The Business Manager Visa and the office
In order to obtain approval for the Business Manager Visa, you must satisfy the “office conditions for the Business Manager Visa” stipulated by the Immigration Control Act.
This article explains the “points to note when signing an office lease,” which must be done before applying for the Business Manager Visa.
About the conditions for the place of business
To obtain the Business Manager Visa, a place of business in Japan is required. First, let’s check the requirements published by the Immigration Bureau.
- There is an independent office within Japan for conducting the business
- The office allows the business to be operated continuously
To obtain the Business Manager Visa, the above two requirements must be satisfied.
To qualify as an “independent office,” a single room must actually exist for business use. For example, a space merely partitioned within a room, or a virtual office, is not recognized as an “independent space.”
A home-cum-office is also, as a rule, not recognized.
Note that to obtain the Business Manager Visa, you will have at least a two-person structure of one company president plus one employee, so a small room intended for one person, like a telephone booth, cannot be used.
To qualify as “able to be operated continuously,” there must be a prospect of using the premises as a place of business over the long term. For example, using a short-term rental space leased by the month, or using a market stall or the like that can be easily disposed of, is not recognized as the business being operated continuously.
In addition, to operate a business, the “necessary facilities” must, of course, also be secured. First, items necessary to carry out activities as a manager, administrator, and employee are required—such as a computer, a printer, a telephone, and desks corresponding to the number of employees. In addition, if there are items indispensable to carrying out the business depending on its nature—such as a warehouse or a kitchen—those must also be provided.
In addition to securing premises that are recognized as a place of business, the following two points require attention when signing a contract for an office or store.
- Make the contract holder’s name at the time of the office contract the “corporate name”
- Make the purpose of use “business use”
If you conclude the contract under an individual’s name or with a residential purpose of use, a sublease consent form from the landlord or a consent form regarding use as an office is required. Otherwise, the office will not be recognized as having been properly secured.
Therefore, when concluding a lease agreement for an office or store, you must pay attention to the above two points.
