Japan Startup Visa

Japan’s Startup Visa is a Designated Activities residence status for foreign founders who need time in Japan before they can qualify for a standard Business Manager visa. It’s not a tourist status and it’s not meant for casual business visits. The point is simple: get on the ground, work on the startup and move toward the stricter long-term visa rules later.

The visa is built for entrepreneurs who have a real plan and local backing. Applicants need support from a municipality or another organization approved by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a Foreign Entrepreneurship Promotion Organization and they have to submit a startup preparation plan for review.

That matters because the Startup Visa is tied to a business pathway, not sightseeing. It can cover preparatory work like market research, incorporation, fundraising and hiring, which wouldn't fit a standard Temporary Visitor stay.

• Who it’s for: Foreign nationals who intend to start and manage a business in Japan.
• Local support: You need backing from an approved municipality or support organization.
• Business goal: The plan should show you’re working toward Business Manager status.

The big draw is time. Japan’s current Startup Visa framework allows a cumulative stay of up to two years while you prepare the business, though the first grant is often shorter and renewals depend on local review. That’s a lot more breathing room than a 90-day tourist stay, but it still isn’t a free pass.

Local rules can be pretty specific. Tokyo, for example, focuses on businesses that support the city’s international competitiveness, while Osaka, Hokkaido and Fukuoka run their own versions of the program with different document and sector requirements. Some official pages still show older six-month wording, so check the local authority you plan to use instead of trusting a stale national page.

If you’re comparing it with a Temporary Visitor stay, the difference is night and day. Tourist status is for short visits and doesn’t cover the kind of startup prep the visa is meant for, while the Startup Visa is explicitly designed as a bridge into Japan’s Business Manager category.

Who qualifies

Japan’s Startup Visa is a Designated Activities status for foreign entrepreneurs who need time to set up a real business in Japan. The official guidance says it can let you stay for up to two years while you prepare to launch, but the exact setup varies by municipality and the approved support organization behind your application.

There’s no single nationwide checklist that fits every city. METI says you have to apply through a municipality or a private organization approved by the Japanese government and you’ll need a business plan plus other documents for both the local review and the immigration review.

In plain terms, you’re a fit for this visa if you’re serious about starting a business in Japan and can work with one of the approved local partners. The government pages don’t show a universal income minimum, a fixed personal-funds threshold or a national age limit for this category. Those details can change depending on where you apply.

• Main applicant: A foreign entrepreneur applying through an approved municipality or support organization.
• Business requirement: A business plan and supporting documents that show you’re preparing a real company.
• Local support: Backing from a municipality in Japan, as required by the Foreign Ministry guidance.

Nationality doesn’t appear to be restricted on the central government pages I reviewed, but your passport can still affect paperwork at the embassy or consulate. MOFA specifically says Chinese nationals and some other applicants may need extra documents, so the embassy checklist matters.

Spouses and children can usually come with you. MOFA says the entrepreneur’s spouse or child may apply and they can do so without a Certificate of Eligibility, though the ministry still recommends getting one.

The Startup Visa is basically a runway, not a finish line. METI says it’s meant to bridge you to Business Manager status, which usually means getting an office and meeting the rest of that visa’s requirements later.

• Best for: Founders who need time in Japan before qualifying for Business Manager status.
• Not a fit for: People looking for a fixed national fee, a single income rule or a quick permanent solution.
• Next step: Switch to Business Manager once the company setup is in place.

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Japan’s Startup Visa is a municipality-backed Designated Activities status and that local piece matters. There isn’t one single national checklist. The exact documents depend on the municipality or promotion organization you apply through, so you have to check their rules before you file anything.

On the national side, the basic embassy or consulate packet is pretty short. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists these core items:

• Passport: Your current passport.
• Visa application form: One form or two if you’re from Russia, a CIS country or Georgia.
• Photo: One photo or two for applicants from Russia, CIS countries or Georgia.
• Certificate of Eligibility: The original or one copy. If it’s electronic, bring a printed copy.
• Extra documents for Chinese nationals: A copy of the Chinese Family Register and a Temporary Residence Permit or Residence Certificate if the family register isn’t in the relevant jurisdiction.

That’s the minimum for the visa filing itself. MOFA also says additional documents may be required depending on nationality, so local embassy instructions can change the list again.

