The TranSenz Guide to Applying for a Certificate of Eligibility and Spouse Visa for Japan
This guide is a follow-up to our guide to Getting Legally Married in Japan and is based on a translation of Sawa’s original article, 国際結婚手続き 配偶者ビザ編.
An updated version of this guide, including step-by-step instructions, translations and annotations of all required materials, and sample forms is now available for purchase in your choice of ebook formats.
I wrote this guide based on my own experience. Sawa and I were living together in Bangkok, Thailand when we decided to move back to Japan so we had to rely heavily on my parents-in-law in Japan for assistance. You will need someone in Japan to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) on your behalf- whether that be family or an attorney. I will walk you through what that person needs to do as much as possible.
Difference Between Certificate of Eligibility and Visa
Even though the title of this article says “Spouse Visa,” the first and most difficult step is acquiring the “Certificate of Eligibility,” (CoE) or 在留資格認定証明書 (zairyu shikaku nintei shomeisho). The CoE takes anywhere from 1-3 months to acquire. Once you have it in hand, applying for your visa takes about one week.
A CoE is essentially a mandatory prerequisite to applying for your visa, no matter what type of visa you want. It is technically possible to apply for a visa without a CoE, but you will have to submit all of the same documents that you would submit for the CoE, plus a convincing explanation as to why you couldn’t apply for the CoE first. In this case, you are basically applying for both CoE and visa simultaneously but, since the CoE process is conducted only in Japan, all of your documents will have to be mailed back and forth, lengthening your application process significantly especially if there are any mistakes in your application.
The Immigration Bureau has Certificate of Eligibility application instructions on its website, but we learned during application that the instructions in English and the instructions in Japanese are, in fact, vastly different in specificity. If you follow only the English procedures, you’ll likely wind up in months of tsuika shorui (追加書類) hell. Tsuika shorui means submitting additional documents and accounts for the reason the process takes 1 to 3 months: One month if you follow the Japanese directions (or my translation, below). Three months if you content yourself with the English explanation and then submit supplemental documents, one-by-one.
Certificate of Eligibility Application Documents (English and Japanese)
| English List | Japanese List | Japanese list translation |
|---|---|---|
| Application form [PDF] or Application form [Excel] | 在留資格認定証明書交付申請書 [PDF] 1通 or 在留資格認定証明書交付申請書 [Excel] |
(same) |
| Photos (4cm×3cm) 1 copy (The photos must be clear enough without background, must be taken within 6 months before the application procedure and cover upper body with uncovered head.) | 写真（縦４cm×横３cm） １葉 ※ 申請前６か月以内に正面から撮影された無帽，無背景で鮮明なもの。 ※ 写真の裏面に申請人の氏名を記載し，申請書の写真欄に貼付して下さい。 |
Photos (4cm×3cm) 1 copy *The photos must be clear enough without background, must be taken within 6 months before the application procedure and cover upper body with uncovered head. *Write applicant’s name on the reverse of the photo and paste it to the appropriate place on the application. |
| A return-mail envelope affixed with stamp(s) worth 404 yen (for the recorded delivery purpose) | 404円切手（簡易書留用）を貼付した返信用封筒 ※ 返信用封筒には，あらかじめ宛先を記載して下さい。 |
Return-mail envelope with a 404 yen stamp (for registered mail) *Return address should be clearly written on the envelope (Note: this is for domestic post, within Japan) |
| Documents certifying that the person concerned is a spouse of the Japanese national and the copy of his or her resident card. | 配偶者（日本人）の方の戸籍謄本 １通 ※ 戸籍謄本に，婚姻事実の記載がない場合には，戸籍謄本に加え婚姻届出受理証明書の提出をしていただきます。 ※ 発行日から３か月以内のものを提出して下さい。 |
Japanese spouse’s Koseki Tohon 1 copy *If the marriage is not recorded in the Koseki Tohon, then a Certificate of Acceptance of Application for Marriage must additionally be submitted. *Documents must be issued within three months of the application. |
| 日本人の方の世帯全員の記載のある住民票の写し １通 ※ 発行日から３か月以内のものを提出して下さい。 |
Residence Registration Certificate (Juminhyo) of the Japanese spouse, showing all family members. *Documents must be issued within three months of the application |
|
| Documents certifying that the profession and the income of the person concerned or his or her spouse. | 配偶者（日本人）の住民税の納税証明書（１年間の総収入、課税額及び納税額が記載されたもの。） １通 ※ ただし、納税証明書に総収入、課税額及び納税額の記載がない場合は、課税証明書及び納税証明書の提出をしていただきます。 ※ 発行日から３か月以内のものを提出して下さい。 |
Japanese Spouse’s Certificate of Receipt of Juminzei (Residence Tax) Payment, that shows both the amount of tax and amount of payment for one entire year, 1 copy. *If the Residence Tax certificate does not show both the amount of tax and the amount of payment received, then separate certificates of taxation and of payment must be submitted *Documents must be issued within three months of application. |
| A letter of guarantee by the person living in Japan. (PDF) | 配偶者（日本人）の身元保証書 １通 [Japanese] or 配偶者（日本人）の身元保証書 １通 [English] or ※ 身元保証人には，日本に居住する配偶者(日本人)になっていただきます。 |
Letter of Guarantee written by the Japanese Spouse. *This letter must be filled out by the spouse if they are residing in Japan |
| A document that proves the status (if a legal representative or agent submits the application form on behalf of the applicant) | 代理人の身分を証する文書等 | Documents proving the identity and validity of the proxy, if necessary. |
| (No instructions provided in English) | 申請人の国籍国（外国）の機関から発行された結婚証明書 １通 ※ 申請人の方が，韓国籍等で，戸籍謄本が発行される場合には，お二方の婚姻が記載された外国機関発行の戸籍謄本の提出でも差し支えありません。 |
Wedding Certificate issued by the foreign spouse’s country, 1 copy *If the applicant’s country also issues family registers (e.g. Korea), then a copy of the family register showing the marriage may be submitted instead. |
| 質問書[PDF] １通 | Questionnaire Form The form is also available in other languages, but if written in another language, it must be accompanied by a Japanese translation. |
|
| スナップ写真（夫婦で写っており，容姿がはっきり確認できるもの）２~３葉 | Snapshots of the husband and wife together that clearly indicate married relationship, 2-3 photos |
This chart is meant to show that, while the English site’s general descriptions give the false impression that a wide range of documents might be acceptable, they are in fact looking for very specific proofs- proofs that would not be immediately obvious to anyone who hasn’t done this before. I will go over each of these requirements in more detail below.
One more piece of advice on turning in documents: If you require an exception to a particular condition- for example, your spouse does not have proof of residence tax payment because s/he is not employed in Japan, call the immigration bureau nearest your spouse’s hometown ahead of time to confirm what would be accepted as an alternative. Also, tell your representative in Japan to insist on turning in every document that you have prepared. The person at the desk may say that they are not all necessary, but our experience is that the person who told us that was wrong. If you have been told at any point (over the phone, etc.), or remotely suspect, that a particular document is necessary, turn it in, regardless of the desk worker’s protests. In our case, a document that was determined to be “unnecessary” at the desk, was requested by phone less than 24 hours later. Our parents, who had driven over an hour each way to the Immigration Bureau the day before had to drive back to turn it in again.
Applying for a CoE When Husband and Wife are Both Overseas
It’s easier to apply for the CoE if your Japanese spouse is working in Japan and has an established record of working there. But, if that were your case, you probably wouldn’t need this guide. If both you and your Japanese spouse are working overseas or if your Japanese spouse is in Japan but not working, the process requires a few extra steps, and a lot of mail between you and your representatives in Japan.
If your Japanese spouse is also working overseas, s/he will not have a current Juminzei and will not be able to fill in the letter of guarantee. You will also need a proxy applicant. According to the Immigration Office’s website, family members of either spouse who are legally resident in Japan can serve as the proxy. If you do not have family members in Japan, then a person with a letter of attorney or a legal scrivener can apply on your behalf.
Before You Apply: Are You Changing your Name?
If, following your marriage, either partner wants to change their legal name, do so before continuing with the CoE process (and make sure to update your name in the Japanese spouse’s Koseki!), so that you have the same legal name throughout your paperwork. Since we were moving to Japan, I decided to adopt my wife’s Japanese name. Laws on name changes vary by country (and US State), but I was able to change mine with no more documentation than a certified translation of our wedding certificate.
Important: If you change to a Japanese last name, know that you are not legally allowed to use kanji to write your name. You must continue write your name in English letters! I screwed this up and it has caused me no end of trouble.
Application Documents in Detail
Attention to detail and accuracy are absolutely critical in Japan, whether you’re applying for a CoE, college admission, or a job at Seven Eleven, so be extremely careful! Careless errors will lead to delays or possibly rejection of your application. Fill in forms digitally when possible. If using a pen, make sure it is a black, ball-point pen, and write in all capital letters. Forms will be rejected over the use of blue pen. To make corrections, do not use correction fluid. Draw a double line through the mistake and write the correction above it.
Documents below are listed in the order that they appear on the Japanese checklist. Japanese bureaucrats like it when documents are submitted in order, with multi-page documents joined by paperclips, not staples. (The first thing anyone will have to do with your document is to remove the staples to make photocopies, and careless staple removal may physically damage your application. I’ve seen it happen.)
1. Application for Certificate of Eligibility
Download from: the Immigration Bureau website. Be careful, as there are different forms for different visa types!
Notes for completing the application:
- The “Regional Immigration Bureau” is the regional HQ, not the branch office to at which you plan to apply. For example of your representative in Japan will apply in Kyoto, the regional bureau is Osaka. You can find a list of the regions and their offices on the Immigration Bureau website.
- “Nationality” in Japan means “country of nationality”. For example, “America” is correct, “American” is not. Your application is not going to get rejected over this, though.
- “Name”: Refer to the line near the bottom of the information page of your passport. You should see a code like: P<USATRANSENZ<<TRAVIS<TARO<<<. Ignore the three-letter country code (USA in the example) and write your name in the exact order it appears. Everything before the double < is your “last name” and everything after it is your “first name.” Japan considers middle names to be part of your first name.
Vietnamese applicants: Write your name in this order, even if the last name in the list is your “first name.”
Thai applicants: The “last name” field in your passport may show Mr. or Miss, but do not write that as part of your name! - “Place of Birth” and “Hometown”: If these appear in your passport, then what you write in the application must match the passport. Otherwise, write the name of the city and country.
- “Occupation” should be your job before emigrating to Japan, regardless of your intended profession once you enter the country.
- “Address in Japan” and phone numbers: Enter the address of the person who is applying on your behalf (with their concurrence, of course).
- “Accompanying Persons”: Write the number and their relationship. (i.e. Wife and 2 children, total 3 persons.) If you have none, write “None”
- “Family in Japan”: It is only necessary to enter your wife or children if they are already in Japan. If you have no immediate family in Japan, write “none.”
- If you got married under Japanese law, like we did, you may not have had to register your marriage legally in your home country. Leave question 22(2) blank.
- Fill in Section 27 with your proxy’s information and have them sign. Section 28 is only necessary if you’re having a lawyer, etc., file for you.
2. Japanese spouse’s Koseki Tohon
If you were married outside of Japan and your marriage has not been entered in your Japanese spouse’s Koseki, you will need both the Koseki and a Wedding Certificate (with translation, if the certificate is not Japanese). The Koseki will have to be acquired from your spouse’s hometown city hall and the wedding certificate from wherever you legally registered your wedding.
