Japan Startup Visa requirements for foreign entrepreneurs

METI provides system information and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry certifies implementing bodies. A certified implementing body confirms the startup-preparation plan, checks the requirement outlook at renewal, and issues the plan-confirmation certificate. A regional immigration bureau separately examines the grant or renewal of residence status under the criteria current at application. The current framework reflects the requirements effective October 16, 2025, and the implementing-body list was updated June 8, 2026. Target areas, eligible fields, submission methods, and deadlines differ by body, so use the official list to find and contact the body responsible for the intended area.

Who it is for

• The applicant is a foreign entrepreneur carrying out startup preparation in the target area of a body certified by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. A national framework does not mean that an applicant can use any municipal office or one central application route. The applicant resides in Japan during preparation and checks the target area and eligible field set by the responsible body.
• For the initial startup-preparation plan, ordinarily within one year, the applicant must expect to have at least one qualifying full-time employee, at least JPY 30,000,000 in business property, and a domestic business office. All three belong to the same plan-confirmation outlook. The one-year horizon is not a residence period granted by immigration.
• At application, the applicant must have at least one year of management experience OR a relevant doctoral, master's, or professional degree. The applicable alternative is checked at application.
• The experience-or-degree branch and the employee, business-property, and domestic-office conditions belong to startup-preparation plan confirmation. They are not the complete final criteria for Business Manager residence status. Immigration separately applies its current criteria at the time of application.
• Target area, eligible business field, submission method, and application deadline differ by certified implementing body. Do not infer a universal field or fixed document list from this article; confirm the current procedure and requested documents with the body for the intended area.

Points to note

• JPY 30,000,000 is required business property for plan confirmation, not a cash grant or a business loan paid to the applicant. The Japan Startup Visa is neither a cash-subsidy nor a business-financing program.
• The maximum startup-preparation period is two years combined, including residence under the former special-zone program. This is a combined cap, not a guaranteed two-year grant of residence status or guaranteed renewal.
• The ordinary one-year horizon for the initial plan and the six-month requirement outlook at renewal are separate plan-confirmation periods. Neither statement specifies the residence period that the regional immigration bureau will actually grant or renew.

For the initial plan, ordinarily within one year, the applicant expects to have at least one qualifying full-time employee, at least JPY 30,000,000 in business property, and a domestic business office. The applicant also has at least one year of management experience OR a relevant doctoral, master's, or professional degree, and resides in Japan during preparation. At renewal, the certified implementing body checks whether the requirements are expected to be met within six months, while the regional immigration bureau separately examines renewal. The maximum startup-preparation period is two years combined, including former special-zone residence. The plan-confirmation certificate is valid for three months from issuance. Before applying, confirm the body-specific target area, field, submission method and deadline, as well as the documents currently requested, directly with that body.

How it works

1. Use METI's official list to find the certified implementing body whose target area covers the planned startup. Ask that body directly about its area, eligible fields, submission method, requested documents, and current deadline. Do not apply through an arbitrary municipal office or this private site.
2. Submit the startup-preparation plan to the approved implementing body. The body confirms the plan and issues the plan-confirmation certificate. At renewal, the approved implementing body checks whether the requirements are expected to be met within six months. It does not grant or renew residence status.
3. The plan-confirmation certificate is valid for three months from issuance. Use the certificate to file an application with the responsible regional immigration bureau during that validity period. The bureau separately examines the grant or renewal of residence status, so the certificate alone does not decide the outcome.