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!
Travis,
Seems that the majority here is married to a Japanese. How different would the procedure be with if neither of us is Japanese?
Assuming they need the original of the Marriage Cert. from Canada. They won’t return that to me or a copy is fine? “Wedding Certificate issued by the foreign spouse’s country, 1 copy”
Hi Dennis,
I’m assuming that one of you is a Permanent Resident of Japan, correct? Otherwise, your application process would be completely different.
If one of you is a permanent resident, you would both submit the documentation for the “foreign” spouse, including a marriage certificate from each of your home countries (assuming you are from different countries). You will not get your documents back, so I recommend submitting a certified or notarized copy.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thank you for your very helpful information, but I would like to ask where I can get the questionnaire form that needs to be filled out by my japanese wife? I Can’t find it in Japan’s Immigration website. Thank you in advance and God Bless.
Hi Jem,
It’s not immediately obvious from the article above, but the Japanese text in the “Questionnaire” column of the table is actually a download link for the questionnaire. (It links directly to the PDF on the Immigration Bureau website.) I think it might only be linked from their Japanese site, not in English.
Here’s another direct download link.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
Thank you for writting this article.
this is very helpful !!
i do have a quation
i am a canadian citizen currently living in canada
my wife (japanese) is working in japan right now and recently her canadian spouse visa was approved and she is ready to move to canada to live with me next year.
but i wish to work and live in japan sometime next year or so.
as far as i konw the company(a foreign company in japan) that i wish to apply for only accept japanese spouse visa
i want to apply for my japanese spouse visa while she is still working and living in japan since it is easier.
but can i still apply for my japanese spouse visa even though there is a chance that i might not get the job and live in japan ?
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for your kind words.
Once you receive your Certificate of Eligibility, you would have to move to Japan within three months, or it loses its validity. Simply visiting the country on vacation wouldn’t be enough – you would actually have to establish a residence there and record your address with your city hall, enroll in national health insurance and the national pension, etc. So, I would recommend that you hold off on applying for the CoE until you have a definite date to move to Japan in mind.
A spouse visa application is not conditional on you having a job in Japan, so that would not matter, but you would need to start living there.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for putting this together. I’m about to submit for the COE and it’s been very helpful.
Am I understanding this right? Even though my American wife is registered on my Koseki Tohon, I still need to provide my U.S. marriage certificate and all the supporting pictures, etc.? Or is that only for those registering their marriage at the same time as the COE? I’m a little worried about this because my marriage certificate uses my U.S. name which is different than my Japanese name on my Koseki Tohon. I do have my U.S name listed in parentheses on my Japanese passport and there were no issues when I registered our marriage to my Koseki Tohon so maybe it’s not an issue I need to worry about. Any insight is much appreciated.
Thank you,
Bryan
Hi Bryan,
The requirements here assume that you have already registered your marriage, so yes, you would need to provide everything, including your US marriage certificate (if one exists), the photos, etc.
If your US name is listed in parentheses on your Japanese passport, then there should be no problem with your US certificate being accepted. They would just need some sort of formal documentation showing that the name is accurate, and that would seem to be enough.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis! I wanna ask about the “annual income” in the form. Will I base it on what’s in my kazei shomeisho (income certificate)?
Hi Christine,
Yes, that would be appropriate, unless you have other sources of income that you want to add, as well. It does not need to be precise – you can round it to the nearest significant number (millions of yen or hundreds of thousands of yen).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Good day! I wanna ask if i can submit the english version of the questionnaire instead of the japanese version to the immigration. Because I can’t compose a paragraph in Japanese (I know a little only). And i had the same procedure of marriage like what you did. Did you also wrote that in the questionnaire? That you both get married while you weren’t in Japan?
Thank you for helping us always!
Hi Jessica,
Unfortunately, if you submit the Questionnaire in English, you would also need to include a Japanese translation. It would not need to be an official certified translation in this case, since it is your own words and not an official document, so you could ask a friend, etc., to do it.
For the marriage, even though we were living abroad, we were officially married in my wife’s hometown city hall, according to the paperwork, so I wrote that (Her parents were the witnesses on the form, so I included that as well), although I indicated that we were living together in another country at the same time.
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I’m sorry for barging in here Jessica. Hi Travis, we’re currently on the process of applying for my COE. I just send the documents to my husband, and he got it just now. The thing is, I forgot to include the original copy of our Marriage Certificate, just the translated marriage cert made by a professional translator. Is that enough or do I still need to send our Original marriage cert? Thank you in advance. 💛
Hi Jillian,
The original marriage certificate is required in addition to the translation. You might “get away” with it if the Immigration Bureau doesn’t notice, but in my opinion, that would be too much of a risk, so I would recommend sending it right away.
The Immigration Bureau may accept the application but then demand the original as a “missing document” or they may refuse to accept the application until it is included. In either case, it would be in your interest to have it ready to submit as soon as possible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much Travis. My husband will apply my COE tomorrow. Hoping and praying for positive results. ☺️
Hi again Travis. I just got my approved eligibility today. Surprisingly, the process took just 1 month and a week only. Thank you for this blog of yours, it really help me a lot. Will now process the needs for my Visa. ☺️
Hi Jillian,
Congratulations! Thank you very much for letting me know. I think this is a good season for getting your application processed quickly.
Good Luck with your visa and move to Japan!
– Travis from TranSenz
What if my eligibility get approved but im in the philippines? Can someone get that for me?
Hi Karen,
When you applied for the CoE, you typically would have had to give your address or supply a pre-addressed envelope to the Immigration Bureau. They will use that envelope or post the CoE to that address, so as long as there is someone there who can receive it and re-ship it to you, you should be fine.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you Travis for the clarifications regarding the Certificate of Eligibility and the application for the change of status of residency. I have reported my marriage at the Philippine Embassy and the document will be release after two weeks. Then I will proceed with the application of the change of status of residency.
Just need to ask a few questions Travis:
1. Do I need to apply for a replacement of my passport, from maiden name to my married name? Or will my current passport suffice, the one with my maiden name?
2. In my application for the change of status of residency, will I be using my married name? But the passport that I will be submitting is still under my maiden name.
I hope you can send some clarifications on the abovementioned items.
Thank you so much for your continued guidance to all of our queries. More power!
