The Business Manager Visa is a residence status for engaging in business management and administrative work, officially called the “Business Manager” status of residence.
Because it may be available even to applicants without an academic background, the Business Manager Visa is often thought to be relatively easy to obtain. In reality, however, it is a highly demanding status of residence, as it requires, for example, company capital of 30 million yen, and the business plan must be specific, reasonable, and feasible under strict review.
This article explains the conditions, requirements, and necessary documents for obtaining a Certificate of Eligibility for a Business Manager Visa.
- What Is a Business Manager Visa?
- Requirements for Obtaining a Business Manager Visa
- Required Documents for a Business Manager Visa Application
- Key Points for Obtaining a Business Manager Visa Certificate of Eligibility
- Renewal After Obtaining a Business Manager Visa Certificate of Eligibility
- At Renewal, You Must Meet the Revised Approval Standards
- Please Consult a Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist for Your Business Manager Visa
What Is a Business Manager Visa?
As the name suggests, a Business Manager Visa is a residence status for engaging in business management and administrative work. Officially, it refers to the “Business Manager” status of residence.
Regardless of the type of business, if a foreign national intends to conduct a business in Japan, they generally need to obtain this visa.
Requirements for Obtaining a Business Manager Visa
A Business Manager Visa requires either an academic background or professional experience related to business management.
Specifically, the applicant must meet one of the following:
- A doctoral, master’s, or professional degree in business management or in a field related to the technology or knowledge necessary for the business covered by the application
- At least three years of experience in business management or administration
Because an academic background is not mandatory, even foreign nationals with no higher education at all may still be able to obtain a Business Manager Visa.
Compared with the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” status of residence, which requires academic qualifications, it may seem much easier to obtain. In reality, however, the threshold is by no means low.
Because the possibility is open to a wide range of applicants, the actual feasibility of the business they intend to operate in Japan is examined very strictly.
If a foreign national wishes to start a new business in Japan and obtain a Business Manager Visa, they are generally required to satisfy the following conditions:
Secure a Business Office
To obtain the visa, it is necessary to secure an office with an independent and clearly separated space. Virtual offices are not recognized as business offices.
In addition, a residential property cannot be used as an office.
A home office arrangement is also generally not accepted, because the employment of at least one full-time employee is required.
Capital or Total Investment of 30 Million Yen and at Least One Full-Time Employee
The business to be managed or administered must be of a certain scale.
Specifically, the following two requirements must both be satisfied:
- Capital or total investment of at least 30 million yen
- At least one full-time employee
“Capital or total investment” refers to assets used for the business. In the case of a corporation, this means the amount of paid-in capital in a stock company, or the total amount of contributions in a general partnership, limited partnership, or limited liability company, and does not include capital reserves, capital surplus, or retained earnings.
In the case of an individual business, it means the total amount invested in items necessary to operate the business, such as securing office space, one year of employee salaries, and equipment investment expenses.
The source of the capital is checked very carefully. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the Immigration Services Agency with a reasonable explanation of how the funds were raised.
Japanese Language Ability
Either the applicant or a full-time employee must have a reasonable level of Japanese language ability.
A reasonable level of Japanese ability means B2 level or above under the “Framework of Reference for Japanese Language Education.”
If the full-time employee is not Japanese or a permanent resident, proof of Japanese ability such as the following is required:
- Certification of JLPT N2 or above
- A score of 400 or higher on the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test
No exam-based proof is required if the applicant or the full-time employee falls under any of the following:
- Japanese national
- Special Permanent Resident
- A person who has resided in Japan for 20 years or more as a mid- to long-term resident
- A graduate of a Japanese university or similar institution
- A person who completed compulsory education in Japan and graduated from high school in Japan
Show the Legality, Stability, and Continuity of the Business
Through a business plan and other materials, you must demonstrate the legality, stability, and continuity of the business you intend to start. This will be explained in more detail later.
The Applicant Must Actually Engage in Business Management or Administration
A foreign national applying for a Business Manager Visa must actually engage in managing or administering the business. A name-only arrangement where the applicant merely lends their name without actually participating in management or administration will not be accepted.
In other words, this also means that it is difficult for multiple foreign nationals to obtain Business Manager Visas as joint founders or co-managers.
In a newly established startup, it is not usually realistic to assume that two or more full-time business managers are necessary from the outset.
If the business is large enough, it may be possible for more than one person to obtain the visa, but in general, it is safer to assume that only one person will be granted a Business Manager Visa at the startup stage.
If two people want to apply, one option may be for one person to apply for a Business Manager Visa as the business owner, while the other applies as an employee under an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa.
Required Documents for a Business Manager Visa Application
The documents required for an application for a Certificate of Eligibility for a Business Manager Visa are as follows.
Applicant-Related Documents
- Application for Certificate of Eligibility
- One photograph (4 cm high × 3 cm wide)
- Documents showing the applicant’s background (degree certificate for academic background, or resume and certificate of employment for work history, etc.)