These documents are there to prove your relationship to your spouse. Even if your marriage is not recorded in the Koseki Tohon, you still have to submit it. . . in order to prove that your marriage is not recorded therein, otherwise your alternative documentation might not be accepted. Yes, this is as ridiculous as it sounds.
3. Wedding Certificate issued by Foreign Applicant’s home country
If you are from a country that has a similar family register system (e.g. Korea), then a Koseki-equivalent, that shows the marriage will also suffice.
If you were married under Japanese law and are from a country that doesn’t issue any certification for marriages conducted under foreign law (such as the US), write a note titled “Foreign Wedding Certificate” and explain in one-to-two sentences that your country does not issue them. Have your spouse translate this into Japanese and sign it.
4. Japanese Spouse’s Certificate of Juminzei (Residence Tax) Payment
This serves as the “Proof of occupation and income.” Specifically, Immigration is looking for proof of employment (sufficient funds to support your lifestyle) in Japan. Tax records overseas aren’t sufficient here, since it’s assumed that overseas employment will no longer be valid once you’re living in Japan. If both spouses lack employment records in Japan, you will need a Japanese sponsor, such as a parent-in-law, to submit their Juminzei and act as your sponsor (this person incurs additional paperwork responsibilities, too, including your Letter of Guarantee).
If neither you or your spouse have income in Japan, and you have no family in Japan to provide this certificate on your behalf, contact the Immigration Bureau directly to find out what to submit.
For maximum coverage, you could also submit your overseas employment records, accompanied by an explanation of exchange rates and what the same/ similar job would pay in Japan (we did). However, submitting these documents alone will not be sufficient.
Juminzei records are issued in June and refer to the 12-month period that ended with the preceding December, so you/your spouse would have to be employed full-time in Japan a minimum of 18 months, if you timed it perfectly, in order to have a report that covered one full year. In some cases, a Certificate of Employment (在職証明書, Zaishoku Shomeisho) and Tax and withholdings report (源泉徴収票, Gensenchoshuhyo) may be an acceptable substitute. As always, make sure you get approval for substitutes before trying to submit your package.
5. Letter of Guarantee written by the Japanese Spouse
Even though it clearly says “written by the Japanese Spouse,” the spouse is ineligible to fill out the letter if they are not living in Japan. The Letter of Guarantee must be written by a Japanese citizen who is working inside the country. Generally speaking, whoever submitted the Juminzei for your application should also fill out this letter.
6. Residence Certificate (Juminhyo) of the Japanese spouse, showing all family members
If your Japanese spouse is not residing in Japan, they will not be able to get a Residence Certificate, so you will need to submit the Juminhyo for whoever provided documents 3 and 4, above. At this point, you may want to also consider getting this person a thank-you gift.
7. Questionnaire Form
Get ready for an invasion of privacy unlike anything you have experienced outside of a counterintelligence interrogation cell. This sneaky form doesn’t show up on the English checklist, and does not appear to exist in English. It has to be filled out in Japanese, so you’ll likely be turning to your spouse to fill it out.
According to the instructions at the top of the form, this is an important form for consideration of your application, all answers should be as detailed as possible, and any falsehoods will result in the rejection of your application for a COE.
The foreigner is the “Applicant” (申請者 , shinseisha) and the Japanese Spouse is the “Spouse” (配偶者, haigusha). Here is the information you will need to enter:
- Applicant’s nationality, name, and sex.
Spouse’s name with furigana, nationality, address, phone number, household members
Spouse’s type of housing (owned/rented), monthly rent, and number of rooms (in LDK format)
Spouse’s employer (including address and phone), position, and date he/she started working there.
*In this case, fill out the spouse’s information, regardless of whose documents you turned in for 3-5, above. - When, where, and how you first met and a detailed explanation of your relationship up to the date of your marriage. Include dates and be as detailed as possible. You may attach additional sheets, as necessary, and may also attach photos, letters, and international phone bills to verify your statements. (We did not attach any of the latter).
Were you formally introduced (matching service, etc.)? If applicable, enter all of the following:
Nationality, name, sex, birthday, address, phone number, residence card number of your match-maker
Date, location, and method of your formal matching introduction
Relationship between the applicant and the matchmaker as well as the relationship between the spouse and the matchmaker, in detail. Writing “friend” or “work colleague,” is not sufficient. - What language do you use in your home?
What are the applicant’s and spouse’s native languages?
To what degree do you understand each other’s native languages?
If the applicant understands Japanese, describe in detail where and when he or she studied it.
When you can’t understand one another’s language, how do you make yourselves understood? (If you use an interpreter, the interpreter’s details are necessary) - If you were married under Japanese law, fill in your witnesses’ information.
- Fill in the details of your wedding ceremony/reception, if you held one.
- Fill in information about the applicant’s/spouse’s previous marriages, if applicable.
- Fill in the number of times, dates of, and reasons for the applicant’s previous visits to Japan. If the applicant previously resided in Japan, then the “reason” should refer to the residence status at that time.
- Fill in the number of times and dates of the spouse’s visits to the applicant’s home country, before & after marriage.
- Has the applicant ever been deported (received a deportation order) from Japan?
If yes, fill in the reason, date, your passport information at that time, and whether you and your spouse had lived together in a married state before that time. - Fill in details of the husband’s family, wife’s family, and your children, including relationship, name, age, address (enter “dead” for deceased relatives), and phone number. If you have no children together, you must enter “none” (なし) in table (2)
- Circle the family members that are aware of your marriage.
8. Snapshots of you as a couple.
Two to three standard-size photos that clearly show both husband and wife and indicate that you are a couple.
9. Application photograph
4 cm high by 3 cm wide, showing head and shoulders face-on, with no hat or head cover and no background. Pictures must be taken within the past six months, have the applicant’s name on the reverse, and be glued to the appropriate place on the application form. Japanese bureaucrats will compare the photo you submit to your passport photo and any other photos of you they have and check the dates to see if they can prove that the photo is more than six months old. If they determine that it’s too old, your application will be held up until they get a new photo.
10. Self-addressed envelope with at 404 yen in stamps (thanks to reader Iifu for pointing out the price change with the recent tax hike!)
You must apply for the COE within Japan, so there is no provision here for an international reply. Once again, you’ll have to rely on your domestic sponsor to receive your documents and forward them to you by EMS, etc.
11. Other
Other items may be necessary, depending on your situation.
- Your Guarantor’s inkan (personal seal). Alternatively, the guarantor can simply seal the document in advance, but if your guarantor is Japanese, the chances are good he/she carries his seal everywhere, anyway. A Ginko-in is sufficient (but a shachihata, rubber stamp, will not be accepted).
- If you are applying by way of a proxy, documents that prove the proxy’s relationship and suitability to serve in that position.
In the case of Spouse Visa, acceptable proxies include family members. Your proxy’s Juminhyo (if it shows the relationship) and government ID should be sufficient. If your proxy is your guarantor, they they’re already submitting their Juminhyo anyway.
If a lawyer or legal scrivener is applying for you, you’ll need a letter of attorney or contract, in Japanese, of course. But then, the lawyer or scrivener ought to be able to supply that. - Anything else that is arbitrarily determined to be necessary at any time during the evaluation of your application.
Submitting Your Application
The decision on where to submit your applicant will depend on your location: if you reside in Japan, or your spouse/proxy’s location. It is rumored that the more distant the Regional Office is from major cities/ concentrations of foreigners, the faster it will be able to process your application, but it really depends on the office’s backlog at any given time. It is certainly best to avoid areas that have a lot of international college students in the Feb-Mar and Jul-Aug time frames, as these offices tend to get flooded with applications from the area colleges.
In our case, we applied to the Sendai Regional Office during January and got approval within a month, despite a few delays that resulted from the Immigration Office flip-flopping on whether certain documents were necessary (insist on turning in everything, regardless of the desk clerk’s opinion).
My mother-in-law did all the running back and forth to the Immigration Office (an hour drive each way) and my father-in-law provided all the necessary certificates. Without their help, this process would have been even more of a nightmare, so I am eternally grateful!
Validity Period and Entering Japan
Check the validity period on your Certificate of eligibility- it should be 3 months from the date of issue. You have to be in Japan before the CoE expires, so get going on your visa application and travel arrangements right away! The last thing you want to do is go through all that work a second time, right? (Thanks to Vernon Reid for pointing out that this should be in here.)
Now, it’s time for the Visa
The Certificate of Eligibility is the hard part, so once that’s done, only a simple application and a week or so of waiting stands between you and your visa! Generally, Japanese embassy websites will tell you that the visa application process takes 1-3 months, but that is assuming that you don’t have a Certificate of Eligibility and are completing both processes at once. If you have a CoE, then the visa will be a breeze.
In most places, you’ll apply directly to the Japanese Embassy or Consulate for your visa, following the instructions on their website. In Bangkok, however, the Embassy has contracted out management of the application process to a private, Thai-owned business called the Japan Visa Application Center. I assume this is due to the volume of applications received in Thailand. The JVAC office was larger and busier than many travel agencies I have seen, and appeared quite profitable, despite charging about 500 baht for their services.
*Trusting my passport in the hands of a private Thai business seemed like a risky proposition to me, based on past experiences, but when I called the Embassy to ask if the business was trustworthy, they got offended at my question. The JVAC is on the up-and-up, so don’t be worried.
Requirements for the Visa Application
Fortunately, there are no sneaky differences between the Japanese and English explanations here. The visa application process is straightforward and simple and takes about a week to complete.
- Certificate of Eligibility
- Applicant’s Passport
- 5 cm by 5 cm ID-style photo (see above for description and warnings
- Visa Application Form
- (Another) Questionnaire
*Whether or not this questionnaire is necessary seems to depend on the country from which you are applying, rather than your nationality. The primary purpose of this questionnaire appears to be a weak effort to stop Trafficking in Persons (TiP). - Visa fees (There are no fees for Americans, but if there are fees for your country, don’t get upset- fees are based on your country’s visa treaty with Japan, and whether or not your country charges visa fees to Japanese.)
If you want more detail, an updated version of this guide, including step-by-step instructions, translations and annotations of all required materials, and sample forms is now available for purchase in your choice of ebook formats.
Single- or Multiple-Entry?
It doesn’t matter. Once you’re in Japan, you’ll get a residence card that will double as a re-entry permit for almost all situations. Multiple entry only matters if your period of stay in Japan is 90 days or lesss, because you don’t get a residence card in that case. Not a problem for Spouses.
Congratulations! It’s time to book your flight!
If you’ve been following our guides from the beginning, you’ve probably been working on this process for nearly three months, or so, beginning with your international marriage. Now, you’re finally ready to move to Japan! お疲れ様です!
If you found this guide useful or if you have anything that you think we should add, please let me know in the comments below!
Hello TranSenz,
Your website is wonderful and helps a lot! But sorry I have a question. Here is my situation :
I am from Hong Kong (HK) and my Japanese boyfriend is going to register our marriage in city hall soon. HK government automatically recognizes marriage registered in another country as long as it is registered legally accordingly to that country’s current law so it is written in HK government website that I “need not” to register again in HK. But it is not written whether they can register our marriage in HK afterwards on our request or at least issue any documents to prove they recognized our marriage registered in Japan. I can’t contact any government officers to ask as they are too busy to reply phone calls / email and when I finish work their office is closed already. I just read somewhere online that this is illegal in HK and impossible.
But a marriage certificate issued by the home country of the foreigner spouse is required for CoE applications, unless we are married under Japanese law and I am from a country that doesn’t issue any certification for marriages conducted under foreign law, right? My problem is I can’t make sure whether Hong Kong is one of these countries.