Regards,
Maricris
Hi Maricris,
It’s my pleasure! I’m glad I could help.
1. You are not required to change your name, at all, by Japanese law (I don’t know if it is mandatory in the Philippines). But if you want to, then I would recommend that you either do it before you start your Certificate of Eligibility application or wait until after you move to Japan. Either way is fine, but I would recommend that you avoid changing your name while applying for the CoE. You want to have the same legal name at the start of the application and the end.
2. You should use your name as it is written in your passport, so use your maiden name if you will submit that passport.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanl you so much for your clarifications and advice Travis, it really helped me a lot. You are indeed a great help to us all.
Regards,
Maricris
Travis:
Thanks so much for this guide! It made the process much easier.
My (Japanese) wife and I lived together in the USA for 20 years and are now both moving to Japan. I applied for the COE from Tokyo using your guide and had no problems. (They were concerned about no job, but we showed high bank balances in both US and Japanese banks and that was fine.) My wife did have to get her Jumynshyo and Koseki up to date before I applied.
For reference, I applied for the COE in Tokyo on July 15 2018 and received it on Oct 9, so it is currently about a 2 month wait even when the application had no issues.
I’m currently in Japan with a Temporary Visitor visa (good until December), and will go to the Shinagawa immigration office this week with the Application for Change of Status Of Residence form, the COE, another photo, and 4000 yen revenue stamp. I expect to get my Visitor visa stamp cancelled from my passport, and a 3-year Spouse visa added instead. Does that sound about right?
Thanks again for your help!
Hi Steve,
Thank you for your kind words and feedback!
It may take a few days between when you submit the application and when it is approved. I have seen same-day processing for a Change of Status of Residence (with CoE) at more rural locations, but I imagine that Shinagawa is going to be a little more busy. You won’t need to provide the revenue stamp until you pick up your Residence Card, once the application is approved.
You should have your Temporary Visitor stamp in your passport cancelled and instead, you will receive a Residence Card showing your status and period of stay (which will be equal to whatever is printed on your CoE). My understanding is that they will not add a new stamp to your passport, though that information could be out of date. In either case, the Residence Card is what matters most.
Once you have your Residence Card, you will need to go to the City Hall or Ward Office within 2 weeks to complete residence registration (Report of Moving In), which should also start the process of getting you enrolled in National Health Insurance, the Pension Plan, etc.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis. Just want to ask for your advice regarding the change of status of visa. My husband and I are still waiting for the release of our Marriage Certificate from the City Hall. Once I received the Marriage Certifcate. will it be possible for me to apply for the Change of Visa from Temporary to Spouse Visa while my application for Certificate of Eligibility is still on process? My tourist visa will be expiring on November 22, 2018. In one article, it was mentioned that the application for the change of status visa must be filed within 45 days. May I ask for your advice on this? Thank you so much.
Regards,
Maricris
Hi Maricris,
You should apply for either the Certificate of Eligibility or the Change of Status of Residence, not both.
The application process for both is essentially identical, except for the application form. The difference is that you would apply for the CoE if you are living outside of Japan and preparing to apply for a visa and you would apply for the Change of Status of Residence if you are currently in Japan.
Once you have the marriage certificate (and updated koseki) from the town hall, as well as your marriage certificate issued by your home country, if applicable, you should take that to the Immigration Bureau immediately with the other requirements to apply for a Change of Status of Residence.
I have never heard the 45-day requirement that you mentioned. Could you tell me where you found that so that I can look into it and try to give you a better answer?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hellp Travis. I’m Maricris from the Philippines. Just got married to a japanese last October 1, 2018 and I am currently on a temporary visa. We got married here at Fukaya Cityhall, Saitama Pref. Have a few questions regarding the spouse visa and the CoE.
First, about the questionnaire form in your article, is it written in Japanese with English translation? Do I have to fill this up or my japanese spouse? My level of Japanese is just a beginner stage and I only studied online.
Second, we are preparing the requirements for the CoE. As for list above, its states that the Wedding Certificate issued by the foreign spouse, is this the Report of Marriage being issued by the Philippine Embassy to Filipinos getting married here in Japan. Hope you can send your reply at the soonest. Thank you for this very imformative article.
Regards,
Maricris
Hi Maricris,
Your Japanese spouse should fill in the Questionnaire. There is an English translation of the form available now on the Immigration Bureau’s website, but that is only for reference, so you can help your spouse think of how to answer. But the final form has to be submitted in Japanese.
For the proof of wedding registration, my understanding from other applicants I have talked to is that you can submit proof of having registered your marriage at the Philippine Embassy or Consulate in Japan to meet that requirement. You do not need to wait for the formal marriage documentation from the Statistics Bureau.
I hope that helps.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much Travis for your help and assistance. 😊
Hello, I just came across this blog as I searched in google. Thank you for taking the time out and writing such a helpful blog. I have a question and would appreciate if you could answer. I have a valid COE and I am planning to apply for a visa in next week in our local consulate in Toronto. My question is I was planning to come with my family (wife and 2 kids) and later on applying for their residence in Tokyo as they arrived but can I apply locally for my family for their Visas as well. To what I read I need a different COE for them.
My category of COE is Engineer/ Specialist in Humanities and International Services.
We are Canadians and don’t require Visa to enter Japan for about 90 days.
Friend/Business Partner suggested its much easier for them to get their Residence in Japan then applying in Canada.
Thanks again!!
Amin
Hi Amin,
You would need a Dependent CoE for your family members (one each) for them to apply for a Dependent visa and come to Japan. That link goes to an article I wrote about that application process. The Spouse visa is only for spouses of Japanese citizens or Permanent Residents of Japan.
I’m afraid I think your business partner is mistaken about the process, though. You would have to arrive in Japan and establish your residence here before you can apply for the Dependent CoEs. Once you have them, you would send them to your family in Canada so that they could apply for their visas then come to join you.
The Immigration Bureau would not allow them to change their status of residence from Temporary Visitor (the 90-day visa-free stay) to Dependent while in Japan. That change is permitted for several other statuses, but not for Dependent.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
First of all, Thank you for this article and also for replying to all the queries.
