---
title: "Work Visas and Side Jobs (副業): Overview"
url: https://memocore.ai/memos/6a5f637363d783ad68709440
project: "Doing Business in Japan"
tags: "japan-business, visa-work"
updated_at: "2026-07-21T12:17:55.983Z"
---

# Work Visas and Side Jobs (副業): Overview

Holders of an ordinary work (engineer) visa can, in theory, own another company as a director, but cannot officially work for it or draw a salary from it without a permit — 資格外活動許可 (permission to engage in activity outside one's status of residence) is required. By law, an employee on a work visa has the right to freelance/side-job (副業) during time free from their main job, but the legality of specific arrangements — running a sole proprietorship on a work visa, income limits — remains largely a gray area. See: Side-Job Rules on a Work Visa: Directorships, Sole Proprietorships, and Income Limits; High Skilled Professional (HSP, 高度専門職) Status: Overview.