Then can I simply write a Japanese letter saying that we cannot get any marriage certificate issued by Hong Kong government? Or would you please advise how should I write the letter / what I should do to solve this problem?
I know you must be very busy as this is a popular website but your kind reply will be greatly appreciated! Millions of thanks!
Hi Chloe,
I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you!
As far as I have been able to tell, the phrase saying that it is “not necessary” to register marriages conducted abroad again in Hong Kong really means that you cannot do so.
(I referred to Question 19 on the following site: http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/faq/marriage-registration.html).
So, you should have no problem with writing and submitting a letter saying that Hong Kong recognizes marriages that are conducted under foreign law and does not issue duplicate certificates.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Never mind and I am really glad to read your reply! After I posted my question here, a HK lady told me that her application was approved by writing an explanatory letter as you described above. However, when my husband phoned the Immigration Bureau of Japan in Miyazaki, he was told that a certificate issued by HK government with my updated marital status and spouse name is required. Luckily although it took many days, I will be able to get it next week. Thank you so much and I am really impressed that you even helped by searching our government website.
Thank you again and wish you all the best!
Hi Chloe,
It was my pleasure. Thank you very much for sharing your results, too. I’m sure that will be helpful to future applicants – and I will add them in the next update of my book, as well.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
You’re welcome! And I guess it depends on different regional immigration bureaus / branch offices
/ officers, etc. as I have heard another lady from Hong Kong got her application approved in
Osaka by an explanation letter only without the above-said certificate. But I am not sure whether
it was related to the fact that before their marriage she had dated with her Japanese bf in Japan
for 4 months during her working holiday.
By the way, I am sorry that I have posted further questions on CoE application ( awaiting
moderation ). I look forward to your kind advice again. Thanks a million! p^v^q
Best Regards,
Chloe
Hey Travis, sorry got a couple more questions for you! I’m leaving for my home country early October and we are planning on getting married at the begining of July, this leaves us about 3 months to switch visas. So here are my questions;
1. would this give us enough time to process the visa change?
2. would they consider it strange if we were to apply for the visa shortly after we marry (thus questioning out acceptance)?
3. what should we write if we don’t know the official date that we began dating (it just sort of happened!)
Both of us are leaving in October so we would have to apply shortly after getting married in order to get the visa processed before we leave. Ideally I would want the visa before so I can go to my home country and officially move to Japan with my Husband!
Thank you so much all of this is ao helpful!
Hi Lil,
It’s good to hear from you again. I hope your marriage plans are proceeding well!
1. The estimated time to process a Change of Status of Residence is about 2-4 weeks, so if you get married in early July and start the paperwork right away, then you should be able to complete your Change of Status of Residence application before October. In part, this depends on your country, though. If your country requires you to register your marriage under their laws, that may take a little extra time to complete before you can apply for the Change of Status of Residence.
2. No. Spouse of Japanese National has many more benefits than almost any other residence status and accelerates your path to Permanent Residence. I would think that changing quickly is a mark of your commitment to the long-term relationship.
3. Without getting too personal, how about your first kiss? That may not be everyone’s standard of the transition from friends to dating, but I think it’s a decent marker.
If you apply for the Change of Status of Residence in July, you should be able to pick up your new Residence Card before you go. Then, you would already have a Spouse of Japanese National status and would leave the country on a “Special Reentry Permit.” You wouldn’t have to apply for a visa overseas.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
You are literally the best ever wow.
I can put a date on the first kiss thing however I met him in Japan and we ended up dating long distance after I was in my home country so there was a very large gap before that first kiss! haha, but actually thats a very good idea thank you sooo so much!
Hi, is there an expiry to claim your permanent visa if accepted? I am planning on going on vacation for around a month inHi, is there an expiry to claim your permanent visa if accepted? I am planning on going on vacation for around a month in july and that is the estimated time that if accepted my visa will be released and i might not be able to claim it if it is released on late july early august. july and that is the estimated time that if accepted my visa will be released and i might not be able to claim it if it is released on late july early august.
Hi Ric,
If I understand correctly, you’re living in Japan and applying for Permanent Residency, right?
If that’s the case, you’ll receive a postcard when your application is approved and you would be expected to visit the Immigration Bureau within 2 weeks to pay the fee and pick up your new Residence Card.
If you’re not going to be around, then I would recommend contacting the Immigration Bureau to tell them your situation and ask if it would be alright if you come after you return from your trip (give them a specific date). In the past, I have had no problem when asking if they could hold on to a Residence Card a little longer because of extenuating circumstances, so long as you let them know in advance.
If I’ve misunderstood your question, please let me know!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi travis! Great work and thank you for a wonderful information you provided. I just want ask if ever i will be given a CoE and will be approved for a visa for residency for spouse. Can i still stay in my home country for a long period.of time? Or do i really need to stay in japan for good and can only stay for a short period of time in my home country?
By the way my husband is japanese and we have 1 child with a japanese passport..
Hi May,
Once you’ve finished the application process, moved to Japan, and received your residence card, you’ll be able to leave Japan and come back freely.
In general, you have to come back to Japan within 1 year of leaving and while your passport and residence card are still valid. There is no limit on how long you would need to stay in Japan between trips.
If you want to leave for longer than a year, you’d have to talk to the Immigration Bureau about applying for a re-entry permit.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, first of all thank you very much for all this comprehensive information here on your blog, I am sure you already helped lots of people on their struggle to come to japan. Maybe my situation is not much different, but may I ask for your advice? I am German national with Japanese wife and tho children (with japanese passport) living togehter in Germany. I want to get spouse visa as a basis to be able to apply for a job in japan. Just wonder if my basic understanding is correct: Even if I live in Germany and still have a job here, I could go through the whole process and get a spouse visa and keep it while staying in Germany, right? So what do I need to keep in mind for this plan? Is it just two steps? 1. Apply for CoE remotely from Germany (1-3 Month). 2. In Germany go to Japanese Embassy and apply for spouse Visa (~1 week).
After the two steps, once I got the visa issued can I just stay in Germany and come to japan later, whenever I find a job? Or do I have to come to Japan first and kind of “initiate” the Visa? In that case, would it be ok to just come for a weekend roundtrip to get some “stamps” in the passport and then immediately return to germany? What about your comment about the multiple entry vs. single entry? Sorry I dont get it. Actually I am not planning to register my residence in Japan, since I dont need the residence card yet and and also dont want to get forced by japanese city hall people to send my children to japanese school (since they currently go to school in germany alright), and dont want to pay any japanese taxes while staying in germany. So would it be fine to just get the “stamps” and forget about the residence card application? Sorry for all the questions, hope you understand what I mean. Kind Regards Andreas
Hi Andreas,
Someone in Japan needs to apply for the CoE for you – it can’t be done remotely. If your wife goes back to Germany for a visit, she could do it. Or her parents could file it on your behalf. The Immigration Bureau will also only send the CoE to a Japanese address, so you’ll need someone there to transship it.
From the day the CoE is issued, you have 90 days to arrive in Japan or if becomes invalid. You have to apply for your visa and travel to Japan within those 90 days. You can’t just get the documentation and stay in Germany, because then it will expire.
When you arrive in Japan with the Spouse Visa, you’ll receive a Residence Card at the airport and will have to register your place of residence within two weeks. Once you’ve registered your residence, you could leave the country again, though you have to return within one year or you lose your residence status and have to start all over again.
You do need the Residence Card as that, not your visa, is your proof of legal residence (and coninuing permission to enter and exit the country). Incidentally, that’s why you don’t need multiple entry.
If your plan is to stay in Germany anyway, it seems to me like it’s a better idea to put off applying for your visa until you want to move to Japan permanently (or semi-permanently, at least). As a German citizen, you are exempt from having to apply for a tourist visa to come to Japan. You can come here any time, stay for up to 90 days, and not have to worry about residence registration, schools, taxes, etc. That would seem to be closer to your goals.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi travis! Your post helped me a lot throughout the entire process. I applied last October and they sent a letter for an additional requirements. I really hope I get approve because I miss my husband so much.
Hi Anna,
Thank you for your kind words!
What kind of additional requirements did they ask from you? Was there something I missed in the article that I should add?
Either way, I hope they weren’t too difficult to prepare and that your application is under review once again.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi im not a japanese but i had a long term residence visa(1year) i renew every year, i have work here in japan and pay taxes is these the process to give my spouse a visa back in my country is it possible? or this is for japanese national only? im here in japan and planning to live with my spouse here.. im sorry im a bit confused hope youd help me
Hi Puloy,
This article is only relevant for spouses of Japanese citizens, but the good news is that there’s another type of visa you can apply for your spouse: a Dependent Visa. It’s actually a much simpler application process and I’ve written an article about how to apply that you can find here!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, Good day!
I’m 34yrs of age from Philippines. My father is Japanese. Recently I was in the process of child recognition in Cityhall where my fathers domicile. It was a success I can say. I was registered already in so called “kosekitohon”
Now i was wondering how to acquire “Child of japanese visa” as I am over 20years old so my father cannot apply Certificate of Eligibility on behalf of me. What is the best way to do this?
Regards and many thanks,
Gochi
Hi Gochi,
I saw that you left a similar question on another post and answered it here.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi I married a Japanese National but I was abandoned long time ago (7years). The marriage was conducted here in the PH. He called me recently and he was asking for another chance so we could start all over again. He is so sick and always confines at the hospital. What will I do to get an souse visa? Please advise. Thank you.
-Maria Theresa Kobayashi
Hi Maria,
I’m sorry to hear about your situation.
He would have to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility for you so that you can get started. If he cannot physically go himself, then he should be able to appoint a power of attorney to do it for him, such as a family member. Or if you go to Japan on a tourist visa, you can help with the application paperwork, yourself.
With a 7-year lapse in your relationship, it might be difficult to get it approved. If it is possible to visit him a few times on a tourist visa, etc., while you are in the process of applying, I think that would help.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
He already work at japan for 6 years since he left philippines becasue his mather was a filipina to and his father i a japanese. He always pay his tax yearly.
Hi MK,
More than his working records and tax paying records (of course, it is assumed he would be paying his taxes regularly), the amount of salary and relationship context is more important, as far as I have seen.
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
We don’t want that the application denied we wanted to get approved please help us, What we need to do? God bless you website. Please answer me. 🙂
Hi MK,
If you do run into any challenges or further questions, please let me know and I will follow up as best I can. (Though, if you’re paying a lawyer to help you with this, already, the lawyer’s answers may be faster!)
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
I’m a filipina married to a japanese national, were planning to apply for coe with a help of a lawyer, We completed the requirements that the lawyer needed, my husband already gets certification of tax and certificate of employment is there any reason that the coe get denied?
Hi MK,
Without knowing your situation, I can’t say for sure whether there is a reason why your CoE would be rejected.
In general, I have heard of CoE applications being rejected for only two reasons: Insufficient finances or insufficient proof or relationship.
If your husband has a sufficient income to provide you with 80,000 yen of support per month, then finances should not be a problem.
For the proof of relationship, time living together and records of correspondence (if you weren’t living together) are the most significant factors, as far as I’ve seen. As long as you have those records in order and explained in your Questionnaire, I cannot think of any reason your application would be rejected!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, Good day thank you for your reply. My husband already have tax certificate issued for one year (Last year) The tax certificate been payed with the amount of 90000 yen last year, he still working and he already gets his certificate of employment the thing that bothered me the most is his tax. Is the amount is to small? I’ve heard that the financial stability is most important. my husband and i known each other for the longest time, He’s my childhood neighbor because he is a half filipino. But my husband and i been in a relationship for 2 years before getting married last year. My husband and i married for 6 months now. But we know each other because my family and his family are very closed. On monday my husband will go to immigration to pass the requirements we wanted to be together i wanted to know if his tax certificate will be a issue because of the said amount. I know that it depends to the salary. Thanks in advance.