In my case, luckily i have received CoE and applied for the visa in the Japanese embassy. I wanted to know what is the process/steps after reaching Japan and how much time does it take, to get my Resident card. I understood from some other articles that during immigration at the airport (on my arrival) they will issue the card directly. Is that all?
Thanks again
Mandeep
Hi Mandeep,
Thank you for your comments. I really should devote a full guide to that process, so I will put it on my list of things to add to the site.
In most cases, your Residence Card will be issued at the airport where you arrive. If you arrive by sea or at a relatively minor airport, they may not be able to issue it directly, but in that case, you would get the card after you complete your residence registration in the city where you will live.
In either case, you will have to complete residence registration at the city hall where you move in. You would go there with your residence card, passport, and some documentation of your address and complete a “Report of Moving In”. They will then print your address on your residence card and get you started with the procedures to enroll in National Health Insurance, the National Pension Plan, etc.
*If you plan to enroll in health insurance through an employer or join your spouse’s plan as their dependent, that process could be different.
By the time you leave the city hall office, you should have everything complete, or at least in progress!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Mr Travis
im still worry about time . still one week for 3 month to end but still no replay . even as you said if there is any chance to refuse first they will ask to add some document but no ask no replay until now . this week will be the longest week in my life hh
what do you think ?
any advice Mr Travis ?
thank you so much
have a good times
Hi Hana,
I’ve heard from at least one other applicant here that her application has taken longer than the three months, so it may be that the immigration bureau is particularly overwhelmed or slow in some places now.
Once it has been three months from the date that you submitted the application, I would recommend that you contact the immigration bureau and check on the status. Typically, they do not answer questions about ongoing applications, but if it goes over the processing time limit, they may give you some information.
Since they haven’t contacted you for additional documentation, I don’t think there should be a risk of the application not succeeding.
Please let me know how it goes!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you so much
i will try to be more patient this week haha
some times i think about your help and be so thankfull to you
and sure i will tell you in same day i get my coe
hope you the best in your life
Hi Hana,
Thank you very much for your kind words!
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the feedback.
I hope you will hear good news soon!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
hope you are good
only today the result came
we apply the coe in 25jun and the result came today 4.october
is not accept it i dont ask my husband why i was shocked (thanks god any way)
we planing to apply visit visa for
3 month and see what can do about certificate pregnant and ask for certificate there with this good reason or have more time together and back then applay again
do you have the form of letter of hosting and letter or garantee ?
thank you so much for help
next time i hope that i have good news 🙂
Hi Hana,
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am very sorry to hear that they did not accept your application!
I find it particularly strange that they never asked you for any additional documents before rejecting the application.
Typically, the only reasons I know of for rejection would be if there was insufficient evidence of a relationship between the two of you or if there was a concern with the proof of financial resources (possibly including tax payment status). If you think that either of those items could have been weak points in your application, then I would recommend that you try to strengthen them and try again.
You can get the letter of guarantee format from the Immigration Bureau’s English website. Unfortunately, I have never heard of a letter of hosting being a required document for the Certificate of Eligibility application. There is nothing like that listed in the required documents in English or Japanese. Do you have any more information on what that might be?
I hope your visitation visa and your next CoE application attempt go better!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
another small question
is the letter of hosting mean letter of invitation ?
Hi Hana,
I’m not sure, but a Letter of Invitation wouldn’t be required for a Spouse CoE application. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help with figuring out what that might be.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
thank you so much for your quickly answer
i think so too maybe the reason is that we didnt have a good picture together i told you in a old comment that we have only 3 pictures with same clothes and not so much different position and we had only 4 days together befor marriage he came to my country and meet then he back and apply for marriage then to register our marriage in morocco it take a 5 month so in end of jun we apply the coe . about the tax is ok all was pay and other documents too . my husband has no knowledge maybe about how to fill the or answer the question maybe if he didnt answer right is that be a reason to reject it ?
in other way as i said we are planing to apply visit family visa . if we decide to go another way is it good ?>> i mean if he come to morocco and stay a month and i get pregnant is that make things sure and strong for this relation then go back to apply another coe > or better to go visit visa and apply coe and change it there in japan to spouse visa ?
sorry to have this much question but in my situation i have to ask about all a can do to live with my husband i really miss him .
have a geat time travis
i forgot to say about letter of invitation i ask the embassy and they said i need it in visit visa . i just was confused if i need letter of invitation or hosting in visit visa but the embassy give me the answer
thank you so much
Hi Hana,
Thank you for clarifying!
I have hear about the Letter of Invitation for Temporary Visitor visa applications, but I’m not as familiar with that process. I am glad the embassy was able to answer your question!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Hana,
It does sound like the short history of your relationship may be a factor, though I can’t be sure.
Besides the pictures, there is a section in the Questionnaire that asks the history of how you met, and another that asks about the trips you have taken to each other’s countries (to get to know one another).
If that is indeed the problem – and based on what you have written, I don’t see any other glaring concerns – then anything you can to do make the evidence of your relationship stronger would be to your benefit. Certainly, being pregnant or having a child together (with the two of you formally documented as the parents) would be strong, but I would never recommend that just for the sake of making your visa application process easier! If you were planning on having a child anyway, that’s a different story.
In any case, any visits between you and him in either Japan or Morocco, and in the meantime, records of emails, phone calls, chats, etc., between the two of you would make your case stronger! Maybe you going to Japan would be the stronger case, though, because then you can meet his family members, etc.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis
thank you so much for your information
i will be carefull this time
and i will tell any good news in same day , i cant forget you as helper 🙂
have a great times travis .
Hi Mr TranSenz
how are you
i have a questions please
-if they reject our COE how much time we can apply again ?
-and can i ask for a visit family visa even they reject it ?
we are still waiting our COE still one month and i already have many worry haha
always i think about plan b
have a good day
thank you
Hi Hana,
One month is perfectly normal – even two months is not uncommon, so don’t worry about the time meaning that a rejection might be likely.
If there is a chance that they would reject your application for there being insufficient evidence or documentation, they would typically contact you first to give ou a chance to resubmit whatever was missing.
If your application is rejected, there is no waiting time required before you can apply again. If you find out why it was rejected and can edit the application or get more documentation to support whatever area was the problem, then you could apply again right away.