- Documents proving Japanese language ability (if the applicant is using their own qualifications as proof)
- Documents explaining how the investment funds were formed
Company-Related Documents
- Copy of the corporate bank account
- Copy of the office lease agreement
- Photographs of the office
- Certificate of registered company information
- Copy of the articles of incorporation
- Copy of the shareholders’ meeting minutes resolving executive compensation
- Business plan
- Copy of the letter of consent
- Copy of the resolution on appointment and head office location
- Copy of the resolution appointing the representative director at the time of establishment
- Copy of the letter of acceptance of appointment
- Copy of the proof of payment
- Contracts, invoices, and other documents exchanged with clients and suppliers
- Copy of the notification of establishment of a salary payment office, etc. (with the tax office receipt stamp)
- Copy of the application for approval of the special due date for withholding income tax (with the tax office receipt stamp)
- Copy of the notification of incorporation of a corporation (with the tax office receipt stamp)
- Copy of the application for approval of blue return filing (with the tax office receipt stamp)
- Copy of the business overview report for a newly established corporation (with the tax office receipt stamp)
Key Points for Obtaining a Business Manager Visa Certificate of Eligibility
Among the requirements explained above, the most difficult one to clearly grasp is likely demonstrating the legality, stability, and continuity of the business.
What exactly are the key review points? Let us look at each of them in detail.
1. Legality of the Business
Since the business will be operated in Japan, it must of course comply with Japanese law. Needless to say, the business itself must be lawful, but you should also confirm that there are no issues with supply routes, sales channels, and similar business relationships.
If you plan to operate a restaurant, accommodation business, liquor sales business, or other regulated business, permits and licenses will be required. Be sure to check in advance whether the business you plan to run requires any permits or licenses.
It is also important to note that once a company is established, enrollment in social insurance becomes mandatory. Even if the company has no employees and only the president is working there, enrollment in social insurance is still required.
2. Stability of the Business
Business stability is judged mainly based on the contents of the business plan.
If the products or services to be offered are not clearly defined and the plan is based only on vague ideas, the risk of denial becomes high. The business plan must clearly explain what products or services will be offered, at what price range, and to what type of customers.
Attaching contracts, memorandums of understanding, and similar documents exchanged with business partners can also help positively in assessing business stability.
If you already have prospective suppliers or customers, you should actively submit those materials.
The figures in the profit and loss projection are also extremely important. If the pricing of products, procurement costs, and selling, general, and administrative expenses are shown with reasonable figures, and profitability can be expected, the business can be judged to have sufficient stability.
On the other hand, if the financial projections are poorly prepared, the stability of the business will be questioned.
3. Continuity of the Business
Business continuity is mainly an issue at the time of visa renewal.
If the company falls into excess debt, the risk of renewal denial becomes high. To avoid this, make sure to prepare a solid profit and loss plan in advance.
4. Obtain an Evaluation from a Qualified Professional
For the business plan, confirmation by a person with specialized knowledge of business management is required.
A person with specialized business management knowledge means one of the following: a Certified Management Consultant, Certified Public Accountant, or Licensed Tax Accountant.
They will review whether the business plan is specific, reasonable, and feasible.
Renewal After Obtaining a Business Manager Visa Certificate of Eligibility
As mentioned above, the most important point at the time of renewal is to ensure that the company does not fall into excess debt.
Excess debt does not simply mean operating at a loss; it refers to a situation where total liabilities exceed total assets.
If a renewal application is filed while the company is in excess debt, the risk of denial is extremely high.
Even if the company is not in excess debt, it goes without saying that operating at a loss is not desirable.
If the financial statements are in the red, some additional support will likely be needed, such as submitting a revised business plan that reasonably demonstrates the path to returning to profitability.
It is also important to properly fulfill obligations such as enrollment in social insurance, payment of insurance premiums, and payment of taxes including income tax and corporate tax.
At Renewal, You Must Meet the Revised Approval Standards
You should also note that at the time of renewal, you are required to meet the approval standards that came into effect on October 16, 2025 (Reiwa 7).
Even those who obtained a Business Manager Visa before the revised law took effect must meet the revised standards when renewing in the future.
In particular, if the business scale requirement is not met—namely, capital or total investment of 30 million yen and at least one full-time employee—renewal may become difficult.
Please keep in mind that you may need to take measures such as increasing capital in a planned way before renewal.
Please Consult a Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist for Your Business Manager Visa
When applying for a Business Manager Visa, it is important to fully understand the key review points and prepare the application accordingly.
In particular, the business plan must be persuasive enough to satisfy immigration authorities.
In addition, preparing the articles of incorporation is likely to be extremely difficult for foreign nationals.
If you have any concerns about the visa application or company establishment procedures, we recommend first consulting a highly experienced certified administrative procedures legal specialist.
