NISA basics for foreign residents
Whether you're eligible, how the post-2024 NISA structure works, and what's changing again in 2026-2027.
Are you eligible?
You can open a NISA account if you're a Japanese tax resident (in practice, generally 183+ days in Japan in a calendar year), 18 or older, and have a Japanese bank account. One detail worth knowing: from January 1, 2026, you're treated as a Japanese tax resident from the start of the year regardless of exactly when you arrived in 2025 - which means some recent arrivals become NISA-eligible sooner than they'd expect.
How the current NISA works
The "new NISA" introduced in January 2024 made the program permanent, made the tax-free holding period indefinite, and substantially raised both the annual investment limit and the total tax-free holding limit compared to the pre-2024 version.
What might change next
Proposed enhancements for 2026-2027 - part of Japan's regular annual tax reform process - include opening NISA accounts to children from birth, with a proposed annual ceiling of ¥600,000 and a lifetime cap of ¥6,000,000 for that category. This was still working through the Diet as of mid-2026, so treat it as "proposed," not settled.
Practical checklist
- Confirm your tax residency status before opening an account - this is the actual eligibility gate, not your visa type.
- You'll need a Japanese bank account first; most brokerages won't open a NISA account without one already linked.
- If you're also a US citizen or green card holder, talk to a tax advisor before using NISA - US tax treatment of foreign investment accounts has its own rules (PFIC) that can erase the benefit.
Source: Japan Securities Dealers Association's official NISA explainer.