I don’t know much about tourist/visiting family visas, unfortunately, but I do not know of any rule saying that you could not apply for one in the meantime. I think you are only allowed to apply for one visa at a time, but you could apply for a visiting family visa while waiting the results of your CoE application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you very much Mr travis .
hope you the best 🙂
hi travis, I have been following this blog of yours and found so much helpful. But anyways, i want to ask something, I and my husband got married last June 2018, two week after he came back to japan and a month after our marriage, he applied COE for me. will the result be approved? we have been in a relationship since 2014 but he worked in japan january 2017 since he was a japanese descendant.
Hi Djdeldel,
If your husband is a Japanese Descendant, not a Japanese Citizen, then you would be applying for a different status that is specific to spouses of Japanese Descendants. But it sounds like you’re already past that stage.
As long as he has submitted all of the required documentation for the application and has everything he needs, like proof of financial support, etc., I see no reason why your application would not be approved.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis, thank you for replying my query. anyways, i have another clarification, my COE was filed thru an attorney. how many months will it take to be approve? will it be shorter than 3 months? it has been more than a month, and no additional reqs was ask from us. what do you think? I am worried. thank you very much
Hi Djdeldel,
The Immigration Bureau says that processing can take 1-3 months. Filing through an attorney would not shorten that application time (though it could lengthen it,, if there was any processing time required by the attorney’s office before the application actually got to the Immigration Bureau.)
The processing time depends on how busy the office is where you have applied and whether or not there are any questions regarding your application. It is almost unheard of for an application to be complete in just one month, so you do not have anything to worry about yet. Typically, as long as there are no requests for additional documents, you should be in a good position. Do you have any particular reason for concern, such as a weak point in your application?
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks travis, i am at ease somewhat. i hope it’ll be on soonest time 😀
Hello Travis,
Thank you very much for all the helpful information. I would like to ask for your opinion, because our case is maybe not ordinary and I got a few contradictory advices from lawyers as well, from one side that I’m gonna be ok, on the other side, my application is not exactly expected to be smooth.
I’m from Czech republic, EU and me and my Japanese girlfriend are planning to get married in October this year. I have been in Japan for 3.5 years as a student, spent 2 years at a Japanese language school, 1 year studying 進学日本語学科 at YMCA国際専門学校 and after 1 year I switched to second year at the same school to 国際ビジネス学科 from which I’m supposed to graduate next year in March. I’m already 40 years old and since getting a well paid job in company is very difficult in my situation and also not an aim for me, I would like to start own business 個人事業主 in Japan asap. Going to school is quite suffering for me. Because of that I would like to quit my school after finishing first semester at the end of this September. Unfortunately to get 婚姻要件具備証明書 from my country takes 2 months and it will arrive at the beginning of October, so I wouldn’t be able to get married and apply for visa before dropping out the school. Would be there any issue if I would quit my school and apply for spouse visa a few weeks after that? Probably not going to make it within the 2 weeks I have to notify immigartion what I’m no longer student.
Other than that our conditions should be ok. My current student visa are valid until 06/2019 and my attendance at school was usually around 90%.Regarding our financial situation, I’m paying for my stay in Japan from my savings, haven’t done any part time job and my girlfriend would act as a guarantor since she has a full time job 3500000 yearly income, 正社員 for 3 years at financial company. Eventually her mother can also act as a guarantor and she has about double of the income.
My girlfriend is 10 years younger than me and we are living together for about 7 months, been together for 1 year. We have a lots of photos from our life, including traveling in Japan and photos with my girlfriends family hanging out together. My parents are not alive and I don’t have any siblings. Would be there any possible obstacles when applying for spouse visa? Application branch will be Osaka.
Thank you.
Francis
Hi Francis,
In terms of finances, you should not have any trouble. Your girlfriend’s salary would be more than sufficient, But the timing of your intent to drop out and your marriage paperwork/Change of Status of Residence application could be problematic.
Once you drop out, you would no longer meet the requirements to stay in Japan as a student and you would have to leave the country or apply to change your status of residence withing 2 weeks. If you stay longer than 2 weeks and then start your application, the Immigration Bureau may ask you what you have been doing in the meantime. If they learn that you were not studying, then you could be considered an illegal overstay, regardless of whether or not there is time remaining on your period of stay.
If the Czech Republic is one of the countries that Japan has a 90-day visa-free stay waiver agreement with and, if that is the case, perhaps they will be more lenient, but it is risky and there is no guarantee or safety net. If you are found to be an illegal stay and have to depart under a departure order or deportation order, you would not be able to return to Japan for 1 or 5 years, respectively.
If you can afford to, I recommend that you stay enrolled in the school until you are able to file your Change of Status of Residence application at the Immigration Bureau. That is the surest way forward.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi! Regarding the “signature” areas, should i write my name in kanji like the usual with stamp/hanko? Or is it the western style (cursive)?
Hi Shinobu,
You should sign your name like you do in your passport. My Japanese colleagues at work sign in handwritten kanji, for what it’s worth.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, first of all, thanks for the blog, it`s been an enormous help.
So, I am currently in Japan as a temporary visitor and am in the process of trying to change my status of residence to spouse of a Japanese national. I have been following your guidebook (which is excellent) very closely and believe I have comprehended everything and produced a strong application. However, I am becoming increasingly concerned, and so could really use some help. I don’t really have a specific query as such, I just want to explain my situation and get your opinion, if that’s okay?
So, last week, my wife and I went to our local immigration bureau to submit my application only to have it rejected and be told to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility instead. Now, as far as I understand, based on my research, both from your book and various forum posts online, my application is actually valid and it’s the immigration staff who are at fault in this case.
Unless I really have misunderstood everything I’ve read, I believe that I can skip the COE process and apply for a change of residential status as I was not married at the time of entering Japan. I do understand that for tourists this process isn`t ideal, and that such requests require extenuating circumstances, though I am fairly certain my situation should qualify as such, since I couldn’t have applied for the COE, anyway.