The startup-stage review is where the paperwork gets messier. METI says you first apply to an approved municipality or private organization with a business plan and other documents, then that body reviews your plan before immigration does. The government doesn’t publish one nationwide startup-stage checklist and it doesn’t give a fixed income or funds threshold on the official pages reviewed. So if a municipality asks for financial statements, tax records, incorporation papers or a detailed office plan, that’s coming from the local program, not a single national template.

Some things are still unclear at the national level. The official startup-visa pages don’t list a startup-specific health insurance document, don’t confirm a nationwide police certificate requirement and don’t give a fixed passport-validity rule beyond the general warning that insufficient passport validity or visa space can lead to rejection. They also don’t publish a verified startup-visa fee amount. Standard visa fees are usually paid in cash in local currency and if the visa isn’t issued, there’s no visa issuance fee.

Processing can take time because there are two layers of review. MOFA says the standard visa examination period is about five working days once accepted, but it can take weeks or longer if extra documents or interviews are needed. For the Startup Visa, that local review plus the immigration review means the full process is usually slower than a regular short-stay filing.

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Japan doesn’t publish one national price tag for the Startup Visa. The program runs through local municipalities, so the practical costs depend on the city, your nationality and whether you file inside Japan or through a Japanese mission abroad.

The biggest fixed government fees are pretty straightforward. A visa sticker at an embassy or consulate is usually around ¥3,000 for a single-entry visa and ¥6,000 for a multiple-entry visa, though the exact amount can shift by nationality and local mission policy. Japan doesn’t list a special sticker fee just for the Startup Visa, so you’ll need to confirm the final number with the embassy or consulate handling your case.

• Visa sticker fee: Usually about ¥3,000 for single-entry and ¥6,000 for multiple-entry.
• Change of status: ¥6,000 for paper filing or ¥5,500 for online filing.
• Extension of stay: ¥6,000 for paper filing or ¥5,500 for online filing.
• Certificate of Eligibility: No government filing fee charged to the applicant.

If you’re already in Japan and extending your Designated Activities period or later switching into Business Manager status, those Immigration Services Agency fees apply each time. The fee increase that took effect on April 1, 2026, also applies to online filings, which saves a few hundred yen but not much else.

Local program costs are murkier. METI says each municipality can set its own requirements and document rules and the official English pages for places like Tokyo, Kyoto and Fukuoka don’t clearly publish a standard application fee for reviewing the startup plan. In plain English, that usually means the municipal review is free, but the government doesn’t state that cleanly enough to call it a universal rule.

Budget for the real-life extras too. Once you register as a resident, you’ll usually need National Health Insurance and municipal premiums can land anywhere from roughly ¥10,000 to ¥30,000 a month depending on income and city. None of that's Startup Visa specific, but it’s money you’ll likely pay if you’re actually living in Japan.

The other big number isn’t a fee, it’s the business hurdle waiting at the end of the road. To move into Business Manager status, Japan now expects ¥30 million in capital, which is about $200,000 to $210,000 depending on exchange rates. That’s not what the Startup Visa itself costs, but it’s the price of graduating from it.

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Japan’s Startup Visa isn’t filed at an embassy first. The process starts in Japan, with an approved municipality or a private support body that’s been authorized as a Foreign Entrepreneurship Promotion Organization.

Here’s the basic flow. You submit your business plan and the supporting paperwork to that local organization, it screens the proposal, then issues a confirmation certificate for startup-preparation activity if you’re approved. After that, you take that certificate to the Immigration Services Agency or a regional immigration office and apply for the residence status.

Tokyo and Osaka both use that same two-step structure. Tokyo’s official guide routes applicants through BDC Tokyo before the immigration filing, while Osaka has applicants file the startup-preparation plan with the city’s support counter first, then move on to Osaka Immigration after the certificate is issued.

What you usually need to submit

• Startup-preparation activity plan: This is the main business plan and it needs enough detail to survive local screening.
• Supporting explanation materials: Add anything that helps explain the model, market and next steps.
• Resume: The municipality wants to see your background and relevant experience.
• Passport copy: Bring a clear copy for the initial filing.
• Living-expense proof: Osaka asks for proof of funds for 1 year after landing or status change.
• Residence proof: Osaka also asks for proof of where you’ll live for that same 1-year period.
• Anti-crime pledge: Osaka lists this as part of the submission set.

