[Foreigners Freelance Visa] A Status of Residence Guide for Running a Sole Proprietorship in Japan｜Freelance Visa Japan

We are receiving more inquiries from foreigners who wish to learn which status of residence they can obtain to work in Japan as freelancers (sole proprietors).

In particular, following the tightening of the Business Manager status, some people are not planning to meet requirements such as a 30 million JPY investment and hiring full-time staff, yet still wish to continue their own business as sole proprietors. For them, obtaining a status of residence as a freelancer can be one option.

This page organizes—in an easy-to-understand way—the statuses of residence that foreigners can obtain to work as freelancers. From “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services,” which allows work through service contracts/outsourcing, to “Business Manager,” which suits starting a business and company management, to “Highly Skilled Professional,” which offers preferential treatment, we explain the differences and how to choose among them. We also cover, from a practical standpoint, the points emphasized in screening—contract continuity, income stability, and tax/social insurance/tax return practices—as well as common pitfalls that lead to refusals.

1. Comparison of the main statuses of residence used for freelance activities

In this section, we compare—in a table—the representative statuses of residence used when foreigners engage in freelance activities in Japan.

First, confirm whether your working style is
① primarily outsourcing from companies (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services),
② operating your own business (Business Manager), or
③ meeting the requirements for highly skilled personnel (Highly Skilled Professional).

Use “Suitable Cases” to determine your entry point, and “Key Points” to understand the core of approval (continuity of contracts and stable income, office framework, point calculation, etc.). Under “Notes,” we organize items that become requirements in immigration screening, such as clarifying the main contracting client when receiving from multiple companies, evidence of substantive operations, and job suitability.

Typically, people start by building a track record through outsourcing work under Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, and then switch to Business Manager when they expand in scale and hire full-time staff.

Alternatively, if you can score 70 points or more as a highly skilled person, we recommend obtaining Highly Skilled Professional due to its various benefits.

2. Key points for obtaining Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (contract-based) as a freelancer

1. Activities eligible for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services

Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (hereinafter, “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”) can be approved not only for employment contracts but also for outsourcing/service contracts, provided the work involves “specialized tasks requiring knowledge in humanities/social sciences or natural sciences,” or “tasks based on foreign ways of thinking (translation/interpretation/overseas business, etc.)”.

What matters is not the “form of the contract” but the substance and continuity of the work. IT development, web/app production, design, marketing planning, consulting, interpretation/translation, technical documentation, and trade/overseas relations are typical examples, while simple labor (manual work, customer service only, warehouse work, etc.) falls outside the scope.

When applying under a contract, first clarify your main contracting client (largest client) and prepare explanatory materials equivalent to a certificate of authorized employment or a letter of reasons for employment, centering on that company.

Receiving from multiple companies is advantageous as evidence of income stability, but screening will stumble if the sponsor’s position is unclear.

Even if the contract term is monthly or renewed every three months, you can explain continuity by showing renewal records, future order prospects, annual sales plans, and pipelines (quotes and planned orders). Invoices, payment records, contracts, job descriptions that clarify the scope of work (SOW/specifications), and deliverables/portfolios are essential supporting materials.

2. Requirements for obtaining Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services

1. Activity suitability

The work must fall under tasks requiring specialized knowledge studied at universities, etc., in natural sciences or humanities/social sciences, or under “tasks based on foreign ways of thinking” (e.g., interpretation/translation, overseas relations, overseas marketing). Since simple work (warehouse tasks, on-site labor, customer service only, etc.) is outside the scope, make sure your job description clearly shows the intellectual, specialized, and planning nature at the core of the duties. Suitability becomes easier to convey by explaining “what knowledge/theory you use and what results you deliver.”

2. Consistency of education/work experience

It is desirable that your educational background (university, junior college, professional diploma, etc.) or a commensurate number of years of practical experience in the field be consistent with the tasks you undertake. Show the correspondence of education/experience ↔ duties (e.g., information science degree → system development; business/economics → marketing planning; language/international studies → interpretation/translation). When expanding into fields without prior experience, supplement with bridging materials such as qualifications, completion of training, or proof-of-concept results.

