compliant, but your yen earnings are what trigger the walls. Plan both together. Read the income-walls guide for dependents โ
Get the free permission before your first shift, keep total work at or under 28 hours/week, and avoid the prohibited industries. Want to work full-time? Plan a work-visa change instead of stretching the part-time rule. And watch the income walls in parallel โ the visa and the tax thresholds are different meters. This is general information; verify your specific case with the Immigration Services Agency.