Processing isn’t fast. Tokyo says the plan review takes about one to two months, while Osaka says the full startup-visa process takes at least five months after eligibility is confirmed. That’s local processing time, not a single nationwide deadline.

The Startup Visa is generally tied to Designated Activities status for business preparation. METI says the visa can cover up to two years total, though Tokyo’s local flow still uses a one-year initial status with renewal steps and Osaka says the initial stay is 1 year with extensions possible up to 2 years total under the revised rules.

There’s no officially confirmed nationwide Startup Visa fee on the government pages reviewed here. The same goes for a single fixed financial threshold, because the requirements can vary by municipality or support organization. Once you’re ready for the long-term move, the next step is usually Business Manager status, which is a much tougher ask.

Japan’s Startup Visa is a temporary runway, not a long-term residence by itself. Under the national framework, METI says foreign entrepreneurs can stay in Japan for up to two years under a Designated Activities status while they get a business ready for the standard Business Manager visa.

The catch is that the exact stay period depends on the municipality backing you. METI doesn’t spell out a single national rule for how long the first grant lasts or how many renewals you can get, only that local governments and approved organizations handle the details and that the total stay can’t go past the two-year ceiling.

How renewal works

Tokyo gives the clearest example. If your startup plan is approved there, you normally get a one-year Designated Activities stay. Before that period runs out, you can apply to renew your startup preparation plan, but Tokyo will only approve it if it looks likely you’ll meet the Business Manager requirements within the next six months.

• Renewal application: Startup Preparation Activity Plan Renewal Confirmation Application and Consent Form, plus an updated plan.
• Identity documents: Resume and passport copy.
• Proof of living arrangements: Documents showing your address for the six months after renewal, such as a provisional lease contract or both sides of your resident card.
• Proof of funds: Bank passbook copies or other documents showing you can cover accommodation costs for the renewed period.
• Extra materials: Anything the municipality asks for, including a Japanese language certificate if needed.

Tokyo’s portal says the initial review usually takes about one to two months. It doesn’t give a fixed fee for the renewal confirmation and METI doesn’t publish a national fee schedule for the Startup Visa either.

What happens after the Startup Visa

The Startup Visa isn’t meant to be renewed forever. It’s a bridge to the Business Manager status once you’ve secured things like office space and the rest of the normal requirements. After that, you’re back in the standard residence system, where longer renewals, permanent residence and naturalization follow Japan’s regular immigration rules.

One thing the official pages don’t promise is that Startup Visa time automatically counts toward permanent residence. They don’t say it does and they don’t say it doesn’t, so don’t build a PR plan around that assumption.

Japan’s Startup Visa doesn’t come with a special tax break. It’s an immigration status, not a tax category, so your tax bill is handled under the normal Japanese rules for residents and non-residents.

That matters more than the visa label. If you’re in Japan with a real home base, a local address and day-to-day business activity, you may be treated as a tax resident even if you haven’t spent a full year in the country yet. Japan’s tax system looks at domicile and residence, not just the length of your stay.

Here’s the basic split the National Tax Agency uses:

• Non-resident: taxed only on Japan-source income.
• Non-permanent resident: taxed on Japan-source income, foreign-source income paid in Japan and foreign income remitted to Japan.
• Resident other than a non-permanent resident: taxed on worldwide income.

For most foreign Startup Visa holders in their first years, the awkward middle category is the one that matters. If you’re a non-permanent resident, keeping foreign income offshore can matter, but once money is brought into Japan, it can become taxable here. Japan also applies ordinary tax treaty relief and foreign tax credits where a double-tax treaty exists, so you may not be stuck paying full tax twice on the same income.

The common “183-day rule” gets mentioned a lot, but it’s not Japan’s domestic tax test. A short stay doesn’t automatically make you a non-resident and a longer stay doesn’t magically make you one either. The real question is where your life is actually based.

There’s also no separate Startup Visa tax regime hidden in the fine print. Official immigration materials focus on the right to stay and prepare a business, not on lower tax rates or exemptions. If someone tells you the Startup Visa comes with special tax treatment, they’re overselling it.

If your plan is to spend serious time in Japan under this visa, speak to a tax adviser before you start moving money around. The first year is where mistakes tend to happen and Japan’s tax residency rules don’t forgive sloppy assumptions.