Frustratingly, at the immigration office, whoever we spoke to just kept fobbing us off with the same rhetoric. My wife did manage to get through to one staff member who was slightly more flexible, and who advised us to try at the main office in Tokyo (my local office is in Chiba, but under Tokyo`s jurisdiction). He stated that under some circumstances, exceptions can be made if there is a valid reason (which I already knew!). What really irks me, though, is that our time and energy were wasted because no-one was willing to give me an opportunity to explain my extenuating circumstances. So now, we have to go through this all over again in Tokyo, instead of the office I`m actually supposed to apply at! I don’t know anything about the Tokyo office, but since Tokyo is considerably more cosmopolitan than Chiba, I am hoping that this might mean the staff there are a bit more competent/experienced in dealing with issues such as mine. And, just to add to my stress, my 90 days are almost up (long story, but yeah, I should have done this so much sooner!).
And that`s about it! So in a nutshell, I have made a valid (though not ideal) application and have strong extenuating circumstances to support this. However, no-one seems to want to let me apply!
My apologies for the long-winded story, I just felt the need to vent my frustration, but I would really appreciate your thoughts on this. Is this kind of situation common? How would one go about getting someone to actually listen to my circumstances and accept my application? I am really starting to panic at this point, as I am running out of time, and although not a complete disaster, returning to my home country (the UK) would be massively inconvenient at this moment.
Rant over, and thanks for reading!
Hi Alex,
I’m sorry to hear about your struggles and I hope that your appeal in Tokyo goes better.
Ultimately, though, there are no explicit exceptions to the requirement to apply for a CoE. Exceptions in situations such as yours, which, as you said, are generally accepted, are ultimately judgment calls. If the head of the office isn’t willing to budge, then you’re unfortunately low on options.
My best recommendation to you would be to write a 理由書 or explanatory statement detailing why you are applying in Japan before you visit the Tokyo office. That document should explain why you were unable to apply for a CoE before coming to Japan (because you were not married) and should detail the steps you have taken since coming to Japan to get your marriage finalized and start the application process. It should also indicate your intention was always to transition to a spouse status, but since you were not legally married, this was your only course of action. When you visit the Tokyo office, my recommendation would be to appear apologetic, make it clear that you understand that the rules are that you must apply from outside of Japan, but since you could not do that in advance, to ask them if they can make an exception give your circumstances.
Approaching it from the position of “I know exceptions are possible in this situation,” or being confrontational or overly assertive will not win you many friends, and since it’s a judgement call, you want the person on your side.
The thing that might hurt you is being toward the end of your 90-day stay. If it was earlier in your stay, you might have encountered more flexibility. If there is any explanation for the delay that you can show, that would help, I think.
If you are not ultimately successful in winning the Tokyo office over to your side, then you might not necessarily have to return to the UK. You could either spend the intervening time in a third country or take a short out-and-back trip somewhere close, return with a new 90-days, and wait with your wife for the CoE to arrive. Once the CoE arrives, you could then take that to the Immigration Bureau office and apply for a Change of Status of Residence (again, with a explanatory note saying that you had intended to apply for a spouse visa with the CoE, but were spending the intervening time in Japan on a tourist status to be with your wife and were still there when the CoE arrived).
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello again! Thanks for your prompt and detailed reply.
What you say makes complete sense. I’ll just have to try again and see how it goes. As you say, if I’m unlucky again, I’ll just have to accept defeat and apply for a COE.
With regard to applying for the COE and potentially staying longer in Japan, I am actually on my second visit in the last six months. Although I am nearing my 90-day limit this time, my previous visit was only for 21 days. Do you know whether this 180-day allowance is measured by the number of passport stamps, or do they actually take into consideration the number of days you have physically spent in the country? Do you think in my case, it might be possible to extend my current stay by using those remaining 70 or so days from my previous visit, or would I likely need to leave and come back regardless?
Thanks again!
Alex
Hi Alex,
Unfortunately, I am not particularly familiar with tourist visas and did not know of the 180-day stay that you mentioned.
There are only a few select countries that are able to extend their 90-day stay without having to leave Japan – I think they are mostly in northern Europe and that the UK is not one of them, but I’m afraid I do not know for sure.
I’m sorry I could not be ore helpful.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello again, one more question, sorry!
So, yesterday, my application was accepted and I got the stamp in my passport which lets me stay a while longer.
Obviously that’s a relief, and I can relax for the time-being, but being the worrier I am, I now have something else bothering me.
I have a contact in Japan who claims to work for immigration. After telling her about my application, she pretty much dismissed it said it’ll get rejected. She said acceptance rates for spousal status are extremely low and that the only people who get accepted tend to be those of high financial or academic standing. She also said that if I don’t have a job (which I don’t), I’m all but guaranteed to be rejected.
Obviously I intend to work when I find the right opportunity, and I am currently working towards finishing my university degree, so it’s not like I’m coming here to sit around and sponge off the state. But until I do find secure employment, I am in the position of relying on stipends from my wife and brother (¥80,000), and the odd one from other family members.
I’m probably over-worrying, and this “friend” does have a very malicious streak, and I’m probably better off cutting her out of my life. I saw her as a friend and source of help, but as soon as she knew I was married, her tone changed.
Obviously, having a job can only help an application, but I was under the impression that not having one would not be detrimental either, so long as you have at least ¥80,000 a month, either of your own money or from others.
Anyway, what do you think of her comments? Should I disregard them as nonsense? I certainly felt a positive vibe from the immigration officer who dealt with me (though I understand they will not make the final decision), so hopefully that’s a good indication.
Hi Alex,
I do not think your friend is being truthful with you.
In my experience, Spouse CoE applications have a very high success rate. The only times I have heard of people being rejected was when they had insufficient financial resources, or there was not enough evidence that the marriage was legitimate (such as the couple having spent almost no time together prior to marriage).
You certainly do not need to have a job lined up in Japan – it is almost impossible to have one at this point, anyway.
I do not see any particular reason to worry!
Good Luck,
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello! Your article is very helpful, thank you!
I’am a filipina (permanent resident), I just got married last June 2018 to a filipino also.
And now we are applying for his COE. I have a few questions please I need your help on answering some questions on the application form.
Like in #24 Method of support to pay for expenses while in Japan #24(1) I’m confused which one should I choose SUPPORTER or GUARANTOR? or should i choose both? (I will be his guarantor and his supporter when he comes here in Japan) and is it neccerssary to put the amount of support per month?