His monthly salary now is 190.000 yen. Sometimes 150, 000 it depends sometime if there is overtime. Is this enough? The tax really bothered me. Because before he is just working at construction now he is working in factory.
Hi MK,
The number I have typically heard is that the Immigration Bureau wants to see proof that he can provide you with about 80,000 yen/month in support (while also providing for himself, of course). Since you will be living together, some of your monthly expenses (like rent and utilities) will be combined, so I would hope they would be more forgiving with that number.
Based on my past experience, I would think that your application will be OK with the amounts you listed, but I cannot be 100% certain. If he has any savings, that should help significantly, as well! Maybe someone else can comment here on whether or not they were successful at the same salary level.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, transenz,
Thanks for the helpful information! Me and my husband are both gaijin, and I am applying for CoE to get my husband in Japan, im a PR here,
I just want to ask about the minimum income for one year to apply for CoE,
Is It possible to apply if the one year income is only ¥1,500,000??
And in the “method of support and amount of support per month”, how much should I put? Is there a minimum amount?
Hoping for your response, Thank you
Hi Joan,
There is no official minimum amount. Typically, the Immigration Bureau considers about 80,000 yen/month to be a minimum for a single person, but of course save money by living together, so you wouldn’t need that much for just your husband. You might be able to get by with 60,000 yen/month in the “amount of support per month” section. (Since you are his guarantor, you would put that number in the guarantor line). Unfortunately, I don’t have any direct examples to prove that would be enough.
If you have other sources of income and can put a higher number, that is always a good thing. (Even if you will try to save as much as possible and get by on a lower amount, it’s good to show more resources than you need).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi TranSenz,
I have gone through of all message of your blog. It’s really helpful for people who are facing related problems. Currently, I am living in Japan as a Doctoral Student. Recently, my wife and applied for visa (Dependent) at Embassy of Japan, Bangladesh. Unfortunately, they denied to issue visa because of early marriage under the law of Bangladesh. However, we have 3 yeras old kid. They suggested to change the marriage date and again apply for COE in Japan. Is it possible? Can I apply for COE again before the expiration of last COE (still have the validity of 47 days)? or is there any way to change/correction of my wife’s present COE?
Thanks
Hi Mofiz,
As far as I know, the CoE itself does not show the date for your marriage, so I’m not sure how the embassy would know what it was. Did she also have to submit your marriage certificate when she applied for the visa? If so, it would seem that just changing the date on the Marriage Certificate would be fine. But if the embassy is telling you that you need a new CoE, here’s what you’d have to do:
To apply again for a CoE for your wife, you would have to return the first one to the Immigration Bureau. If your wife has it in Bangladesh, have her mail it back to you and take it back to the Immigration Bureau when you go to apply for a new one.
You’ll also need to include a letter explaining why you are returning it. Saying something like “There was an error in the marriage certificate submitted with the original application, so I am returning this and applying again with the corrected document.”
在留資格認定証明書を申請した際に提出した結婚証明書は結婚日が間違っていたため、返却し、修正された証明書を基づいて改めて申請します。
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I just have a couple simple questions since you answered all the hard ones already! I am currently in Japan now on a Working Holiday Visa, and have plans to marry my fiancé and then go back to my home country with him for about a month and come back to Japan.
Would I be able to change my status of residence to Spouse of Japanese National before leaving and then enter back with him with that same status?
Also, he has never been to my home country during our 3 years of being together due to work etc and I’m a little concerned they might find that weird! Honestly the timing just never really worked out for him to get a long enough period of time to come visit…
thank you so much!!
Hi Lil,
Yes, you can change your Status of Residence to spouse in Japan before you leave, you’ll just need to make sure you leave enough time to do it. That application review can take 2 weeks to 1 month, according to the Immigration Bureau’s website, but I’d leave a little more time, just to be safe.
Once you have your Spouse Status (or even on your Working Holiday status, if you have a residence card), you’ll be able to leave the country and return as often as you like, so long as you come back within 1 year of your departure and your residence card is still valid when you re-enter the country.
If the two of you have been together in Japan the whole time, or decided deliberately that you would meet there each time you got together, then I don’t think it’s necessarily weird that he hasn’t been to your home country. It sounds like you have a perfectly good reason for it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Ahh thank you so much for your reply!!
We just moved to a new place together and I’m so worried little details like that on my application will affect the visa acceptance and I’ll have to go back to long distance!
Thank youfor the reassurance!
Hey TranSenz,
Your website is great and wonderful.
I have few question to ask if u don’t mind answering.
I’m a Singaporean currently holding a inter transfee company visa which I think is useless for me and I can’t change the visa status to spouse visa.Which my contract with the company is done.
1.i will be getting married to my Japanese fiancé and can I apply for COE in Japan.We will get married on the 28 April 2017.
2.what kind of documents do I really need to have.
Can you kindly advise me on this please.
Thank you,
Aby
Hi Aby,
Thank you very much for your kind comments!
I’m not sure why you wouldn’t be allowed to change your residence status to spouse. I’ve never heard of that restriction for intra-company transfers before. Who is telling you that?
1. Yes, you can apply for your CoE in Japan. (You should also be able to apply for a Change of Status of Residence, which is a nearly identical application process).
2. You need everything I have listed in this article/the downloadable checklist. If you have questions about any of the specific requirements, please let me know!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi TranSenz!
Your blog is by far the most helpful one I`ve ever found in the internet. Thank you so much for extending such help to many of us who are in confusion. By the way I am a Filipino and my Fiance is a Japanese National. We plan on getting married hopefully this August 2017. I am quite curious about some of the CoE requirements specifically the Japanese translation of my documents (e.g. Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate). On your part, how did you achieve them? Is there a specific format on how to translate them? Or should me and my fiance rely on our own in translating the contents? Hoping for your helpful response. Thank you.
Hi Shire,
Thank you very much for your kind comments!
The only thing we had to have translated into Japanese during the whole process was the Certificate of Eligibility to Marry, if I remember correctly. I never needed to submit my birth certificate. I am a US citizen and the US does not issue marriage certificates for marriages officiated under foreign law, so I didn’t have to worry about that, but you will probably need to get that translated during your application.
When we did have to submit translations, they had to be professional, certified translations. Even though my wife and I are both fluent in both languages (and later opened a translation business), we couldn’t use translations that we had done ourselves.
You would only need professional translations for documents issued by the government, though, so there shouldn’t be that many!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi, I am a Filipino married to a Japanese national and is currently undergoing the COE process. I got my birth certificate and marriage certificate translated in an agency named Providence, it is located right next to Japanese embassy.
Hi all! I just read all the messages. But still have a question.
Little background info:
-I’ve been married to a Japanese National wife for 6 years.
– I had my Spouse Visa status for 3 years while living in Japan (3 years ago)
-Then we went to live my home country for 2 years (wife working for Japanese company abroad)
-We came back to Japan, because wife is pregnant (8months and taking her maternity leave)
-my Spouse Visa expired while in Chile (Nov 2016) so I applied again to get my COE and get my Spouse Visa again while in Japan.
-I’ve been twice to Japan in a period of less than 1 year (2 months each time, June 2016 and then January 2017)
-I’m in Hong Kong now for one week.
-COE not issued yet.
So, I’m coming back to Japan next week, should I get over screened about coming back to Japan after only one week? I just want to care of my wife and baby for the next 90 days while I get my COE (documents and applications already sent) I’ve brought copy of marriage certificate and medical records of pregnancy to present at immigration if being asked.
Thank you!
Hi Jorge,
I’m assuming you entered Japan on single-entry tourist (tanki taizai) visas each time you visited recently, and plan to use the same status this time as well?
You should not be subject to any additional screening that I am aware of. If they do ask you any questions at Immigration, just explain your situation – that your wife returned to Japan to give birth and your Residence had expired, so you entered on a tourist visa to be with her – they should let you through with no difficulty.
It sounds like you are well prepared, as well!
Once you receive your CoE, then you should be able to apply to change your status of residence at the local immigration bureau office without leaving Japan again.
Good luck to both of you!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi. I just want to ask if would you know if I can get a dependent or any type of visa for me as a legal guardian for my son. My son is an illegitemate child of a long term resident in Japan. Thank you
Hi Kai,
If your son does not have Japanese citizenship, then I’m afraid it is not possible to get a visa for that situation. You would have to obtain a visa/residence status for other activities, such as a working visa, to be able to continue living in Japan.
The only way a non-Japanese parent (typically mother) can stay in Japan to care for a Japanese child is if the mother had a “Spouse of Japanese National” residence status, but her husband passed away or they got divorced. Under those circumstances, the mother can apply for a “Teijusha” residence status to care for the child, but it is not guaranteed that the application will be successful.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, First of all, thank you so much for this website. and your time, if you reply.
I am looking for advice/opinion.
I married a japanese national in Osaka in 2014. The marriage is registered there. For personal reasons we are living separately, I am living and working in Argentina and she is living and working in Osaka. We decided to apply for a Spouse Visa and we hired a lawyer in Osaka so he could help us with the process. He said we need the marriage certificate issued in Argentina as well. The problem is that my country does not recognize marriages celebrated in a foreign country UNLESS you file a lawsuit which implies hiring a lawyer to represent your case and a judge has to order the recognition and the registration of the marriage. This process could take months or even years to resolve. Nevertheless, I hired a lawyer in Argentina to get this certificate but I am not sure when I am going to get it. I have been waiting since May/June 2016 for a resolution but no one can guarantee when the marriage will be finally register in Argentina. Is this paper totally needed as my lawyer in Osaka said? I cant apply for the CoE because I don’t know how long it is going to take for me to get the marriage certificate in my country and there is not another paper to replace it like a family register where the marriage is shown. Should I wait until the end or I can apply anyway without that paper? My lawyer in Osaka told us that we could turn in a proof or paper that the marriage is in process of registration in Argentina BUT just to start the CoE process and later on handle the real certificate but not only cant I get any official proof of the process (maybe a written letter of my lawyer in Argentina stating that the process is taking place but not an official paper issued by my country’s government) but also I know that the CoE process could take up to 3 months which could be less than it could take to finish the marriage registration process in my country, so probably I wont have the paper before the CoE process finishes. Any advice? At this point I am not sure what to do.
Thank you.
Hi Fernando,
I am not a lawyer, so I think you should probably listen to the lawyer’s advice over mine.
When you say that the Argentine government does not recognize marriages celebrated in another country, does that mean that you are legally considered to be unmarried under Argentine law? Or that the Argentine government considers your marriage valid, but won’t issue a certificate for it?
In the latter case, your situation would be the same as an American’s: you would just need to submit a document (you can write it yourself), saying that the Argentine government does not issue any certificates for marriages conducted under another country’s law.
Otherwise, if the Argentine government really does consider you to be unmarried right now, I would suggest contacting the Argentine Embassy to find out what paperwork you would need to prove your marriage in order to get a spouse visa for your wife to come to Argentina. Whatever form of proof is required for that process should be good enough for the Japanese CoE application, as well.
Sorry I don’t have any better suggestions for you. Although it doesn’t help you, I guess I would recommend to any other Argentina-Japan couples to get married in Argentina first, then register that marriage in Japan, since that is a much simpler process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! Thank you for your helpful information!
