Dependent (Family Stay) Visa Holders Can Now Work Part-Time at Pachinko Parlors — With an Individual Permission (from October 1, 2026)

From October 1, 2026, people with the "Dependent" status of residence (家族滞在) can work at pachinko parlors and similar amusement businesses, provided they obtain an individual permission (個別許可) to engage in activities other than those permitted by their status (資格外活動許可). This applies only to Dependent visa holders and to businesses licensed under Article 2, Paragraph 1, Items 4 and 5 of the Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business (風営法); students and other statuses are not covered. Applications are already being accepted, so both employers and workers should obtain the individual permission before work starts and keep all part-time work within 28 hours per week in total.

What has changed

The Dependent status (家族滞在) is for spouses and children supported by a foreign national working in Japan. Because their main activity is daily family life, they need a permission to engage in activities outside their status (資格外活動許可) to take a part-time job.

Until now, this permission did not allow work at businesses regulated as adult entertainment or amusement businesses (風俗営業), which included pachinko parlors. A page of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁) titled "Permission to engage in activities outside status at amusement business premises" (遊技場営業店舗における資格外活動許可について) explains that, from October 1, 2026, Dependent visa holders may work at such premises under an individual permission.

According to news reports, the change followed requests from the amusement industry facing labor shortages, and a sense of unfairness because part-time work was already allowed at horse and bicycle race tracks, which are not regulated by the same law. Reports also say that mahjong parlors and game arcades are included, while work related to the sex industry remains prohibited.

Who is covered — and who is not

Only holders of the Dependent status (家族滞在) are covered. The Agency's page states that "Student" (留学) holders and holders of "Designated Activities" (特定活動) for dependent spouses and children are not covered.

Main requirements

• The general requirements for permission to engage in activities outside status are met
• The activity does not violate any law
• The workplace holds a business license under Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Act (風営法), limited to businesses under Article 2, Paragraph 1, Items 4 and 5
• The workplace submits a written pledge (誓約書)
• Total hours of all activities outside status — comprehensive (包括許可) and individual — are within 28 hours per week

An "individual permission" names the specific workplace and job. The comprehensive permission that most Dependent visa holders already have ("up to 28 hours a week anywhere") is not enough to work at an amusement business.

What the employer pledges

• To comply with the legal duties of employers of foreign nationals, such as the Report on Employment Status of Foreign Workers (外国人雇用状況の届出)
• To encourage foreign employees (including people other than the applicant) to obtain the Specified Residence Card (特定在留カード)
• To regularly check that a worker's total hours stay within 28 hours per week when he or she has more than one part-time job

Documents required

1. Application form (sample available)
2. A document explaining the work, hours and pay (any format)
3. Pledge prepared by the workplace (reference form available)
4. Pledge prepared by the applicant (reference form available)
5. The workplace's business license or other proof of the license under the Act
6. A document explaining other part-time activities, showing that total hours, including this application, are within 28 hours per week

Points for employers

• Do not let the person start work before the permission is granted. Working without permission may violate immigration rules, and the employer may also be held responsible for facilitating illegal work (不法就労助長).
• Check the residence card and the permission. A comprehensive permission on the back of the residence card is not enough; confirm that the individual permission names your business and the job.
• 28 hours is the total of all jobs. Ask workers to report hours at other jobs when hiring and regularly afterwards.

Contact

For help preparing the application or organizing working hours, please contact ANDCEED Gyoseishoshi Office (行政書士事務所アンドシード), a firm of Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialists (行政書士) in Nagoya. Tel: +81-52-990-3442 / Email: contact@andceed.com Please note that consultations are held in Japanese.