#27 Applicant, legal representative or the authorized representative, prescribed in paragraph 2 of article 7-2. Should We put my name here as my husband’s representative? And at the last part,
Signature of the Applicant (representative) Do we have to put our names, both? As a an Applicant and representative? Or just the name/signature of the applicant or my husband? And last, can we write in english our explination on how we met on the questionnaire even if the questionnaire I got from the immigration is in Japanese or I should get the explination translated into Japanese? Sorry for I have so many questions. Thank you so much.
Hi kayquintos28,
For financial support, you would fill in the section for guarantor. (Supporter is for a financial supporter that is not his guarantor).
Yes, the amount of monthly support is necessary. That is one of the most important things the Immigration Bureau will look at.
For #27, since you are submitting the application on your husband’s behalf, you would fill in your name and relationship to him. (Unless your husband is applying directly)
For the signature line, only you would sign (again, unless your husband is submitting the application himself, in which case, he would sign).
For the questionnaire, there is an English version available now, but you will also have to submit a Japanese translation.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for your reply, really such a big help! Sorry one last question, on a questionaire on writing the story of “how we met” who will be writing this story? It should be me or my husband?
Hi kayquintos28,
You should be the one to write it, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be from your perspective in the first person.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi good day! I have a lot of questions to ask regarding the questionnaire and application form. I’m scared to answer because it is my first time to apply and i don’t want to commit any mistakes.
1. Is it ok to leave blank spaces in the application form/questionnaire? If not, what should I write?
2. Regarding the “Family in Japan”
There is a (Resident card number) space to be filled up. I am Japanese, should I leave it blank?
3. Is it necessary to fill up the “Place of employment to which the applicant is to belong”? If not, should I leave it blank?
4. Is it ok to put Tagalog as mother tongue of both parties? (I am half Japanese but I don’t speak Japanese well) “When you are unable go make yourselves understood in any language, how do you communicate?” – What should be the answer for this since we both fluently understand tagalog?
Lastly,
5. I lived in the Philippines since I was about 6 years old. I am 24 now and I only came back here in Japan last 2015. We got married last May 21 of this year here in Japan (without the presence of my husband). So for the question regarding if the spouse has visited the applicant’s home country (until marriage), what should I write?
By the way my husband is Filipino.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Anna,
I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can.
1. I would recommend that you do not leave any blanks. If a question does not apply to you, then fill it in with “なし” or n/a
2. You can fill it in with なし or n/a or just draw a line through the box to indicate that it does not apply.
3. If your husband does not have a job lined up at present, you do not need to fill that in. なし or n/a would be fine. (It won’t hurt you to say that he does not have a job yet).
4. Yes, that is fine to fill in Tagalog for both. For the question about not understanding one another, fill in “n/a”
5. The spouse’s visits to the applicant’s home country refer to your visits to the Philippines, so write the dates that you resided in the Philippines prior to getting married.
I hope that helps!
– Travis
Should I write the date when I stayed in the Philippines since I was 6 years old up to 21 years old? I lived there 15 years straight. Wouldn’t the immigration be confused?
Hi Anna,
I would recommend writing the date from when you were 6 years old. Immigration should be able to figure it out!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis. I’m a Brazilian national married to a Japanese citizen and we both live in Australia. Thanks to your article we were able to apply for my COE few weeks ago. However, the immigration office sent us a letter asking for my wife’s Kosekitohon which my wife’s family in Japan forgot to attach to the application…. Since we got married in Australia we’ve already registered our marriage at the Japanese embassy, however the immigration office has also asked for a marriage certificate issued by my country, which I won’t be able to provide in time since the Brazilian embassy is just too bureaucratic, and I was given only 3 weeks to mail these document to the Japanese immigration. Do you think that providing them only with my wife’s most recent kosekitohon since it already has the register of our marriage in Australia? Thank you very much!
I meant, do you think it might be ok if we submit only my wife’s Kosekitohon?… We are also writing a letter explaining our circumstances, etc. Thanks! .
Hi Tiago,
The marriage registration from your home country is one of the requirements for the application, so without it, there is a strong possibility that your application would not be accepted. I have never known anyone to have their application succeed with missing required documents.
If you cannot provide the document in time, then you may end up having to apply again from scratch. I would recommend that you make sure that you have all of your required documents assembled in advance (you may even want to go so far as having your family from Japan send you the items you have to acquire there, like the Koseki, so that you can ensure that you have everything together) to increase your chances of success without having to replace documents later.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much for replying. Yeah, we’ve made a big mistake and we’re already trying to get the koseki sent from Japan to register my marriage at the Brazilian embassy here in Australia ASAP. The Japanese immigration has asked us to provide them with a 理由書 if we can’t send them my brazilian wedding certificate by August 31st. Now I’m wondering if they will give us a new deadline once they analyse our 理由書 /Riyusho.
Hi Tiago,
In my last comment, I think I misunderstood you. I thought that you had registered your marriage already in Brazil and that it would take that long to get a certificate issued to prove you had registered it.
If you haven’t registered it yet, then you might be able to submit proof of having registered it (once you do) as well as the riyusho. I know in other countries, like the Philippines, where it takes months from the applicant submitting the marriage registration to when it actually appears in the records and a certificate becomes available, that the Japanese Immigration Bureau will accept proof that you have started the registration process. I hope that can work for you, too.
If that works, maybe you won’t need the extended deadline!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I am currently staying in a dorm by our agency (work), and i am planning to apply my husband for a CoE this Oct. Is it okay or should i rent my own house before I apply him eligibility? (for the questionnaire regarding the LDK, rent column)
Hi Marie,
It should be fine if you do not yet have housing arranged when you apply for the CoE. I knew applicants who were still living in a student dorm (no families allowed) when they applied for the CoE and only moved to housing that could accommodate their families after they had received the CoEs and started the visa application process.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you! But what about the juminhyo? Will my co-workers name appear there? Because we share the same house. (There are 3 more workers who live here with me.)
Hi Marie,
Your coworkers should not show up on your Juminhyo, as best as I understand, but yhat depends on how the residence is registered at the city hall, so I’m afraid the only way you can find out for sure is to actually get a copy of your Juminhyo.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
Question,
1.how to process the change of surname i have a japanese husband im a filipina
2. After submitting doc for Coe How long should we wait if its approved?
Thanks
Thnks
Hi Loui,
1. You would change your surname by the legal processes in the Philippines. Unfortunately, that is beyond my expertise.
You could change it before you apply for your CoE or after you receive your CoE/visa and move to Japan. (It is not a problem for the CoE application if your surname does not match your husband’s).