I am American and am engaged to a Japanese national. I am currently in Japan on an Instructor Visa and my contract ends August 1st. I know I am allowed 90 additional days in Japan after my contract ends, however I am planning to return to the US on holiday around August 15th for about ten days. My question is surrounding the order in which I should do things in order to secure a Spouse Visa before returning to Japan after the holiday in the US. After reading your article and comments, I am thinking this is the best way:
– Get legally married in Japan
– Apply for a new passport with a new last name
– Apply for Change of Status of Residence (instead of COE) while still in Japan from Instructor Visa to Spouse Visa
1.Do you think this would all be possible in about 4 months?
2. If I am not approved for the Change of Status of Residence before leaving to the US, is it possible to return on a Tourist Visa and have the application be approved?
3. Does changing my visa from Instructor to Spouse affect my job in any way? (That may be a question for my employer).
If you have other suggestions (such as waiting to change my name on my passport) I am open to them! Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Jocelyn,
The order you suggested sounds right to me.
1. As a US citizen, that time frame sounds like it would work. (It would not, however, for readers from other countries who have a little more paperwork involved). I would recommend getting started as quickly as possible, though, to leave nothing to chance.
2. I would double-check with the Immigration Bureau to be sure, but you should be able to leave Japan and return using your instructor visa, if your residence card is still valid. Even though you’d no longer be an instructor when you left, you should be permitted to return to the country under that status to complete your Change of Status procedures. When you submit your Change of Status of Residence application, you will get a stamp in your passport saying that your application is under consideration. That stamp will allow you to stay in Japan up to 2 months after your current residence status expires in order to await the results of the screening.
You may have to apply for a re-entry permit if your trip back to the US is after your residence card expires.
3. No. As a spouse, you have all the working rights of a Japanese national, so there would be no change in your working status. You should report the change of status to your employer, however, as they do have to give an annual report to the Immigration Bureau on all the foreign nationals they employ, including your residence status and residence card number.
If you are running out of time to file your Change of Status of Residence application, you could wait to change the name on your passport to save yourself some delay. I think it took me about 3 weeks to get a new passport when I applied to do that. But if you start everything now and don’t delay, you should still have plenty of time.
(However, if you have a US driver’s license, etc., and want to change your name on that, then changing your name on your passport and with social security would make changing your license easier when you go back to the US on holiday).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Great stuff man! I just had a question I just applied for the spouse visa for my wife with the certificate of eligibility, the lady just said okay you will get the passport back in three working days. my question would be after we get this back what else do we have to do? is she giving us the card or did they put something in her passport? im just a little confused but i know that we have gotten all of the hard stuff out of the way.
Hi Connor,
It’s taken me a while to get to your question, so I suspect 3 working days have passed and you may have the passport back by now.
Just in case you don’t: The Visa is going to be pasted to one of the pages in the passport, so look for it when you get it to check that all the details are correct. You should also receive the CoE back, and they’ll want you to have that with you when you pass through Immigration when you arrive in Japan (they will collect it there).
That should be all the paperwork finished!
Congratulations and good luck with your new life in Japan.
– Travis from TranSenz
hello travis!!
i just want to inform you that i got my COE approved after 5weeks from my application.
thankyou sooooo much!
your article is a such a huge help not only for me but for loads of people!
next up, is visa application!
i am as of the moment,filling up my application form. however,i came to this
* purpose of visit to Japan
* intended length of stay
and I’m quite confused on what should be written there.
any suggestions?
Thanks a lot!!
Hi Mary,
Congratulations on getting your CoE! I’m very happy to hear that your application was successful, and pretty fast, too, as far as these things go.
If the article was helpful in some small way, I am very happy to hear that!
My recommendation for your purpose of stay would be “Live with spouse (spouse of Japanese National).” Replace “Japanese National” with “Permanent Resident,” if appropriate,
Your intended length of stay should match the length of stay printed on your CoE. It’s about halfway down, on the right. (Don’t worry, you can renew your period of stay once you’re in Japan).
Congratulations again, and good luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
yeah!! huge thanks to you travis!
more power~ Godbless!
hello, thank you for this article, but i have a question about the application form, from question 12-16.
1. date of entry ( is this when i’m going to Japan? )
2. port of entry is where i will arrive right?
3. intended length of stay ( is this how long i want to stay in Japan. 1 year etc.. ? )
4. intended place to apply for visa ( is this applying for spouse visa here in Japan? because right now, i have a multiple entry visa to Japan and it is valid for 1year.
5. for question 23, if i have no work place in Japan yet, should i leave this part blank?
6. for question 25,26 & 27. do i have to write in all the question since my Japanese wife will pass the application for me.
thank you for helping a lot of people here.
looking forward to your reply.
and by the way, for example. my CoE gets approved and like i said, i still have a multiple entry Visa valid until December 2017. i should fo to Japan Embassy/Consulate to chnage my status right? what should i apply next when i’m in Japan? Change my Multiple Entry Visa to
1. Spouse of Japanese National Visa?
or
2.Change of Residence status?
thank you for anwerings many of the questions.
Hi Cyrill,
If you apply for a CoE and it gets approved, you should apply for a Spouse of Japanese National Visa at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate where you are living.
When you enter Japan with that visa and CoE, your old multiple entry visa would become invalid and you would automatically have a spouse residence status and would get a Residence Card at the airport when you arrived. You wouldn’t have to apply for anything else after entering Japan (you’d just have to do the regular resident registration paperwork).
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
hi Travis,
thank you so much for your answers, it helps us a lot. everything makes it clearer.
my wife will be sending my application by this week to the consulate. goodluck to my application.
thank you again.
Godbless.
Hi Cyrill,
I cover how to answer each the questions in detail in my book, but here is the short version:
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes – 5 years is the maximum length for a Spouse of Japanese National, but unless you or your spouse has a consistent source of income in Japan already, you’re likely to only get one year, even if you ask for five.
4. If you are in Japan now, then you wouldn’t fill out this form, you would fill out the application for Change of Status of Residence. If you are filling out this form, it is so that you can apply for a visa outside of Japan, so you would fill in the location of the Japanese Embassy where you will apply for the visa.
5. Fill in “none”
6. It depends on your financial support in Japan. Your wife should be your guarantor in most cases, so you will certainly have to fill in #26. If someone else in Japan will be providing you with financial support on a permanent basis (i.e. you have no intention to work, that person will support you with their income), then you would fill in #25, but otherwise you can leave it blank. Your wife should fill in #27 with her own information.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
my wife has already filled in everything for me, and now we are working on our questionaire form. needs to be detailed as possible and a lot of pictures and others stuffs.
thanks a lot again for helping not only us but many other people around the globe applying for a CoE.
🙂
Hi, im from Philippines. My husband is indian national. We get married here in Philippines. We have one child that six months old already now. My husband is a japan residence and also he is working there. We are planning to live in japan for good. But my question is, how can i get spouse visa so that me and my child can live with my husband in japan permanently?. Hope you can help me. Thank you
Hi Ver Joanna,
It depends on what your husband’s status is in Japan. If he is a Permanent resident, you can use this application process for both you and your child (you’ll have to apply separately for each of you.)
If he is a mid- to long-term resident (e.g. Specialist, professor, other working status), then you would need to follow the instructions for the Dependent status.
In either case, your husband will have to get the paperwork started by applying for Certificates of Eligibility for each of you in Japan. The instructions above or on the dependent page should help him get going!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello again Travis! I’d like to ask a couple of questions ! 1.)Should my foreign permanent resident fiance writedown our plans of marriages to the reason for invitation? 2.) Is 15 days tourist visa enough for marriages in japan including paperworks and applying for change of Status from tourist to spouse visa? 3.) Which visa should i applied for is it spouse visa of permanent resident or dependent visa? 4.)My fiance is asking me Which one is needed to do first, applying for COE before marriage While im in philippines before going to japan or is it better be done after we got married? Thanks, for always helping us with our inquiries god bless your family!
Hi Vanezza,
1. I think it’s fine to write down that you plan to get married during your trip while applying for your tourist visa. I would not recommend writing down that you plan to change your status while in Japan, since that might result in more questions and wouldn’t necessarily help your application.
2. No. Even 90 days is cutting it a little short. You’ll have to get married (including getting the required eligibility documents from your home countries and getting them translated), register the marriage with your home countries, then apply for the Change of Status. If you’re able to apply for the Change of Status of Residence, then you should be fine, since you can stay in Japan a little longer to wait for the processing to finish. However, some commenters on here have told me that they weren’t allowed to apply for a Change of Status and were told that they had to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility, instead. That can take up to 3 months and you would not be able to extend your stay in Japan in the mean time. Try for 90 days to have the best possible chance of getting all of your paperwork done in time.
3. Spouse of Permanent Resident. You cannot apply for a Dependent visa if your spouse is a permanent resident. (Dependent is only for spouses of mid-to-long term status holders)
4. You would have to get married first. You cannot apply for the COE until after you are married. Submitting your proof of marriage (from Japan and your home countries) is one of the requirements to apply for the COE.
I hope that helps. Good luck to you and your fiance!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for all the advice and great website!
I would like to ask for advice about my situation?
I have been in Japan the last few months on a tourist visa and my partner and I will marry this April and then in May we will both leave to go backpacking a few months before returning back to Japan.
Is it possible to apply for the C.O.E during April before we actually leave Japan and then we will both leave together while the application is being processed as we will be travelling for a few months anyway?
If the C.O.E gets approved should I go back to Japan to apply for spouse visa or should I fly back to my home country to apply for Spouse visa?
I am a British National and she is a Japanese National.
We both plan on living and working in Japan and would like to avoid going back to UK if possible.
Thank You
Hi Ryan,
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!
It’s possible to apply for the CoE together then leave, yes. But you’ll want to have someone looking after your wife’s mail while you’re gone. There’s a chance the Immigration Bureau could ask her to submit additional documentation. If that happens, you’ll have a limited amount of time to submit whatever they ask for.
If there is someone watching your wife’s mail, you could have that person forward the CoE to you by post wherever you are backpacking at the time so that you can apply for the visa before returning to Japan. However, that could be risky since you’ll be moving around and might have to deal with delays from the local postal service.
My recommendation would be to return to Japan, collect your CoE and apply for a “Change of Status of Residence” at the Immigration Bureau in Japan. If you have your CoE already when you apply for this, then it should be a quick and simple approval.
(Note about terminology: You would not/can not apply for a visa inside Japan. A visa is just permission to enter the country, and you’ve already done so at that point. You would need to change your Residence Status from Tourist to Spouse).
The Change of Status of Residence application form is almost identical to the CoE application form, but you wouldn’t have to submit any of the other supporting documentation again. You should be fine with the application form, CoE, your passport, a photo, and the processing fee.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
This is such a helpful site is decided to buy your book.
Hi David,
Thank you very much! I sincerely appreciate your support.
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
First of all, thank you so much for this detail and useful article.
I am Anh from Vietnam. My husband is Japanese and we are currently working in Malaysia. We are planning to go back Japan in this June or July (as soon as I get visa).
I am in the midst of this process and there are few questions I would like to ask you. Please help me to clarify:
1. #12 & 13: We are staying in Malaysia and we do not know the exact day will go back. Should we leave it blank?
2. #20: Can I write my parents-in-law in this table because my husband is with me in Malaysia?
3. #22: We got married officially under Malaysia law. After that, we registered both Japan & Vietnam Embassy in Malaysia. For (2) “Foreign authorities”, should I write down the certificate which is issued by Malaysia officer or Vietnam Embassy? Because the registration in Japan and Vietnam Embassy were based on Marriage Certificate by Malaysia Officer.
