The Startup Visa is not the final goal.
It is a preparation period for foreign entrepreneurs who want to build a real business in Japan.
It is a preparation period for foreign entrepreneurs who want to build a real business in Japan.
Many foreign entrepreneurs focus only on obtaining the Startup Visa.
However, the more important question is what happens after that.
However, the more important question is what happens after that.
If you want to continue living in Japan and operating your business after the Startup Visa period, you will usually need to move to another residence status, such as the Business Manager Visa or, in some cases, the Highly Skilled Professional Visa.
This article explains what foreign entrepreneurs should prepare during the Startup Visa period so that they do not face serious problems six months, one year, or two years later.
This article is for you if:
- You are considering applying for a Startup Visa in Japan
- You already obtained a Startup Visa and are preparing your next step
- You want to change from a Startup Visa to a Business Manager Visa
- You are considering whether the Highly Skilled Professional Visa may be possible
- You want to start a company in Japan but are not sure what to prepare first
- You want to avoid problems at the next immigration stage
Important: Approval of a Startup Visa does not mean approval of the next visa
The Startup Visa is designed to give foreign entrepreneurs time to prepare for starting a business in Japan. It does not guarantee that the applicant will later receive a Business Manager Visa or Highly Skilled Professional Visa.
During the Startup Visa period, you must build the evidence needed for the next stage. If you spend the period only living in Japan without preparing the business properly, the next application may become very difficult.
目次
- 1 What is the Startup Visa?
- 2 The Startup Visa is a preparation period, not a long-term solution
- 3 Why entrepreneurs get into trouble after the Startup Visa
- 4 What you should prepare during the Startup Visa period
- 4.1 1. Establish the company at the right timing
- 4.2 2. Secure a suitable business office
- 4.3 3. Prepare capital and fund-flow evidence
- 4.4 4. Improve the business plan
- 4.5 5. Build evidence of real business substance
- 4.6 6. Prepare your hiring plan and employee documents
- 4.7 7. Check the Japanese language requirement
- 4.8 8. Keep the local government plan and immigration plan consistent
- 4.9 9. If you aim for HSP, prepare points evidence early
- 5 Startup Visa to Business Manager Visa: What changes?
- 6 Suggested timeline during the first year of the Startup Visa
- 7 Common mistakes foreign entrepreneurs should avoid
- 8 Business Manager Visa or HSP: Which should you aim for?
- 9 Checklist before the Startup Visa period ends
- 10 Conclusion
- 11 Not sure which business visa route fits your plan?
- 12 Need help planning your next visa after the Startup Visa?
What is the Startup Visa?
The Startup Visa is a system that allows foreign entrepreneurs to stay in Japan for a limited period while preparing to establish and operate a business.
In general, a foreign national who wants to start and manage a business in Japan needs to meet the requirements for the Business Manager Visa. These requirements may include securing a proper business office, preparing a realistic business plan, establishing a company, proving business scale, and showing that the business can be operated continuously.
However, many entrepreneurs cannot complete everything before entering Japan. For example, it may be difficult to rent an office, open a bank account, hire staff, meet partners, or complete market research while still living overseas.
The Startup Visa helps solve this problem by giving eligible entrepreneurs a preparation period in Japan through a local government or approved organization.
The Startup Visa is a preparation period, not a long-term solution
The most common misunderstanding is thinking that the Startup Visa itself is the goal.
In reality, the Startup Visa should be understood as a bridge. It gives you time to prepare your business, but it is not usually the final residence status for operating a company in Japan over the long term.
If you want to continue your business in Japan after the Startup Visa period, you should usually prepare for one of the following routes:
- Changing to a Business Manager Visa
- Changing to a Highly Skilled Professional Visa, especially HSP (ha), if you meet the points and activity requirements
- Changing to another appropriate residence status depending on your business and personal situation
- Leaving Japan if the business plan does not become realistic
For this reason, the next visa strategy should be planned from the beginning, not shortly before the Startup Visa expires.
Key point
The Startup Visa gives you time. It does not replace the need to prepare a real business, proper office, funding evidence, accounting records, contracts, and a clear immigration strategy.
