A “Business Manager” visa is a type of work visa obtained by foreigners who reside in Japan primarily to manage a company within Japan.
This page explains the requirements for obtaining a “Business Manager” visa.
- Requirements for obtaining the “Business Manager” status of residence
- Eligibility for residence status
- Compliance with landing permission criteria
- The applicant must have a place of business in Japan in order to operate the business pertaining to the application (if the business has not yet commenced, such as a new business, the applicant must have a facility in Japan to use as a place of business).
- The scale of the business related to the application must be above a certain level.
- ①Have 3 years or more of experience in business management or administration (including the period spent majoring in business management or administration at graduate school), and 2) receive the same or greater amount of remuneration as a Japanese national would receive in the same position.
- Conclusion
Requirements for obtaining the “Business Manager” status of residence
To obtain the “Business Manager” status of residence
- Eligibility for residence status
- Compliance with landing permission criteria
Two requirements must be met:
Eligibility for residence status
The “Business Manager” status of residence is recognized for activities to “manage trade or other businesses or engage in the management of such businesses in Japan.”
If you are not staying in Japan, such as when you simply acquire real estate in Japan for investment purposes or when you simply invest in a Japanese company from a foreign country, you will not be able to obtain a “Business Manager” status of residence.
1. Business Management
“Managing a business” means operating a business as a representative director or other officer.
Specific examples include:
- Establish a company in Japan with your own capital and engage as a representative director.
- Engaged as a representative director of a Japanese subsidiary of a foreign company
These activities include
2. Business management
“Business management” refers to managing the business of a department as an employee who oversees a company division, such as a department manager, branch manager, or factory manager. Examples include:
- Engaged as a branch manager of a Japanese branch of a foreign company
- Engaged in administrative work for a foreign company in Japan
These activities include
When applying to the immigration bureau, you will need to provide sufficient evidence that your activities fall under the above categories.
Depending on the content of your activities, you may also fall under the category of “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” or “Intra-company Transferee,” so it is important to carefully analyze the content of your activities.
Business suitability
One of the prerequisites for the eligibility of the “Business Manager” residence status is that the business that a foreigner is involved in managing must be proper. In other words, the business must comply with laws and regulations. Not only will a business that is illegal in the first place not be approved, but any business that requires a license or permit must obtain the relevant license or permit.
Specifically, you need to obtain the appropriate licenses and permits for the business you are managing and administering, such as a secondhand goods dealer license for trading used cars, a restaurant business license for running a restaurant, and a business license under the Inns and Hotels Act for running a hotel.
In addition to the above licenses and permits, if labor laws, social insurance enrollment obligations, and other laws and regulations are not complied with, the business will not be recognized as appropriate.
Business stability and continuity
The second prerequisite for eligibility for the “Business Manager” status of residence is that the business in which the foreigner is involved in management must be stable and continuous.
While it is a general requirement for all visa applications that the activities a foreigner engages in in Japan be stable and continuous, the requirements are particularly strict for “business manager” visas. This is thought to be because the judgment of whether the activities a foreigner engages in in Japan fall under the aforementioned activities and whether the business is stable and continuous are closely related.
When proving the stability and continuity of a business, the most important thing is whether the business is making a solid profit (whether it is operating in the black). This is usually proven by financial statements.
In the case of a new business that does not yet have a financial statement, a business plan is used to prove that the business will generate stable and continuous profits in the future. Therefore, in the case of a new business, it is no exaggeration to say that the quality of the business plan will determine whether or not a “Business Manager” visa will be granted, so it is necessary to prepare the business plan carefully.
Compliance with landing permission criteria
The landing permission criteria for “management” are as follows:
If all of the following are not met, compliance with the landing permission criteria will not be recognized.
(3) [Only if the application is for “business management”]
1) Have more than three years of experience in business management or administration (including the period spent majoring in business or administration-related subjects at graduate school)
2) Receive remuneration equal to or greater than that of a Japanese national doing the same job
The applicant must have a place of business in Japan in order to operate the business pertaining to the application (if the business has not yet commenced, such as a new business, the applicant must have a facility in Japan to use as a place of business).