4. #24: Because my husband is working overseas, will it be better to put my father-in-law as my supporter & guarantor even though he is retired? As the above comments, I understood that the minimum monthly allowance fee is 80,000 JPY. Can I select 3 options: Self, Supporter in Japan, and Guarantor? I have savings in Malaysia and the Employment Confirmation letter from my company which is shown my working length & salary. If my supporter & guarantor are same, should I split the amount of money into 2 options?
For example, I will separate into 3: Self – 30,000 + Supporter in Japan – 30,000 + Guarantor – 30,000. Is it fine?
5. My father-in-law is my guarantor, so he will be the person submit Juminhyo and Juminzei, wont he?
6. The 1st spouse visa is valid 1-year period. Is it compulsory how many days/ months I have to stay in Japan because we plan to celebrate wedding in Vietnam in this July?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance :).
Hi Anh,
Thank you for your compliments. These kinds of questions are exactly why I wrote my detailed book on the certificate of eligibility and spouse visa application process.
1. These don’t have to be exact, final answers. Estimates are fine, but they do need to be filled in.
2. You only need to write your parents-in-law if you will be living with them on arrival.
3. The English says “Foreign Authorities” but the Japanese question is really asking for your home country. Provided that you can get proof of your marriage from the Vietnamese government, I would write the date and location you registered with the Vietnamese Embassy.
4. Your Guarantor needs to be living in Japan (I have a flow chart to help sort this out in the book), but a supporter can be in any country. Your father-in-law, assuming he has a pension or other financial means, should be your guarantor. He doesn’t necessarily need to be your supporter. If he is both a supporter and guarantor, then you would fill in his financial contribution in the Guarantor line, only, do not split the lines.
Your salary certificate in Malaysia is not going to be acceptable as proof of resources, since that job will not continue paying you after you arrive in Japan.
5. Juminzei, yes. Your husband, not your father-in-law will need to submit his Juminhyo.
6. There is no compulsory number of days to stay in Japan. (I left Japan during my first year to celebrate my wedding in my home country, too, plus a few more trips for work). By the time you apply to renew your status of residence in Japan, you’ll want to establish your own consistent job and income (or your husband’s) so that you can get a longer period of stay, but that’s about it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you this information was very helpful. However, I have a question.
My wife and baby (both Japanese) and I’m visiting them on tourist visa (Multiple entry 180 days) and my first 90 days has come to an end, I will be leaving japan soon.
However, I have got my Certificate of Eligibility now.
My question is, can I use the remaining visa (Multiple entry 90 days) or must I apply for a new visa to get my resident card?
Hi Frank,
If you take your Certificate of Eligibility to the Immigration Bureau now, you should be able to use that to apply for a Change of Status of Residence.
Once you have submitted that application, you will be allowed to stay in Japan for up to an additional 2 months while they process your application. So, there is a good chance you could change your status without having to leave Japan at all.
If you choose to leave, then you can either apply for a spouse visa before you return to Japan (at the Japanese Embassy in your home country), or you can return on your tourist visa then apply for the Change of Status of Residence after you return.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hi transenz!
im really nice to see your comments here
Hi Travis,
Great blog and very helpful piece of article. I am married to a Japanese Permanent Resident. My wife wants to live in Japan therefore planning to apply for Spouse of Permanent Resident Visa. We got married outside Japan and got our Marriage registered with Local authorities. And she is back in Japan now to resume her job. Since she is on full time job, I want to make it easy for her to go through the process. I read and understood most of it but your scenario is a bit different from mine so I want to be sure we do everything right to avoid delays. I am writing down the process how I understood it and just need your thoughts on the questions I have in mind.
1. Obtain Koseki from Town Hall of her Residence
2. Prepare and Apply for COE
– She should get her Juminhyo & Juminzei with Financial Proofs and all
– Our wedding certificate, photos and questionnaire
3. if all goes well and COE arrives, I take it with other documents to embassy to apply for visa.
Questions:
1. Is it advisable to get a lawyer for COE process?
2. Will they require my bank statement anywhere throughout process?
3. Do I have to prepare any document except Passport, photograph & visa form?
4. Any points of caution while my wife is a Permanent Resident instead of Japanese National?
Thanking in Advance
Hi Muazzam,
Thank you for your kind comments!
The application process for a Spouse of Permanent Resident Certificate of Eligibility (or Change or Status of Residence) is mostly similar to the Spouse of Japanese National process, but there are a few minor differences. I cover these in detail in the book I just finished on the application process, but I’ll summarize them in my answers below:
Your Process
1. Your wife will not have a koseki. This is one of the biggest differences. You do not need any other document in place of the koseki.
2. Yes on the Juminhyo/Juminzei documents. She will also need to complete the Letter of Guarantee in addition to the documents you listed.
– If you and she have different nationalities, you will need one copy of your marriage records from each of your home countries (or a statement that your home country does not issue records for marriages conducted abroad).
3. Yes, that sounds good.
Questions
1. I really do not think a lawyer is necessary. You can complete this entire process yourself without too much difficulty.
2. Your bank statement is not required. If you plan to use your own savings to support yourself upon arrival and fill in “self” for the financial supporter question in the application form, submitting it will make it easier for your application to pass. More evidence of resources is never a bad thing.
3. You will also need your marriage records issued by your home country (with a professional translation). You may have other requirements for your visa application, since that can vary from country to country. Check with the Japanese embassy in your country to be sure.
4. Assuming that your wife is fluent in Japanese, only the two points I listed in my comments on steps 1 and 2 of your process. (If she’s not fluent, she may need a friend to help translate her Questionnaire answers).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hello transenz
i am married to a japanese for almost 6 yrs..and i have been here in japan for almost 12yrs. last june 2016 i applied for permanent visa. but they denied it. the reason is my husband is not paying his taxes. for me since then i all my taxes are payed.. my husband told me that he will not pay taxes and he is planning to annul me this year and my 3 yr visa will expire this coming november..what can i do? please help me..thanks
Hi Ann,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re in such a tough situation.
This is out of my area of expertise, so you might want to consult with a lawyer or one of the international resident assistance organizations, if there is one in your area.
I don’t know if paying your husband’s taxes for him is an option (to remove the reason for denial), but if not then it looks like you may have to find a way to change your residence status if you want to stay in Japan past November. The options depend on your situation.
I’m sorry I couldn’t offer more help.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
if he divorced me.can i apply for a long term visa?maybe 3 yrs or 5?for me i have no problem with my taxes..
Hi Ann,
You can apply to Change your Status of Residence, but you would need to qualify for the new status. For example, you’d have to be working to get one of the working statuses.
If you meet those criteria, you can change quite easily, but then you would lose the ability to apply for Permanent Residency for several years.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
do i need a lawyer when i file a change of status?when he divorced me. Or me by myself i can file on my own? thanks for the response
Hi Ann,
You don’t need a lawyer to file a Change of Status of Residence (or any other form at the Immigration Bureau, for that matter). All you need is the supporting documentation for your new status.
You may need one for the divorce proceedings, but I’m afraid that isn’t my area of expertise.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for the extremely informative post! I am married to a Japanese national and we both live outside Japan at the moment. Can my wife’s father or mother act as my representative (the person who ultimately signs form 1)? In that case this relative would have the role of representative (section 27), guarantor (section 26), and supporter (section 25). Is it fine if all those roles are filled by the same person?
Hi Patrick,
I’m glad you found it helpful! That’s my goal.
It is not a problem if the same person is your Financial Supporter, Guarantor, and Representative. Your Guarantor will also fill out the Letter of Guarantee
Your Guarantor has to have income, so unless both of your parents-in-law have income and tax records, that limits who can fill in that section.
For Financial Supporter, I think your mother- or father-in-law should complete Question 24 (1) & (3), not Question 25. Question 25 is if you are to be permanently supported by that person’s income and not seek your own income (think housewife or househusband). Question 24 is for persons who will provide you with support until you are able to support yourself. If they fill in 24, it is fine to leave 25 blank.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi. Can you advise me as well please? I will go to Japan in February to get married there with my Japanese fiance.
I have 3 questions regarding the visa:
– I would like to take his surname, do I apply for all paperwork after I had done this at my embassy? Or is it better to wait until my first visa expires? How long will I have before my 180 days of tourist visa is up?
– Is it ok to apply for the visa from within Japan? e.g. change my tourist visa?
– He is a Phd student so does not work, what will be the best for that income document?
Thank you for your help.
Hi Sal,
It sounds like you plan to go to Japan on a tourist/short-term stay visa, get married there, then change to a Spouse Visa. Is that right?
Before you go, your tourist visa is only for 90 days, not 180, so be careful with the dates!
1. If you’re going to get married after you arrive in Japan, you will be on a very tight schedule to get your change of status of residence processed. In your situation, I would recommend that you finish the legal marriage as soon as possible after you arrive (within the first few days) then get your application together and apply for your Change of Status of Residence immediately. There’s a chance that the Immigration Bureau will not allow you to apply for a Change of Status of Residence – there seems to be some inconsistency on this point – and will tell you to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility, instead. In that case, you’ll need to apply early so that you get the Certificate before you have to leave Japan.
I mention all that to emphasize that you really won’t have much time. Changing your name at your embassy could take several weeks and that is time you do not have. I would recommend that you wait until after your application is complete and accepted before you change your name.
2. I sort of answered this in the paragraph above. You can apply for a “Change of Status of Residence” to change from tourist to spouse. However, you’ll have to prove that there is some unavoidable reason for you to make the change in Japan. Sometimes the Immigration Bureau will accept that you could not get married before arriving in Japan and accept your application, but sometimes they will not, according to other commenters. If they do not let you apply for a Change of Status of Residence, you can still apply for a Certificate of Eligibility from inside Japan. If you get that CoE issued before your 90 days are up, then you can apply to change your residence status to “spouse” within Japan.
(I explain this process in more detail in my ebook on Spouse Visas, which is coming out later this month).
3. You’ll probably need his parents to serve as your Guarantor, but ask him to double-check with the Immigration Bureau, too. Even if he does not have an income, he may have the right tax records and be able to serve as your guarantor (you will still need financial supporters, though).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! Just wanted to thank you for being so patient in explaining and answering not just my questions but to everyone here as well. My husband’s COE finally came today. Your article was of great help. Hope everything goes well with the visa application too. Thank you so much!
Can I just ask something on answering the visa application form? What do people applying for a spouse visa usually write on the ‘purpose of visit to japan’ section? Thanks again!
Hi Y,
I wrote “Live with spouse (Spouse of Japanese National)” and didn’t have any trouble with my application. That’s what I’d recommend, but some of the other readers might have suggestions, too.
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Goodday transzenz am my wife is using (permanent permit and I want to visit her in Japan what must I do ?
Hi chibuezbarthez,
You posted the same question in multiple places, so I just answered it here.
Good Luck!
-Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have a question on the visa processing in japan. I already get my coe and had applied visa in japan. It’s already near 3 weeks but i dont get any reply yet from the embassy on visa application?Is it normal? because from what i read some of people only wait for 2 weeks to get their visa done.
I hope you can shed some light.
Thanks
Hi Aifa,
Where did you apply for your visa?
Other commenters have told me that processing time can vary wildly by country. In the Philippines, for example, I’ve heard of the process taking more than 3 weeks for a lot of people. I’d recommend that you check on the Japanese embassy’s website in the country where you applied to see what their average time is.