3. Clarifying the main contracting client

Although receiving work from multiple companies is possible, in practice it is common to identify the largest client as the main contracting client and position it as your sponsor. Organize the contract with the main client, records of orders/acceptance, scope of responsibilities, and prospects for renewal to demonstrate the stability of the relationship. If the main client is unclear, the continuity assessment weakens.

4. Contract continuity

Even with monthly or three-month renewals, you can be evaluated favorably if you can explain the likelihood of continuous orders. Specifically, present renewal records, next-period estimates/order prospects, annual sales plans, and whether you have long-term maintenance/operations or retainer contracts, all in chronological order. Continuity equals “future outlook” shown in writing.

5. Income stability

Even if monthly revenue fluctuates, it suffices to explain a stable annual compensation outlook. As a rough benchmark, compensation should be appropriate for a specialist (e.g., annual income of 3 million JPY or more), and demonstrating consistency with your skills, difficulty level, and workload will increase persuasiveness. Visualizing the ratio of continuous contracts and the sales breakdown of major clients is also effective.

6. Ensuring independence

Whether you work from home or on-site, it is important that command/control and work management do not become too close to employment. As outsourcing/consignment, clarify in the contract your discretion in executing tasks, definitions and acceptance criteria for deliverables, permissibility of subcontracting, and ownership of results. If the actual situation leans toward simple labor or de facto dispatch/employment, the risk of denial rises.

7. Clarifying job content

Use a Statement of Work (SOW), specifications, and job descriptions to make explicit the knowledge/technology, tools, standards/frameworks, deliverables, quality criteria, and division of roles. Avoid vague expressions such as “support” and “assistance,” and detail to a level where the basis of expertise can be read.

8. Organizing supporting materials

Prepare in chronological order your outsourcing contracts, purchase orders/quotes, specifications, acceptance certificates, invoices, payment records (bankbook copies, etc.), deliverables/portfolios, and client evaluations. Creating “project cards” for the main 3–5 projects (overview, period, amount, deliverables, degree of involvement) makes it easier for reviewers to grasp the overall picture.

9. Proper tax and social insurance

Submitting a notification of opening a sole proprietorship, applying for blue return (optional but recommended), proper bookkeeping and tax filing, consistency of taxation/payment certificates, and enrollment/payment status for pension and health insurance are the foundation for renewals and permanent residence. If there are unpaid or delinquent items, complete the payments and document preventative measures (e.g., direct debit, enrolling in social insurance). Prepare applicable制度 such as consumption tax registration in advance.

10. Good conduct requirements

Organize your legal compliance history (no serious violations), the presence/extent of traffic violations, and fulfillment of various notification obligations (e.g., change of residence). If violations exist, explain the facts and specific recurrence prevention measures, showing remorse and the effectiveness of improvements.

11. Actual residence (base in Japan)

Demonstrate that your primary place of activity is in Japan and that there is nothing unnatural about your residence/employment reality or entry/exit history. Gather evidence that you have a life base in Japan such as lease agreements, utility bills, the bank account receiving salary/sales deposits, tax domicile, and family’s schooling/medical care. If there are many long absences, also explain their purposes/durations and the continuity of your domestic base.

3. Required documents when obtaining Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services

When assembling your submission, present it in the order of:
① Profile (education, work history, qualifications, portfolio)
② Job content (scope of duties, technical elements, value provided)
③ Contracts/sales plan (main contracting client, contract period, renewal records, annual sales outlook, payment records)
④ Compliance (opening notification, blue return, tax/pension/health insurance)
⑤ Future outlook (continuous orders, scaling plan, quality management system).
This narrative structure makes it easier for reviewers to read.

It is also effective to summarize charts (project list, order schedule, income trends, breakdown of major clients) on 1–2 pages.

For more details on obtaining Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, please see the page below.

Requirements Guide for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services

Requirements guide for the status of residence “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services.”

3. Key points for obtaining Business Manager (start-up/company management) as a freelancer

If you operate your own business, this is the relevant status. Screening focuses on evidence for business plans, office, personnel, and funds—that is, substantive operations. If your scale will grow and you will hire, this status has high value.

However, Business Manager was significantly tightened by ministerial ordinance revisions effective October 16, 2025.

The main points are as follows.