Why entrepreneurs get into trouble after the Startup Visa
Many problems happen because the entrepreneur focuses only on entering Japan, not on preparing the next application.
For example, an entrepreneur may obtain the Startup Visa and then spend several months looking for housing, adjusting to life in Japan, meeting people, and doing general research. These activities may be necessary, but they are not enough.
By the time the next application becomes urgent, the entrepreneur may realize that important documents and business evidence are still missing.
Problem 1
The company was not established early enough.
Problem 2
The business office was not secured or was not suitable for immigration purposes.
Problem 3
The source and movement of business funds were not documented clearly.
Problem 4
The business plan submitted to the local government and the explanation for immigration were not consistent.
Problem 5
The entrepreneur did not prepare employee, Japanese language, accounting, tax, or social insurance matters in time.
Problem 6
The entrepreneur waited until just before expiration to ask for professional help.
What you should prepare during the Startup Visa period
The Startup Visa period should be used strategically. The goal is not only to “start preparing,” but to create enough evidence to support the next residence status application.
The following points are especially important.
1. Establish the company at the right timing
If your next step is the Business Manager Visa, company establishment will usually be one of the central issues.
You should consider:
- Whether to establish a Kabushiki Kaisha or Godo Kaisha
- Who will be the representative director or representative member
- How much capital will be paid in
- How the funds will be transferred and recorded
- What business purposes should be included in the articles of incorporation
- Whether the company structure matches the business plan and visa strategy
Company registration itself does not guarantee visa approval. Immigration will examine whether the company supports a real and continuous business activity in Japan.
2. Secure a suitable business office
For a long-term business-related residence status, the business office is a very important issue.
During the Startup Visa period, some entrepreneurs may use facilities or support provided by the local government or startup support organization. However, when changing to the Business Manager Visa, you should check whether an independent and suitable business office is required for your case.
In general, you should prepare documents such as:
- Lease agreement
- Floor plan
- Photos of the office
- Explanation of how the office is used for the business
- Documents showing that business use is permitted
- Proof of office expenses, if already paid
Practical warning
A residential apartment, virtual office, coworking space, or shared facility may not always be sufficient for the Business Manager Visa. The suitability depends on the actual business, contract terms, exclusivity, equipment, and how the office is used.
3. Prepare capital and fund-flow evidence
Foreign entrepreneurs often focus on the amount of money, but immigration review is not only about the balance in the bank account.
You should be able to explain:
- Where the funds came from
- How the funds were accumulated
- Whether the funds came from salary, business income, investment, loan, gift, or asset sale
- How the money was transferred to Japan
- Whether the money was properly paid into the company
- Whether the capital is actually connected to the business plan
Documents may include bank statements, remittance records, income records, tax documents, loan agreements, gift agreements, sale contracts, corporate records, and explanations of the fund flow.
If a large amount of money suddenly appears shortly before the application without a clear explanation, immigration may ask additional questions.
4. Improve the business plan
A business plan for a Startup Visa may not be enough for the next immigration stage.
During the Startup Visa period, you should update the business plan based on actual progress in Japan.
Important points include:
- What problem your business solves
- Who your customers are
- How you will make revenue
- What products or services you will sell
- How you will acquire customers
- Who your suppliers, partners, or contractors are
- How funds will be used
- What you have already completed during the Startup Visa period
- What will happen after the next visa is approved
Key point
The business plan should not remain an abstract idea. It should become a document that shows a realistic business operation in Japan.
5. Build evidence of real business substance
Immigration will not look only at your idea. It will also examine whether the business has real substance.
During the Startup Visa period, you should try to build objective evidence, such as:
- Contracts with clients or suppliers
- Letters of intent
- Quotations and invoices
- Business meeting records
- Market research materials
- Product development records
- Website, product pages, or marketing materials
- Accounting records
- Sales records, if available
- Evidence of business negotiations in Japan
For example, if your business is e-commerce, you may need to explain sourcing, logistics, inventory, payment processing, customer acquisition, and sales channels. If your business is AI or software development, you may need to explain development progress, technical team, target users, revenue model, and commercialization schedule.
6. Prepare your hiring plan and employee documents
Depending on the applicable requirements and your visa route, employment may become an important issue.