2. Typically it takes 1-3 months to approve and issue the CoE.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello, Travis,
Firstly congratulations for this item, these people a lot of people!
I live in Brazil, I do not know if you can help me.
I have been a granddaughter of Japanese and married for 1 year and 4 months, now our COE has been denied since my aunt (of blood) was no longer working, she worked for 3 months and sent along with my documentation her 3 holerites in the process the end of the immigration, they called the service where my aunt worked to confirm if she continued working, as she had left they obviously denied … we will enter again with documentation, but this time the guarantor will be my aunt’s husband. Do you believe that the COE runs the risk of being denied to my husband because my uncle is not blood? I’m very insecure as we waited the 3 months and it was terrible, now let’s wait again. Forgive any error because I used a virtual translator.
Hi Carol,
I’m sorry to hear about the trouble that you had with your CoE!
However, I do not think that you should have any trouble when you reapply. Even though your uncle is not related to you by blood, if he declares that he is willing to support you, that should be enough. I do not see any reason why the Immigration Bureau would deny the application.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much, Travis. God Bless You
Hi,
My husband and I are USA citizens. We have a son. Right now I am in Japan with my son on a child (spouse) of a Japanese national national visa(my moms Japanese but she moved to America and has given up her japanese citizenship). I’m living with my grandma. My husband is in America. We don’t have the largest savings. But I have a part time job. I make 80,000. I am going to tell immigration I need help with childcare so I can work a full time job to make more money so I need my husband to come to japan. Also he can work part time too and our family will be together again. We already have a company that wants to hire us and they will prepare the documents for me to bring to immigration for proof of our salary if my husband is able to come to Japan. Naiteishomeisho and letter explaining what the work is like.
Should I apply for spouse visa? Or dependent visa? We are trying to prepare all the documents without the help of my family because they are difficult. Can I be the guarantor? Would it be good to submit proof of our marriage even when applying for dependent visa? I’ve not been in japan long enough to pay for taxes. Will my business contract with hourly pay be enough?
Hi Rain,
Actually, it sounds like your best option might be to apply for a working visa for your husband through the company that wants to hire you both. That would put you in the best situation. In that case, the company would prepare the documents you need.
Since you are not a Japanese citizen or permanent resident, you cannot apply for a Spouse visa for your husband. As a Child of Japanese Citizen, your husband would not be eligible for a Dependent visa, either (there are also working restrictions on dependents). There may be some other type, such as a designated activities or long-term resident visa that you could use to bring your husband to Japan, but that is outside my area of expertise, I’m afraid.
If you are eligible to apply for permanent residency, then your other option would be to do that, first, then apply for a spouse visa for your husband.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I Travis, can I switch to working permit?
If I am already in Japan and want to switch to work permit and have already found a job and they want to hire me regardless that I don’t have university degree or 10 years exp in the field (basically they just want specifically me) is it possible to get a working visa? I’m on child of Japanese visa now (aka spouse visa) and I want to call my husband here but my guarantor says if I call my husband here (apply for COE) or move to where the company is (Yakushima) she will stop being my guarantor (which means I cannot renew my family visa when it exp in may). I can begin working in December/January already in Yakushima. I have 40,000¥ savings. My husband has no money because he is sending it all to me. The company also said if I have any worries about money they will sponsor me and even put up to 2,000,000¥ in my account so I can apply for COE for my husband. We have naiteishomeisho 200,000¥ for me and 100,000¥ for my husband. If possible, I would like to switch to work visa and get my husband here on spouse visa/long term resident/dependent visa with work permission (he’s going to work part time at same company and help me take care of our 1 1/2 son who has long term visa right now).
We are also thinking maybe that I can just keep my family visa and move to Yakushima begin working and keep workin until it’s almost exp. then go to immigration and say hey I’ve been working here for X months and they want to keep me so can I just switch to working visa instead of family visa?
My husband will need to come to Japan for this plan to take care of my son. He will probably come on a tourist visa, then help me take care of our son. Then I can work full time and prove to immoj that I can support my husband. We want to then apply for his spouse visa/long term visa/dependent visa with work permission. Because I’ll already be working at said company and there will be a simple explanation why they want to hire my husband (no degree, no exp), but just because I’m already working at the company.
(This will happen before my visa exp in may, I will go to Yakushima in December, he will probably come in jan, then we apply for his visa in feb or mar, then I renew my visa in apr or may)
(Just restating the facts so you don’t have to reread the whole chat history)
Ps. When you apply for working visa, if the company says they want to hire you even tho you have little to no exp in the field of work, does immoj grant you a working visa?? Just curious.
I would like to apply for my husbands visa now but I’m afraid immoj will say no and it will become more difficult for them to say yes next time because they already said no.
Also if I plan to apply for Husbands COE now m and move while it is processing, can I ask immoj to mail my employer the COE or if they require more documentation? I’m afraid it will get lost in the mail if I am going to move to Yakushima.
Hi Rain,
Unfortunately, my expertise is only in the Spouse of Japanese National/Permanent Resident visa and Dependent visa (as well as Student Visas, though I haven’t written about those here). Everything I know about these visas is based on personal experience – my own, or working with people who have applied for them in the past. I am not an immigration lawyer and I am afraid I do not have any relevant knowledge of other visa types.
I think you may be better served by talking to a lawyer or someone who specializes in working visas. I do not want to give you the wrong advice.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
I found out from immigration that because I have a spouse/child of a national visa my husband is eligible for long term resident visa and has no restrictions on work or hours. Now I am wondering whether I should tell immigration that he is coming here to work full time and be close to us or I should work full time and him work part time to spend more time with our son. The company hiring us is a tour guide company that deals with Japanese and English speaking tourists (hiking in Yakushima) I speak Japanese fluently. My husband speaks little to none. I’ve no first aid training or experience guiding tours. My husband was a former bicycle tour guide for several months guiding tours and has cpr first aid certification. He has more stamina than me. My son is 1 1/2 years old and we will probably put him into daycare of some sort and even possibly a third option to tell immigration is that we can be available for full time work if our son is in daycare. There are many options we can say to immigration but we want to know what is best for him to get the visa. The company is going to write the letter about who is the main focus (we want rain to work full time because bla bla bla or we want rains husband to work full time because bla bla bla and we can hire the spouse as part time. Or as a third option we need English speaking tour guides full time and we need both of them to work bla bla Bla.