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
hi travis, thanks for the reply
i finally received the resident card 2 days ago. :). basically im applying coe and visa in japan.
Thanks again travis
Hi aifa
Did you get ur visa already !!! How many weeks it takes
My husband also applying spouse visa with COE its more than 2 weeks now!!!
Hi travis,
I received my COE last November 29 and I went directly to the accredited agency to apply for visa.The staff told me that usually the processing time is 7-14 working days but unfortunately it’s almost a month now, still don’t have my visa.I keep on calling the agency for follow up but they’re always telling me that it’s still “for verification”. I don’t know what to do for now. I’m so confused of the processing ?. Hope that somebody could help me… tnx ??
Hi Mae Shiel,
Based on similar comments I’ve heard in the past, can I assume you’re applying for your visa in the Philippines?
I’ve heard that the agencies there are really slow and not helpful about giving progress updates, but I don’t know anything specific. I hope one of the other readers here can share their experience and help you!
Are there multiple agencies than can handle the application? If so, maybe I should ask everyone in your situation to share the name of the agency they use so we know which ones are fast and slow in the future!
I hope you get your visa soon!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi evangeline,
When did you apply for visa? Did you get it for now?
hi.im tin..im married to a japanese national.he already applied for my coe together with my child.he applied last dec.i called the immigration to check our application.the staff there told me that they finished checking our document but still they are not yet mailing our coe.i asked him if i passed,he said MAYbe..what do u think of this.and how long it takes to mail as for the result..tnx
Hi Tin,
I’m afraid that’s really not enough information for me to figure out whether or not your CoE would be approved or not. I have never heard of anyone being told “maybe” before, so I’m not sure what they mean.
It should take a maximum of 3 months from when your husband submitted it to get the result, so you should be hearing soon!
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I wanted to know if you had any information on renewal of spouse visa? I followed your guide and was able to get my spouse visa earlier this year and now its time to look into renewing my spouse visa and hopefully get a 3 year extension of the 1 year 🙂
Did you have trouble renewing your spouse visa in the past?
Thanks
Harry
Hi Harry,
I’m glad to hear that you were successful in getting your spouse visa! I only got a 1-year stay when I first applied, too.
The good news is that when I renewed, I was able to get a 3-year stay with no problem. At that time, 3 years was the maximum stay, but now you can get up to 5 years. I recommend going for 5, because one of the conditions for applying for permanent residency is having the maximum length of stay possible for your status.
The renewal process should be easier than applying in the first place. The only complicated part is getting the proof of financial resources. If you’re supporting yourself and your family with your income, you won’t have the required tax records yet. Double-check with the immigration bureau to be sure, but in my case I was able to submit proof of employment with my salary mentioned and my record of tax withholding (源泉徴収票 gensenchoshuhyo) that I got shortly after the new year.
In my case, I submitted my application in March, which was bad timing. It ended up taking over a month to get the response and my period of stay expired in the meantime. If that happens to you, you’re allowed to stay in Japan for up to 2 months after your period of stay expires or until the Immigration Bureau finishes your screening, whichever comes first.
I plan to release a full guide on this in the future, but for now, I how that helps!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for the information and as always very helpful 🙂
OK, I currently have my certificate of employment which shows my salary on it, and will also have my (源泉徴収票 gensenchoshuhyo) for this end of year and the one I received last year. I also have paid my resident tax in full but I am not sure if I will need that?
I will be sticking with what I did last time and self support. Show them my japanese bank statement that proves monthly income coming. My wife also works full time but she also will not have the records since she moved back to Japan the same time as me. I guess it wont hurt to include her certificate of employment and gensenchoshuhyo?
Thanks again
Harry
Hi Harry,
If you have residence tax payment records that cover a full year, that’s the preferred form of proof of financial resources (rather than your salary certificate and 源泉徴収票). Since you mentioned that you’d only had a 1-year status before, I just assumed you wouldn’t have that yet.
If your residence tax documents don’t show a full year, then I’d recommend contacting the local immigration bureau to see if they still want those in addition to your other records.
It doesn’t to show additional proof of financial resources, but as long as you are making a liveable salary, then just the employment/salary certificate and the 源泉徴収票 should be sufficient for your application to pass with no trouble.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
My resident tax I think only covers 3/4 of the year as I have not been here long enough. Keeping in mind I went from working holiday visa to spouse visa in which I think I did not have to pay resident tax on my first year.
I think I will just bring a copy of that incase they need it, but I definately have my letter of employment and my end of year tax slip.
Will keep you posted.
Thanks
Hey transzenz my wife is a Phillips and I for Nigeria we got married in Nigeria last year now I want to visit my wife in Japan she is using permanent resident she have leave in Japan for 30 years what must I do to visit her??? thanks
Hi chibuezebarthez,
If you just want to visit her, then you can apply for a tourist visa for up to 90 days.
If you want to move to Japan, then you would need to apply for a Spouse of Permanent Resident Visa. The application process is almost identical to the Spouse of Japanese National application process I described in the article above.
The first step would be for her to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility for you, following the instructions above.
If you’re interested, I just finished an ebook that breaks down the application process into step-by-step instructions. You can find more about that book here.
Either way, good luck with your application!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks tranSenz but we are planning on a visiting visa. So please does she have to send me all the documents the embassy many need or does she have to sumit our document to home airfares in Japan so Dat how airfares can send it to Nigeria embassy here thanks
Hi chibuezebarthez,
For a tourist visa, the requirements are different based on your country. I’m afraid I don’t have any expertise in that are for Nigeria.
You will not need a Certificate of Eligibility, but your wife will have to send you some documents for your application. She should be able to get them all from her city hall:
You can find instructions and a list of documents on the Japanese Embassy in Nigeria’s website: http://www.ng.emb-japan.go.jp/visa.html
Good Luck!
-Travis from TranSenz
Hello, thank you for the great information! I was just wondering about a small technicality. Do we receive the marriage certificate on the same day we register the marriage? (Assuming we do not mail it and register it in person at the city hall) I am just wondering since I will be there on a tourist visa and we want to get it all done (city hall and immigration) in one day to be quick.
Hi Marty,
You can get a Certificate of Acceptance of Marriage Registration (婚姻届重利証明書 kon’in todoke juri shomeisho) on the same day, which is proof that your marriage registration was accepted. That, plus a copy of your spouse’s koseki tohon, should be enough for you to move forward with your application.
Remember, you might also need proof of marriage registration from your home country, depending on your nationality.
However, if you need your spouse’s Family Register (戸籍謄本 koseki tohon) with your name in it for some reason, it could take up to a few weeks. There are several factors that go into the time: whether or not you’re registering your marriage at the city hall at your spouse’s legal domicile (本籍地 honseki-chi), whether you’re changing your spouse’s legal domicile, how busy that city is, etc.
In my case, we were able to get our new Family Register issued the same day, but that was at my wife’s previous legal domicile, we did not move her legal domicile, and it was a rural town that was not busy.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I see, thank you! My fiancé has moved around quite a bit throughout his life, but he was living in the same place for about 10 years until 7 months ago, when he had to move to a new city (for his full-time job). He gave the new city hall his koseki, so the new city is considered his legal domicile, correct?? Thank you so much for answering!
Hi Marty,
Whenever a Japanese citizen (or foreign resident of Japan) moves, they are required to go through a change in “Residence Registration,” but this is not the same thing as changing their “Legal Domicile.” There is a different form and procedure for each change, so without knowing which city hall form he filled in and submitted, I can’t say for sure.
The most certain way to check is for him to go to the city hall and get a copy of his Residence Registration Certificate (住民票 juminhyo) with the Legal Domicile (本籍地 honseki-chi) listed.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Transenz,
Thanks for this wonderful blog site. keep up the good work. Congratulations for your book.
Hey Marty,
Best wishes to you for your wedding.
I think, it is case by case. I am from India and got married to a Japanese national last year. We went to the city hall on 11th October to register our marriage but it wasn’t registered on the same day. The city hall officials asked us to submit our application and wait to get a reply from them wether our marriage could be registered or not. After three weeks we got a call from city hall to appear for an interview. Both of us faced a lengthy interview which lasted for two hours or so. My husband asked the officials about the result of our marriage registration after the interview but the officials asked us to wait for their reply. It took one and a half month to register our marriage. Surprisingly, the date of registration of marriage as per the Konin todoke juri shomeisho is 11th October. I cannot figure out why we were intensely interviewed.
Hi P,
Thank you for sharing your story! I’d never heard of anyone having a delay like that for their marriage paperwork. It is very helpful to know that it may happen.
Thank you again!
– Travis from TranSenz
sir can i ask a queston if i got certificate of eligibility , my visa is automatically release?
Hi Koko,
No, it is not automatic, but it is pretty close.
You still have to complete the prescribed visa application. If you don’t submit all the required items for that application, or if your situation changes and you become ineligible for your visa (for example, you apply for a Spouse CoE but then get divorced before applying for your visa), then your visa could be denied.
As long as you’re doing everything right, though, there is no reason the visa would be denied!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
I have a very quick question about translation of marriage certificates to Japanese.
I am American and my wife is a Japanese national. We were married in Hawaii and have a American marriage certificate. We are in the process of filling out paperwork to move to Japan. As you may know we have to translate our English marriage certificate into Japanese.
My questions is; is there a official form or a format to translate the marriage certificate? Can it be handwritten on a copy of the certificate?
Your best advice on the proper procedure to translate a American marriage certificate to Japanese to submit for a visa application would be very helpful!
Thank you!
Hi Daniel,
Congratulations on your marriage!
Yes, there is an official form you are required to use as well as several other items you need to submit. You can get the Report of Marriage and official translation form form the Consulate General of Japan in Hawaii.
Your wife can find the instructions in Japanese on the Consulate’s website, but they do not appear to have the forms for download there.
You will need:
2-3 copies of the Report of Marriage (official form)
The State of Hawaii marriage certificate (show only, no need to submit)
Japanese translation of the Hawaii marriage certificate (official form)
Your wife’s koseki tohon or shohon (show only, no need to submit)
Your birth certificate or passport valid on the date of your marriage (show only, no need to submit)
A translation of your birth certificate of passport (official form)
Your wife’s passport (show only, no need to submit)
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! I’d like to ask how long should I work here in Japan before I can apply for a dependent visa for my husband. I arrived here last October 5 and I am working as an English teacher. I was given Engineering / specialization in human services visa which is good for 5 years. I tried to contact some Japanese immigration lawyer with regards to my concern and I might meet him before the end of the month. I just want to know your idea before consulting a lawyer since I think I have to pay for the consultation. By the way I am Filipina and my husband is also a Filipino. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Joanne,
I saw you asked this in two places, so I answered your question in the comments of the Dependent Visa article.
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I came across this blog while digging information for spouse visa and it has been a great aid to my understanding of the application process. I am a singaporean planning to marry my japanese fiance in japan. But i’m already planning to go japan on a tourist visa – (short term stay up to 90 stays) next january. After reading most of the comments, i still have doubts to the necessity of COE, i’m sorry if you may have answered this many times >.< .
My question is, the requirements for application of spouse visa stated that COE is required beforehand however i saw from some answers here stated that transition may be possible from tourist visa? Is that possible?
If i'm already in japan with the tourist visa- (short term stay up to 90 stays), can i still be eligible to apply for spouse visa bypassing the COE application process?
My fiance was surprised too as he was not informed about the COE application when he went to ask about foreigner marriage.
Many thanks
Annie
Hi Annie,
I’m not surprised you have doubts about the CoE – I’ve gotten new information several times by way of the comments, and my understanding of it has changed since I wrote the article. I’m working on a revision, to accompany an ebook on the subject, so I will make all of this clear in the near future!