For the Business Manager Visa, you should confirm whether you need to hire a full-time employee, what kind of employee qualifies, and what documents are required.
Possible documents include:
- Employment contract
- Job description
- Resident record of the employee, if required
- Documents showing wage payments
- Social insurance and labor insurance documents
- Explanation of why the employee is necessary for the business
If you wait until the end of the Startup Visa period to think about hiring, it may be too late to prepare the necessary documents.
7. Check the Japanese language requirement
After the 2025 reform of the Business Manager Visa standards, Japanese language ability became one of the important points to check.
In general, the applicant or a relevant full-time employee may need to show Japanese language ability equivalent to B2 or higher under the relevant Japanese language reference framework.
Examples of documents may include:
- JLPT N2 or higher certificate
- BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test score of 400 or higher
- Documents showing graduation from certain Japanese educational institutions
- Other documents accepted under the official rules
If you do not speak Japanese at the required level, you should consider whether a qualified employee can satisfy the language-related requirement. This should be planned early.
8. Keep the local government plan and immigration plan consistent
A Startup Visa application usually involves a local government or approved organization. A later Business Manager Visa or HSP application involves immigration review.
These are connected, but they are not the same process.
One common mistake is preparing one business story for the local government and a different story for immigration.
You should keep consistency in:
- Business purpose
- Business model
- Target customers
- Location
- Capital plan
- Office plan
- Hiring plan
- Timeline
- Revenue forecast
- Use of funds
If there are changes, they should be explained clearly and logically. Business plans may evolve, but unexplained inconsistency can weaken the application.
9. If you aim for HSP, prepare points evidence early
Some entrepreneurs may consider the Highly Skilled Professional Visa, especially HSP (ha), which relates to advanced business management activities.
However, HSP is not based on reputation alone. It is a points-based system, and the applicant must prepare evidence for each claimed point item.
Documents may include:
- Degree certificates
- Employment certificates
- Executive experience records
- Annual income evidence
- Japanese language certificates
- Documents related to innovation support measures, if applicable
- Documents proving the applicant’s role in the Japanese company
If you want to use HSP as your next route, you should calculate your points early and confirm whether the business activity itself fits the HSP category. Having a strong business background does not automatically mean that the HSP route is available.
Startup Visa to Business Manager Visa: What changes?
When you move from the Startup Visa to the Business Manager Visa, the review becomes more concrete.
At the Startup Visa stage, the focus is often on whether your business idea and preparation plan are acceptable under the local support program.
At the Business Manager Visa stage, immigration will usually look more closely at whether you have actually built the foundation of a real business in Japan.
| Point | Startup Visa stage | Next visa stage |
|---|---|---|
| Business plan | Plan and preparation may be central. | The plan should be realistic, updated, and supported by evidence. |
| Company | May still be in preparation depending on the program. | Company structure, registration, capital, and management role become important. |
| Office | Startup support facilities may be used in some cases. | A suitable business office should be secured according to the business scale and activity. |
| Funds | Funding plan may be examined. | Source of funds, capital payment, remittance records, and use of funds may become critical. |
| Business substance | Future business potential may be emphasized. | Actual progress, contracts, accounting, operations, and continuity become important. |
Suggested timeline during the first year of the Startup Visa
In many cases, the Startup Visa is first granted for one year. Although the system may allow a longer preparation period depending on the applicable program and renewal, foreign entrepreneurs should not wait until the end of the first year to prepare for the next residence status.
The first year should be used to build the foundation for the next step, such as the Business Manager Visa or, in some cases, the Highly Skilled Professional Visa. The goal is to create clear evidence that the business is becoming real, organized, and capable of continuing in Japan.