This place of business can be company owned or rented property.
In the case of rented property, it must be clearly stated in the contract that the lessee is a corporate entity conducting business and that the purpose of use is “for business use,” “store,” “office,” etc.
In addition, “separate space” and “facilities” must be secured for the business.
To be considered an “independent space,” a room must actually exist for business use. For example, a room tha simply divided by partitions or a virtual office cannot be considered an “independent space.”t is
If a business is conducted using part of a property that is rented as a residence (such as a home office), the landlord must agree to the use for business purposes and there must be a clear distinction between the residential and business areas.
In order to be able to say that “facilities” are in place, it must first be possible to have the items necessary for a manager or administrator to carry out their activities.
At the very least, you will need equipment such as a computer, a printer, a telephone, and desks for each employee.
In addition, depending on the type of business, if there are things that are essential for carrying out the business, such as a warehouse or kitchen, these must also be provided.
The scale of the business related to the application must be above a certain level.
One of the following requirements must be met:
① In addition to the person engaged in management (the person applying for a “management” visa), there must be two or more full-time employees residing in Japan.
⇒ To be considered full-time, the working days must be at least 5 days a week and the working hours at least 30 hours a week.
In addition, those who fall under the category of “residing in Japan” are Japanese nationals, spouses or children of Japanese nationals, permanent residents, special permanent residents, spouses or children of permanent residents, and long-term residents. Please note that this does not include foreigners on work visas.
② The amount of capital or total investment is 5 million yen or more.
⇒ This requirement is based on the premise that the business will be run by a corporation, and is commonly known as the requirement for a “business manager” visa.
The foreign national applying for the “Business Manager” visa is not required to spend this 5 million yen. However, if the foreign national spends the money, it will be favorable for the judgment of the “credibility of the foreign national engaging in activities that qualify for the “Business Manager” visa.
Generally, the foreigner pays the fee themselves.
In addition, the origin of the 5 million yen will also be checked, so you will need to explain it in a statement of reasons, etc. This is to prevent people from borrowing 5 million yen from an acquaintance just to get through the application, and then immediately paying it back once approval is granted (a method similar to the “show money” method used in Japanese company formation).
Since item ① above exists, the business size requirement does not necessarily require an expenditure of 5 million yen, but in practice the business size requirement is almost always based on an expenditure of 5 million yen. This is because the total salary and social insurance premiums for two full-time employees usually exceed 5 million yen per year, and an expenditure of 5 million yen is often a smaller burden on the applicant.
③ It is recognized that the scale is equivalent to ① or ② above.
⇒Even if you do not meet either ① or ② above, if you are recognized as being equivalent, you will meet the business scale requirement.
for example,
- When a business with one full-time employee invests the cost of hiring another employee (generally about 2.5 million yen)
- In the case of a new business, expenses incurred for securing a place of business, directors’ remuneration and salaries of employees already employed, preparation of facilities, etc., are 5 million yen or more.
- In the case of a continuing business, continuous investment of 5 million yen or more is made
Some examples include:
①Have 3 years or more of experience in business management or administration (including the period spent majoring in business management or administration at graduate school), and 2) receive the same or greater amount of remuneration as a Japanese national would receive in the same position.
This requirement is only necessary if you are engaged in “management of a business.”
The three or more years of work experience includes the period spent majoring in business administration at a graduate school, so for example, if you have completed an MBA course, you can include the period spent as a graduate student.
The requirement of equal or greater compensation is intended to prevent unfavorable treatment of foreigners by making them work for less than Japanese workers.
If there are wage regulations, foreigners must be paid compensation in accordance with those regulations. If there are no wage regulations, foreigners must be paid a reasonable amount taking into account the compensation of Japanese people with the same job content and responsibilities.
Conclusion
This page explains the requirements for obtaining a “Business Manager” visa.
The “Business Manager” visa has a wide range of requirements and supporting documents that must be met, making it one of the most difficult visas to obtain.
If you are considering obtaining a “Business Manager” visa, we recommend that you consult with an experienced professional to consider your next steps.