These are confirmed matters based on the Ministry of Justice/Immigration Services Agency’s revision outline and announcement materials.

For details, please see the page below.

[2025 Law Revision Ready] Requirements Guide for Business Manager

Explains the evidentiary points for substantive operations such as business plans, office, and hiring.

4. Key points for obtaining Highly Skilled Professional as a freelancer

Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) is a system that grants broader activities and various benefits than ordinary employment-type statuses to highly skilled personnel who meet certain criteria (points) based on academic background, work history, income, etc.

It presupposes engaging in advanced activities such as research/professional/management. Even in a freelance format, it can be utilized if you can prove “activity suitability” and “point totals.”

Points generally consist of academic background (master’s/doctorate, etc.) years of practical experience in the specialty expected annual income (total of contract amounts) research achievements/awards/patents/professional qualifications age Japanese language ability. Before applying, design which evidence will add how many points.

For freelancers, instead of employment contracts, show contracts with the main contracting client, annual order prospects, and invoice/payment records to demonstrate the income requirement and continuity. Clarify expertise, value provided, and how deliverables are managed in an activity plan to improve pass rates.

Benefits include longer periods of stay, simplified residence procedures, relaxed employment for spouses, eased conditions for children’s schooling and parents’ accompaniment (under certain requirements), and flexibility for concurrently engaging in multiple specialized activities or changing jobs. In the future, once requirements are met, a shortened route to permanent residence is an additional major attraction.

For more on the status of residence “Highly Skilled Professional,” please see the page below.

Point System Guide for Highly Skilled Professional

Point calculation, benefits, and notes when engaging in freelance activities.

5. Common misunderstandings and refusal risks when foreigners work as freelancers

In this section, we systematically organize common misunderstandings and typical risks that lead to refusals when applying for or renewing a status of residence as a freelancer.

As a major premise, statuses of residence assess “activity content,” not “contract form.” In other words, whether it is employment or contracting is a secondary issue; the core is that the duties you engage in fall within the applicable scope of each status (specialization, intellectual nature, and level of abstraction in duties). If you err here, you may not be evaluated positively no matter how many contracts or how much revenue you have.

1. Misunderstanding that “it must be employment”

It is possible to obtain approval through outsourcing/service contracts. However, proving continuity and stable income is indispensable. Collections of one-off or short-term spot projects tend to be disadvantageous. Determine your main contracting client (largest client), then reinforce with materials such as records of contract renewals, future order prospects, annual sales plans, and the presence of long-term maintenance/advisory contracts.

Bundle invoices, payment records, contracts, specifications (SOW), and portfolios in chronological order to increase persuasiveness.

2. Misunderstanding that “sole proprietorship means absolute freedom”

Being a sole proprietor does not mean you can engage in fieldwork, simple labor, manual work, or customer-service-centered tasks. You must show that your activities match the applicable work for the status of residence (e.g., for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services: planning/development/translation/overseas relations based on specialized knowledge) and that your education/practical experience aligns with your duties. When expanding into areas without prior experience, it is standard practice to create a “bridge” with qualifications, training completions, or results from trial operations.

3. Neglecting tax/social insurance/tax filing

One of the most common refusal reasons for freelancers is non-compliance. Certificates of taxation/payment, enrollment and payment status for pension and health insurance are the backbone of renewals and permanent residence. Non-payment, arrears, or non-enrollment can be fatal. Before applying, complete the notification of opening a business and the application for approval of blue return, organize your books/receipts, set up direct debit, and complete payment of any arrears and obtain evidence.

If you have incorporated, proper handling of withholding income tax/consumption tax/social insurance and separation of company and personal funds are also essential.

4. Sporadic orders and low unit prices

If you mainly handle one-off, low-priced projects, reviewers may doubt the profitability expected of a professional. Even if monthly income fluctuates, you can compensate for weak continuity by explicitly showing the annual landing outlook, the presence of retainers/long-term maintenance, phased ordering roadmaps, and pipelines of quotes/planned orders. Also document the basis for pricing (workload, skills, market rates, difficulty of deliverables).

