Virtual Office Company Registration in Japan: Visa and Bank Impact

It is possible to register a virtual office address as a company’s head office in Japan. However, because the Business Manager visa (経営・管理ビザ) requires an independent office, a virtual office is generally not accepted for that purpose. A virtual office can also count against you with banks and licensing authorities, so it is important to choose your office according to what you need it for.

Can you register a company at a virtual office?

Neither the Companies Act nor the Commercial Registration Act contains any provision prohibiting a head office at a virtual office. The registration (登記) procedure does not examine whether business is actually conducted at that address.

That said, some providers’ terms of use do not permit registration of their address as a head office. Always confirm before signing that the address can be used for registration.

Providers that lend an address and receive and forward mail are in most cases “postal receiving service providers”. As specified business operators under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, they must verify the customer’s identity and business at the time of contracting and keep records. When you sign up, you will be asked for identification documents for the representative, the company’s certificate of registered matters and similar documents.

Advantages and drawbacks of a virtual office

• Advantage: You keep initial and monthly costs down and can use a city-center address as your head office. You avoid publishing your home address as the head office.
• Drawback: Anyone can look up the head office address in the commercial register. If many companies are registered at the same address, business partners’ credit checks may ask about the substance of your business.
• Drawback: You cannot register if a company with the same trade name is already registered at the same location. At addresses used by many companies, check for duplicate trade names as well.

Office types compared

The table shows general tendencies. Actual decisions are made case by case based on the contract terms and the substance of the business.

Office requirements for the Business Manager visa

The Business Manager visa requires that you have secured an office in Japan. The Immigration Services Agency (ISA, 出入国在留管理庁) requires a place that occupies a defined space, is equipped with people and facilities, and allows the business to be carried on continuously.

• Space rented short-term on a monthly basis and food stalls or similar structures that can easily be removed are considered not to meet the requirements.
• A virtual office providing only an address and mail handling lacks the substance of an office and is generally not accepted.
• In practice, renting a single desk in a shared space is unlikely to be regarded as an independent space.

The revised criteria that took effect on October 16, 2025 raised the capital and full-time staff requirements and brought stricter checks on the substance of the office. Combined home and office use is likely not to be accepted, so it is safer to secure separate business premises. The review also checks whether the lease specifies business use and whether there are facilities and signage. The revision is explained in Revised approval criteria for the Business Manager visa.

Documents to prepare for the office

• A lease in the company’s name specifying business use
• Photographs showing the building exterior, the company name at the entrance, and the desks and equipment inside
• Floor plans or documents showing the boundaries with other spaces

Because a lease cannot be signed in the company’s name before incorporation, the representative sometimes signs in their personal name and switches the lease to the company after incorporation. In that case, obtain the landlord’s consent to business use and use by the company, and keep it in writing.

Special startup support measures

Under schemes supporting foreign entrepreneurs in National Strategic Special Zones and similar areas, coworking spaces and other facilities approved by the local government may be treated as an office for a limited period. Eligible areas and conditions differ by local government, so they need to be checked individually.

Impact on bank accounts and licenses

Opening a bank account

Under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, banks verify that a corporation exists and that its business is genuine. If your head office is a virtual office, the bank may ask for additional documents showing the substance of your business or decline to open an account.

• Office lease and photographs
• Business plan, and contracts or invoices with business partners
• Company website and the representative’s background

Without an account, you cannot receive payments from customers or set up direct debits for social insurance premiums and taxes. If you need an account soon after incorporation, choose your premises carefully. Screening criteria differ from bank to bank and are not published. For details on preparation, see Opening a corporate bank account as a foreign business owner.

Office requirements for licenses

Many licenses involve a review of whether the business office genuinely exists. For many business types, a virtual office that provides only an address will not secure a license.

For worker dispatch businesses, for example, Labour Bureau materials require at least 20 square meters of space used for the business and a layout that is not shared with other companies.

Secondhand dealing, real estate brokerage and fee-charging employment placement are other typical business types in which the existence of an independent business office is checked. Confirm each business type’s criteria with the relevant authority before signing a lease.

Tax, social insurance and mail

• The head office location is the place of tax payment for corporation tax and determines the competent tax office and local governments.
• Important documents from the tax office, the pension office and local governments are sent to the head office. You need arrangements so that forwarding delays do not cause you to miss deadlines.
• Relocating the head office requires a change registration. Registration and license tax is ¥30,000 within the same Legal Affairs Bureau’s (法務局) jurisdiction, or ¥60,000 in total (for the old and new locations) for a move to another jurisdiction.
• When you relocate the head office, you must also file change notifications with the tax office and other bodies.
• Once you hire employees, you also report the office location in social insurance and labor insurance filings. If the place where people actually work differs from the registered address, check how this should be handled.

If a virtual office provider goes out of business or discontinues its service, you may need to relocate your head office in a hurry. Check the operator’s track record and the terms for termination as well.

Choosing an office for your purpose

• If you will apply for a Business Manager visa: Lease an independent office usable for business from the outset.
• If your business requires a license: Check the office requirements for that business type before choosing premises.
• If you need no visa and are starting small as a liaison point for an overseas head office: A virtual office is an option, but consider the impact on opening a bank account.

Even when applying for a Business Manager visa from overseas, you must have secured an office at the time of application. Before the representative enters Japan, the lease, fit-out and equipment need to be well advanced. It helps to decide early who will handle the property search and lease procedures on the ground in Japan.

Foreign companies and newly established companies may be asked for additional documents in landlords’ tenant screening. How to approach a lease is explained in Office leasing for foreign companies.

Summary

You can register a company at a virtual office. However, the Business Manager visa, bank accounts and licenses all involve checks on whether the office genuinely exists, so depending on your purpose you may need an independent office from the start. Moving the head office later costs time and money in registrations and notifications. Working out before incorporation whether you need a visa, a bank account or a license, and choosing premises to match, is ultimately the quickest route.

Working with partner judicial scriveners (司法書士) and administrative scriveners (行政書士), TIMOA helps you assess offices that meet visa and license requirements, register your head office and handle relocation procedures. For details, see our Japan Entry & Company Setup page.