| Period | Main actions |
|---|---|
| Months 1–2 | Confirm the next visa route, review the business plan, check the requirements for the Business Manager Visa or HSP, prepare the incorporation strategy, and organize the fund-transfer plan. |
| Months 3–4 | Proceed with company establishment, prepare capital payment records, begin bank account and payment-service preparation, identify office options, and collect documents related to business funds and overseas business background. |
| Months 5–6 | Secure or narrow down the business office, prepare contracts or letters of intent with clients, suppliers, or partners, update the business plan based on actual progress, and organize accounting and tax matters. |
| Months 7–9 | Build evidence of business substance, such as sales records, business negotiations, product development progress, website or marketing materials, supplier documents, customer pipelines, operating expenses, and accounting records. |
| Months 10–11 | Finalize the next residence status strategy, prepare employee or Japanese language evidence if required, review consistency between local government documents and immigration documents, and prepare the application package for the next visa stage. |
| Before expiration | File the next residence status application or renewal-related procedure with a coherent explanation of business progress, funding, office, management role, actual activities, and future business plan. |
Important warning
Even if the Startup Visa may be extended beyond the first year under the applicable system, the first year should not be treated as a trial period with no documentation. It is the most important period for creating evidence for the next immigration application.
Common mistakes foreign entrepreneurs should avoid
Mistake 1
Thinking that the Startup Visa automatically leads to the Business Manager Visa.
Mistake 2
Using the Startup Visa period only for general research without creating objective business evidence.
Mistake 3
Preparing the local government application and immigration application as completely separate stories.
Mistake 4
Ignoring capital, remittance, source-of-funds, and accounting documents until the end.
Mistake 5
Assuming that a famous background, overseas company, or investor backing can replace the requirements for the Japanese business.
Mistake 6
Waiting too long to decide whether to aim for Business Manager Visa or HSP.
Business Manager Visa or HSP: Which should you aim for?
There is no single answer for all entrepreneurs.
The Business Manager Visa may be the main route if your focus is establishing and managing a company in Japan and you can satisfy the business-related requirements.
The Highly Skilled Professional Visa may be considered if your background, income, education, professional experience, and business management activity can meet the points-based requirements.
When choosing the route, you should review:
- Your academic background
- Your management experience
- Your expected annual income in Japan
- Your Japanese language ability
- Your business scale
- Your capital and funding evidence
- Your office and employee plan
- Your long-term goal, including permanent residency
A strong entrepreneur may still need careful planning. A good profile does not remove the need to prepare documents, satisfy requirements, and explain the business clearly.
Planning a Startup Visa or Business Manager Visa?
Try our free Japan Business Visa Route Navigator first.
This interactive tool helps you understand which visa route may be suitable for your situation
and gives you a general idea of our support fees.
If you need personalized advice, you can book a paid consultation afterward.
Checklist before the Startup Visa period ends
- Have you decided your next visa route?
- Have you established or prepared the company structure?
- Have you secured a suitable business office?
- Can you prove the source and movement of your business funds?
- Is your capital plan consistent with your business plan?
- Do you have contracts, clients, suppliers, or business negotiation records?
- Is your business plan updated based on your actual activities in Japan?
- Are the local government documents and immigration documents consistent?
- Have you prepared accounting, tax, social insurance, and labor-related documents where necessary?
- If you aim for HSP, have you calculated your points and collected evidence?
- If Japanese language ability is required, have you prepared proof?
- Have you reviewed the application timing before your current period of stay expires?
Conclusion
The Startup Visa is useful for foreign entrepreneurs who need time to prepare their business in Japan.
However, it is not the final goal.
However, it is not the final goal.
If you want to continue operating your business in Japan, you must use the Startup Visa period to prepare for the next residence status.
The most important points are company establishment, office preparation, funding evidence, business substance, updated business plan, employee and Japanese language requirements, and consistency between local government and immigration documents.
A Startup Visa can be a good first step. But the real question is whether you can build a business that supports the next visa application.
Official sources
FREE SELF-CHECK TOOL
Not sure which business visa route fits your plan?
If you are considering the Startup Visa, Business Manager Visa, Highly Skilled Professional Visa, or another business-related route, you can first use our Japan Business Visa Navigator to organize your possible options.
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PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT
Need help planning your next visa after the Startup Visa?
Trust Administrative Scrivener Office supports foreign entrepreneurs with Startup Visa strategy, Business Manager Visa applications, HSP route planning, business plan preparation, company establishment planning, and related immigration procedures in Japan.
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If you need advice for your specific visa, business, or immigration situation, please book a paid consultation.
Trust Administrative Scrivener Office
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