Hey everyone,
My wife and I (we're both 24) are currently planning our move to Japan and are seriously considering applying for the Business Manager Visa. We've been running online businesses in Europe and Latin America (dropshipping/e-commerce) and we’re now looking to set up something official in Japan — possibly a registered company focused on global online sales.
We’ve already done a lot of research and understand the general requirements:
– Registering a Japanese company
– Having an office space (even if a room in a house with its own entrance)
– 5 million JPY in a Japanese bank account
– A solid business plan
However, we’d love to hear from people who actually went through the process.
Especially:
– How long did the entire process take from start to visa in hand?
– How much did it cost you in total (lawyers, registration, office, etc.)?
– Any challenges or surprises?
– Did anyone here manage to do this while still living outside Japan, or did you move first?
– Would you recommend an immigration lawyer or agency that actually helped you?
We’re committed to making this work and know it’s not the easiest route, but we’d rather build something meaningful and long-term than constantly renew tourist or freelancer statuses.
If you’ve done this before, your experience could really help guide us and others going through the same.
Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their story.
by BusyCommunication225