How to Make Money in Japan as a Foreigner: What Your Visa Allows

Last updated: July 2026

One term first. Shikakugai katsudo (資格外活動 / “activity outside your status”) means doing paid activity that your current residence status does not cover. A student working part-time is doing exactly this – with a permission stamp that makes it legal.

Why is my visa the rulebook for earning?

Because working outside what your visa allows is “illegal work” – and the worst outcome is not a fine. It is a refused visa renewal and leaving Japan.

When a Japanese person starts a side hustle, all they need is motivation. A foreigner has one extra wall to check first: immigration law. Knowing the rules before you earn is the strongest earning skill you can have. Here is how much freedom each status really gets:

On a work visa: which side jobs are legal?

Only work inside your approved field is automatic. Delivery apps, restaurant shifts and resale are outside most work visas – doing them without individual permission is illegal work.

• Route A – stay in your field. An IT engineer taking a weekend programming contract is inside the visa scope, so no extra permission is needed. Do check whether your employer allows side work.
• Route B – individual permission. For work outside your field, you apply to immigration for each case: which company, what work, how many hours. Unlike the student permission, this is screened one by one.

Starting a company is a different story. That requires changing to a Business Manager visa (capital of 5 million yen or more, or two full-time staff, among other conditions) – a high bar. On a work visa, the real earning power is changing jobs for higher pay, building your skills and Japanese, and moving toward a freer status.

Married to a Japanese citizen, or a permanent resident?

Then there are no work restrictions at all. Part-time jobs, delivery apps, video editing, a blog, even founding a company – all of it is open to you.

• No field wall, no time wall – the same conditions as a Japanese citizen
• This is the only status where the full “side hustle” playbook applies

One caution: a spouse visa depends on the marriage. Divorce or bereavement can shake the status itself – so while you enjoy the earning freedom, keep protecting the status in mind.

Students: how far does the 28-hour rule go?

With the standard permission you may work up to 28 hours a week across all jobs combined (8 hours a day, 40 a week during long school holidays). Two things are strictly off-limits: adult-entertainment venues, and registering your own business.

• Wide choice of jobs: convenience stores, restaurants, delivery, light work – all fine inside 28 hours. But work connected to adult entertainment (pachinko parlors, hostess bars) is banned even as a dishwasher.
• The business trap: if resale or blogging grows and you register as a sole proprietor, immigration can decide your real purpose is business, not study. There are real cases of visa renewals refused for this. Earn within part-time work; save the business idea for after you change status.

The student earning path that actually works: raise your hourly wage (better Japanese means better-paid jobs) and change to a work visa after graduation – then earn properly.

What is always legal, on any visa?

Two things, because they are not “work”: investment gains, and selling your own used items.

• Investing: profits from NISA and other investments are not labor income, so visa work limits do not apply. (If you later leave Japan and become a non-resident, account rules change – check separately.)
• Selling your things: selling your own used items on flea-market apps is fine. Buying items to resell is a business – risky on a work visa or student visa.

The ultimate earning skill: climb the visa ladder

Earning freedom grows with each step of the ladder: student, then work visa, then permanent resident or spouse. Moving up a step is worth more than any side hustle.

Quick reference: what can each visa do?

Immigration decisions are case by case. If your situation is unclear, ask the Immigration Services Agency, your school office, or a gyoseishoshi (行政書士 – an administrative lawyer for immigration paperwork) before you act (as of July 2026).

Official source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan

Frequently asked questions

I am on a work visa. Can I do delivery apps on weekends?

In principle no. Delivery is outside the field of most work visas, so doing it without permission is illegal work. You would need individual permission (shikakugai katsudo) from immigration first.

I am married to a Japanese citizen. Are side jobs and startups free?

Yes. Spouse and permanent-resident statuses have no work restrictions – side jobs, startups, any industry, same as a Japanese citizen.

I am a student. Can I register a business for my blog or resale income?

We do not recommend it. Registering a business conflicts with the study purpose of a student visa, and there are real cases of refused renewals. Stay within 28 hours of part-time work and revisit the business after changing status.

Can I invest with NISA on any visa?

Yes. Investment gains are not labor, so work limits do not apply. If you later leave Japan and become a non-resident, account rules change – check that separately.

Is selling things on flea-market apps OK for my visa?

Selling your own used items is fine if it is not a business. Buying items in order to resell them counts as business and can become illegal activity on a work or student visa.

I am not sure which rule applies to me.

Immigration rules are judged case by case. Ask the Immigration Services Agency, your school office, or a gyoseishoshi (immigration paperwork specialist) before acting.

Summary

• Your earning freedom is decided by your visa – know the rule before you earn
• Permanent / spouse: no limits
• Work visa: other fields need individual permission
• Student: 28 hours, never register a business
• Investing and selling your own items are always free – and the ultimate earning skill is climbing the visa ladder

Related guides

• The Five Skills – timeless principles of money and life in Japan
• Skill 2: Save – cut your costs in Japan
• Sending money home: Wise vs banks
• Skill 1: Protect – visa, contracts and health