It is possible to make the transition from Tourist to Spouse of Japanese National after arriving in Japan. The Immigration Bureau says it is permitted in extenuating circumstances and I have read from several immigration lawyers that it is not so difficult for Spouses of Japanese Nationals. In your case, the fact that you won’t get married until after you arrive in Japan is a perfect example of an “extenuating circumstance,” so it should certainly be possible.
Unfortunately, while you are “bypassing” the CoE process, applying for a Change in Status of Residence is almost an identical process to applying for the CoE. You will have to submit all the same requirements, just a slightly different application form, which you can get from the Immigration Bureau website.
This will also be covered in detail in my upcoming ebook.
By the way, if your fiance went to the city hall to ask about foreigner marriage, it would not be surprising if they didn’t mention the CoE. That’s an Immigration matter, and city halls, in my experience, are not very proacive about volunteering information that concerns other agencies.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi travis! I received a letter from the immigration that we need to submit a proof of our communication (copy of mail,LINE,etc.). We usually send messages using line and facebook messenger. Is it okay if I just do a screenshot of certain conversations and print it as photos? Also, I don’t have an idea on how much is needed. Do I need to submit lots of conversations? Thank you in advance.
Hi Y,
I don’t think there’s a specific rule about how much is needed. If either of those programs have an option to export your conversation history, that would be the best option. There is a tip for how to do this on facebook on their forums. Otherwise, screenshots of specific conversation would be your only other option as far as I can tell.
In that case, it would be a lot of screenshots to make up your whole conversation history, so excerpts from your history that show that you have been in communication on a regular basis for a long time should work!
I hope someone else on here has similar experience and can add some comments!
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Y,
I was asked to submit the same. I took screenshots of all the important messages and emails between me and my husband before marriage. We mailed the printouts of those screenshots to the immigration bureau.
We were asked twice to submit our photographs. As of now I am in my country and my husband is in Japan. We are waiting to hear from the immigration bureau about the result of my COE. It has already been three months.
hi i just wanna ask why the result for my visa takes too long,untill now i didnt recieve any result been 2 weeks,i apply japanese spouse visa with coe,i thought it would be easy if i have coe already,i pass all the requirements and i dont have any bad or past record in japan coz its my first time,😭 any reason why it takes too long for them to release my visa?thank u
Hi Nic,
Hopefully, you’ve heard back by now.
I don’t even know what country you’re applying from, so I’m afraid I can’t help with your question. I’d recommend calling the embassy where you applied!
(If you applied through an agency, sometimes those places take a little longer).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I would like to thanks for ur article.Im Sri Lankan and nw I’m studying in Japan.nw I’m in Semmon(vocational training school).My graduation is next March.i have already married and hv a 4 years old daughter.once I applied for my family depending visa in 2015 setember.but it was rejected.the reason was I’m in student visa and I don’t have an ability to handle their living expenses .so that time everybody adviced me applying for depending after I get my working visa.i hope to apply my working visa next February .i have planned to take my husband and my daughter in visiting visa for 3 months for my graduation and that time I want to apply again for depending visa when they stay in Japan in that 3months period.so my question is once I apply for depending visa next year in that period ,,,do they can stay in Japan in visiting visa till the Result comes??or if that result late to come until finish their visiting three months do they have back to Sri Lanka?? This year they came to Japan 2 times in 1month visiting visa and 3months visiting visa.nw also they stayed with me and they back to Sri Lanka on 3rd of December .Also I have a question after getting the COE I have planned to my daughter back to Sri Lanka with my mother for her education.I would like to know what are the immigration rules about it?I would like to ur kindly attention for my questions .thanks
Hi Ann,
This article is about the Spouse of Japanese National/Spouse of Permanent Resident. I do have another article about the Dependent Visa application process, too.
Unfortunately, according to the information I’ve found, you cannot bring your family to Japan on a visiting/short-term stay visa then apply directly for a Change of Status of Residence to “Dependent.” So, you would have to apply for a CoE. Once you get the CoE, then they may be able to use that to apply for a Change of Status of Residence in Japan, but I am not certain that will work. I would recommend that you contact the Immigration Bureau to find out.
If you are applying for a CoE for your family members and their 3 months short-term stay status expires, they would have to leave Japan.
Once your husband and daughter have their Dependent Residence Status & Residence Card, they will be able to leave and return to Japan freely as long as they return to Japan within one year of departing or before their Residence Card expires, whichever comes first.
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you very much for your helpful article about the entire process of dependent visa and that’s why thought to pen down regarding a serious matter. As i mentioned in the previous question my wife is a lawyer working in Sri Lanka who is willing to apply for her masters in the Japan University but this problem all around because we need to make sure its worth to apply.
I entered for a Japanese language course during 2003 and couldn’t continue due to my personal problems and overstayed 3years without visa got banned for 05 years. its been 10 years from the date since the deportation.
Will they grant me the dependent visa or tourist visa?
Is there any possibility that they wont issue the visa due to my previous immigration history?
Can they refuse my visa after even granting student visa to my wife?
Please help me to overcome these problems through your guidance
Thanking You,
Regards,
Kasun
Hi Kasun,
If it has been over 5 years since you were deported from Japan, that should not affect your ability to acquire a visa now. Your application may be scrutinized more carefully, but a 10+ year-old deportation by itself is not sufficient grounds to refuse your application.
If you apply for a dependent visa (and have the Certificate of Eligibility that your wife will acquire for you in Japan), then you should be able to get a dependent visa. The Embassy is not going to look at your application and “downgrade” you from dependent to tourist. It would be all or nothing.
They absolutely can refuse you a dependent visa after granting a student visa to your wife. For example, if you don’t have sufficient proof of financial resources to support your life in Japan or you don’t submit all of the requirements correctly, your Certificate of Eligibility or visa application could be denied. But as long as you do everything correctly, there should be no problem!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
hi travis.
i need your advice i know you can help me.
im planning to get my husband (we get married last may 2016) as a tourist here in japan. we want to spend christmas together and planning to apply for a “change status for his visa” do i have to apply COE before he go here or change status? i dont want him to go home again as much as possible. what do i do? 🙁
Hi Ai,
The safest way is to apply for a CoE and send it to him in advance so that he can come to Japan on a Spouse of Japanese National visa to begin with. I would recommend starting that process immediately.
Even if you do not get the CoE in time for him to apply for a visa before coming to Japan, having it will make it easier (and almost guaranteed to succeed) to apply for the Change of Status of Residence after he arrives.
Having a CoE is the best way and I recommend it if at all possible.
There is also the possibility of having him come to Japan as a tourist then apply for a Change of Status of Residence while he is here, but that is not guaranteed to work. You have to prove that there were unavoidable reasons why he couldn’t apply for a Spouse visa before coming.
Unfortunately, I did recently hear from another commenter that he tried this method and his application was rejected.
So, if you want to be sure, apply for the CoE!
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis! im paolo, im Filipino, my wife is japanese-filipino who grew up here in the ph. but recently she has renounced her philippine nationality. she doesn’t speak and write japanese that good. i just have a question regarding the questionnaire form. like how do we answer the When, where, and how we first met and a detailed explanation of your relationship question. can we answer it in english? or do we have to translate it to japanese? thank you!!
Hi Paolo,
Unfortunately, you are going to have to submit your answers in Japanese. It doesn’t have to be an official translation, since it’s not an official document, so if your wife is living in Japan and has a friend she can ask to translate it for you, that would be fine.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thank you so much for publishing this. I came across your blog whilst trying to obtain information on the spouse visa. Your guide has been so thorough and helpful! I actually read all the comments and questions shared above, and followed your tips (black ball pen, no staples! lol). Would like to share my process, I received my COE in 2 months- at the one month mark they sent us a letter requesting more details (past messages and call history, as well as bank balance) and a month later, I received the COE. I started my application in Japan but before it was approved my tourist visa was expiring so I had to leave and my spouse couriered the letter over to me. The Japanese embassy was so efficient, I actually went yesterday to submit my documents and I received my visa today! Sending you warm wishes and a big thank you from the bottom of our hearts! ありがとうございます！
Hi Xen,
Thank you for sharing your success story, and for your kind words!
You’re the first person I’ve heard of who was asked to submit communication records. It’s good to have confirmation that that does happen!
If you don’t mind my asking, what country/city were you in when you applied for your visa? It’s really helpful to know which embassies/consulates have faster visa processing times and which ones are slower.
Good luck with your life together in Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
Happy to contribute to the pool of information! I am Malaysian so I applied for my visa at the Japan embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Was pleasantly surprised when told I could pick it up the next day. Thank you for your well wishes and all the best to you too!
Hi Travis
Love your work with helping us all !
My situ is I’m living in Japan on a working visa and have alien resident card. I will marry my Japanese fiance in a couple of weeks here and then apply for a Japanese Spouse Visa. Would you happen to know whether I need to apply for another CoE before I apply ?
I’ve heard that all I need is my resident card with the application. Also if I didn’t need another CoE would that mean that the processing of my application will be a relatively short waiting period ?
Thanks again.
Craig
Hi Craig,
Thank you for your kind words 🙂
You do not need to apply for another CoE. You’ll apply for a “Change in Status of Residence” instead. The process is almost identical. You’ll need all the same supporting documents, but the application form itself is (very) slightly different.
Unfortunately, the waiting time is about the same as for a CoE.
Good Luck!
-Travis from TranSenz
Hello! Just wanna knowHow many days or weeks process of visa with eligibilty at yhe philippines today? We filed it last oct 10 but until now it has no result yet. Thank you.
Hi Kish,
A lot of people have written to ask why visa processing takes so long in the Philippines. Unfortunately, I have no direct knowledge, and very few people write back to tell me how long it ends up taking before they finally receive their visas.
Based on past comments, it sounds like 3 weeks or so is not unusual. Hopefully someone else can comment with better information!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Trvis
I am from Sri Lanka and my wife is planning to do her masters in Japan but we have no idea about the procedure of applying for the dependent visa as we are planing to travel together.
Could you kindly explain the procedure and the level of education that meet to apply for dependent visa.
Moreover i really appreciate your endeavor to help people who really seek it.
Your urgent attention in this regard is highly appreciated
Thanks
regards
Kasun
Hi Kasun,
I’ve been getting questions about the Dependent Visa for a while, so I finally published a guide on How to Apply for a Dependent Visa.
I think it went live after you wrote your question, so maybe you’ve already seen it by now.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!!
Your article was very helpful! However I have a quick question.
My partner and I plan to get married next year. However, I will be going to Japan on a working holiday visa, during that time can I apply for the spouse visa (after marriage) or will I need to go back to my home country first? Can I even apply for marriage on a working visa?
My partner is Japanese.
Thank you! Hopefully you can shine some light on this situation 🙂
Hi Krissyy,
I’m glad you’ve found the article helpful!
Yes, you will be able to get married in Japan while on a Working Holiday visa by filing the paperwork at the city hall where your partner lives.
Once that’s done (and you have registered your marriage with your home country, if necessary), you can apply for a “Change of Status of Residence” to Spouse of Japanese National. The application process for “Change of Status of Residence” is almost identical to applying for a Certificate of Eligibility as described above. The biggest difference is the application form itself has a few different questions. The supporting documents should be the same.
You can get the form at:
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/02.html
By the time you come to Japan next year, I plan to have a much more detailed explanation of the process available in ebook form. If you’re interested, keep an eye on this site (or join the mailing list) for updates. 🙂
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz