Business Manager Visa
The old ¥5 million standard is gone —
the bar is now much higher.
¥30 million+ capital and a full-time employee
You need capital of at least ¥30 million and at least one full-time employee (a Japanese national, permanent resident, spouse of a Japanese national, etc.). Capital must be paid in before setup from a clearly legal source.
Experience or degree, Japanese, a real office
3+ years of management experience, or a related master's degree or higher. You or a full-time employee need Japanese at about JLPT N2. The office must be leased in the company's name and separate from your home.
An expert-reviewed business plan
The plan must be reviewed by a certified SME consultant, CPA or tax accountant, showing your services, business model and projections, with any partner contracts.
You can set up the company from overseas — we'll handle the process.
Assessment & preparation
We check your eligibility under the new rules (capital, experience, Japanese, staffing), then help with notarized documents, the office and transferring capital.
Company registration
Decide the business scope and fiscal year, set up the company and hire your employee.
Business plan
A strong plan that passes expert review is our core strength, prepared by our administrative scrivener team.
Submission to Immigration
We file the application and receive a receipt with an application number and date.
Approval, visa & arrival
Submit your Certificate of Eligibility to a Japanese embassy or consulate, receive your visa and enter Japan.
Screening is stricter under the new rules, and reapplying after a refusal is harder. Prepare your first application carefully with professionals.
Insufficient evidence
The listed documents are only the minimum. You must prove your capital's source, experience or degree, Japanese ability and hiring.
Viability not recognized
A plan without expert review, or a rushed or copied one, is very likely to be refused.
Office not recognized
Your office proves the business is real. It must suit your business and comply with Japanese law.
A transition period of about three years runs until October 2028. Renewals in this period consider your business as a whole; after that, you'll generally need to meet the new standards.
Renewals depend on your financial statements, so a reliable tax accountant is essential. Start planning capital, staffing and Japanese early — our tax and legal partners can help.
How the rules apply depends on your situation. Our partner administrative scriveners will advise you individually.
Free consultations on property management, renovation, buying, investing, renting, studying in Japan and visas. Our team speaks Chinese, Japanese, English, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Nepali.