5. The reality leans toward on-site dispatch or fieldwork

Approval cases exist even with SES/on-site projects, but you must clarify—by contract—your independence as outsourcing/consignment (ownership of deliverables, discretion in tasks, permissibility of subcontracting, acceptance standards, chain of command), and demonstrate through specifications and deliverables that your value provided is intellectual work. If site operations are substantially close to employment or become simple labor, the risk of denial increases.

6. Gap between education/experience and duties

Screening emphasizes the “fit between the person and the job.” If your major, work history, and qualifications are not connected to your duties, specify technical elements in the job description, the theories/frameworks used, and the difficulty of outcomes. Bridge gaps with qualification acquisition, course completions, and PoC results. Letters of recommendation and client evaluations are also effective.

7. Handling of work-from-home/cross-border remote work

Remote-centered work is acceptable. However, clarify your setup for base/equipment/information management, substitute methods for processes requiring face-to-face interaction, and handling of personal/confidential information. If you have many overseas clients, it is essential to organize the flow of funds (SWIFT, Payoneer, etc.), governing law for contracts, and tax domicile.

8. Status mismatch during scale-up

If sales and personnel increase and you transition to a substantive operation where you employ others and run a business, consider the timing to switch to Business Manager. If managerial activities become central under the framework of Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, that is inconsistent. Conversely, if you downsize and cannot maintain the requirements for Business Manager (office, hiring, capital, etc.), renewals may become difficult.

9. Weakness in how materials are “presented”

Even if the content is good, scattered materials will not convey your case well.

The recommended consistent story is:
(1) Profile (education, work history, qualifications)
(2) Job content (SOW/deliverables)
(3) Contracts & sales (main contracting client, renewal records, annual outlook, payment records)
(4) Compliance (tax, pension, health insurance)
(5) Future plan (continuous orders, expansion plan).
A 1–2 page digest of a timeline/project list/income trends/client breakdown is also effective.

• Do your duties clearly fall within the applicable work for the status of residence?
• Can you present the main contracting client and renewal records/prospects?
• Are contracts, invoices/payments, specifications, and portfolios organized in chronological order?
• Do you have an annual sales outlook and a pipeline (quotes/planned orders)?
• Are taxation/payment certificates and enrollment/payment for pension/health insurance in order (arrears cleared)?
• Can you explain the basis for pricing/unit prices?
• Regardless of on-site or remote, can you demonstrate independence and intellectual nature by contract/operations?
• Do you have a plan for choosing statuses in line with scale changes (Business Manager or Highly Skilled Professional)?

In conclusion, what determines approval for freelancers is the trio of ① proof of expertise (suitability) × ② proof of continuity (main contracting client sales plan) × ③ proof of compliance (tax/social insurance/tax filing). If any one is weak, the risk of refusal jumps. Conversely, organizing these three over time and presenting the materials as a coherent narrative will greatly enhance the stability of your residence.

6. Freelance visa FAQs for foreigners

Can I work without an employment contract?

Yes. Contract-based work such as outsourcing/service contracts is possible (e.g., Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services). The keys are proving job suitability, continuity, and income stability.

Is it okay to receive orders from multiple companies?

In practice, it often works positively, but clarify your main contracting client (largest client) and organize the sponsor’s position.

Are tax filing and social insurance required?

Yes. Proper tax/social insurance/tax filing directly affects renewals and permanent residence. If there are arrears or non-payments, complete them and then adjust the application timing.

What if my scale grows in the future?

If you develop into substantive operations accompanied by hiring and equipment, consider switching to Business Manager.

7. Summary of visas for foreign freelancers

This page has organized the statuses of residence that become options when foreigners work as freelancers in Japan.

If you work on a contract basis in specialized fields, choose “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services.” If you develop into operations that involve starting a business and hiring, choose “Business Manager.” If you meet requirements with advanced academic background and income, choose “Highly Skilled Professional.”

The trio that determines approval is ① job suitability, ② continuity of contracts and income stability, and ③ proper tax/social insurance/tax filing. It is important to show the main contracting client and annual outlook and to organize evidence in chronological order.

If your scale grows in the future, switching to Business Manager is effective, and if you meet requirements, leveraging the preferential treatment of Highly Skilled Professional is also effective.

In our free consultation, we propose the optimal path to obtaining a visa based on your circumstances. Please feel free to contact us.

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