We don’t have too much savings, I have about ¥160000 and my husband has $600 (he just got his job) but he gets paid every Friday and is going to send me allmost all the money. I get paid ¥80000 right now and won’t be able to support him and my son in immigrations eyes. That is why we reached out to the company to show proof to immigration that we will be able to financially support ourselves once we begin working with that company.
Also I’ve contacted immigration many times and I thought I was going to have to show more documents to get his visa but it seems minimal. Should I turn in extra documents anyways? I researched a bunch of stuff online and found a bunch of extra documents that might prove helpful. Anyways they said they need
– 392¥ addressed envelope
– Photo of applicant
– Invitation letter from me not the company
– Guarantor letter from me not the company
– Juminhyo
– Kyuuryo meisai (pay slip or contract with salary) and my bank statement (they didn’t specify minimum balance that I need to get my husbands visa)
– New wedding certificate
– Photos of the wedding and photos of couple (children not necessary in photos)
– Wedding questionnaire
– A letter from company explaining the details of work and a Naiteishomeisho内定 証明書
they said they don’t need
– Residence card of guarantor (I’ll bring this anyways)
– Child’s OR husbands OR my birth certificate
– Details of company/organization form
– Any other company related information to prove that they are a legitimate company like a copy of their business license or taxes etc
-Criminal background check (i understand that this is not necessary as I saw a webpage explaining that child of Japanese national spouse does not need to show proof of good conduct) link below
http://www.sakura-iloe.com/shikaku/longTermResident1.html
– proof of medical insurance
– proof of taxation in the USA
I need advise please help me decide what to do!
I also need to send a letter explaining why I can’t provide my tax documents because I haven’t been i japan long enough to pay taxes (I meant to mention that my husband will be sending me about 500 usd every Friday and my salary is ¥80000 per month right now)
Well, I found out more info from immigration. It seems it doesn’t matter who the full time worker is or anything. Since this is out of your expertise, I’ll just have to apply and hope for the best. I’ll hopefully come back and post what happened. Thank you Travis
Hi Rain,
Thank you for adding this!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Rain,
Thank you for sharing your research!
I have not done much research on the different kinds of long-term visas, personally, so I was not familiar with that process. Your research was very helpful for me and I’m sure for many other readers!
Regarding your question of who should work, it is very common in Japan for both parents to work, so it shouldn’t be a problem to say that you both will work. Actually finding childcare for your son might be more difficult, but for now, my recommendation would be to say that you both intend to work full-time.
Unless this application process is significantly different from the others I have seen, they should not dig in too much to how you will organize your personal life, find daycare, or split duties between you and your husband regarding childcare.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks Travis! By the way, what is LDK format? It’s mentioned in the marriage questionnaire and I don’t know what it means.
I live in a traditional Japanese house and don’t know how to write ldk format. Who can I ask for advice?
Hi Rain,
If you rented the house, then your landlord/real estate agency could tell you. If the house is privately owned by your family member, etc., that person would know how to refer to it.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Rain,
LDK means “Living, Dining, Kitchen.” Before the LDK portion, you would add a number representing the rest of the rooms (e.g. bedrooms, etc.). A house with a living room, dining room, and two bedrooms, for example would be a 2LDK. If your house did not have a living room or dining room, then you wouldn’t use those letters. For example, some small apartments that just have a bedroom and a kitchen, it would be 1K (no L or D) or 1DK if the kitchen also had room for a dining table.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I’ve lined up almost all the documents and im just a little concerned about the funds or bank statements we will be providing from my account. Right now I’ve about 170000. I’ll be applying for the coe on the 29th of this month. My husband is sending me his money every week. About 500 usd or 5000¥ and I’ll be depositing that weekly. So he doesn’t really have money to be bringing here (we won’t be putting his bank certificate in the application because it will be little to none since he sends it all to me) and I’ve obviously got a low balance. Will this be a problem? I’ve gotten zaishyokushomeisho proving my current part time job paying me 80000¥/month and a letter saying I need help with childcare so I can work full time and my husband can help with income by working part time. Naiteishomeisho for 200000¥/month for me and 100000¥/ month for my husband, we decided to say he is going to be the childcare taker and work part time. The Naiteishomeisho says we they would like us to begin working feb 1st.
(Does it matter that I’m living and applying from Osaka but we plan to work in Yakushima? I found a place to live but it’s not a rental and I can’t list it on my Juminhyo until we move into an apartment which will happen later. I found childcare affordably too.
Also on my Juminhyo, it has all the members of my family livin in Osaka on it, but only my and my sons info are displayed. My aunts and grandmas info is not disclosed. (Grandma owns the house we are living in right now) will this be a problem? Does she need to be the guarantor? Or is it ok if I am? (She doesn’t want to be gurantor, she is already responsible for me and my son) we also plan not to live with my aunt and grandma when my husband gets here, and it is stated clearly so in the application. (We are moving to Yakushima where we already have jobs a place to live and childcare) but I only have proof of the jobs for the application, everything else is by telephone
I found a good job at my station and was wondering if it’s going to be a problem if I change jobs while my application is being processed (probably will not be good I’m assuming)
Hi Rain,
I think the income shown on your two Naiteishomeisho should be sufficient to cover what the Immigration Bureau wants to see. Yes, I recommend submitting the other documentation in the meantime, but when you fill out the application form, the financial support sections should be based on your respective employment offers.
By the way, $500 USD is closer to 50,000 yen, not 5,000, for what it’s worth.
Since you are living in Osaka now, you would have to apply at the Osaka office. It should not matter that you will be moving to Yakushima later.
You should be the guarantor, even if your grandmother owns the house where you are living, and it should not be a problem if she is not on the Juminhyo.
If you change jobs during the application process, be sure to notify the Immigration Bureau. They will likely call your job to make sure you are still working there, so you need to make sure they call the right place.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, my employer is willing to be my husband sponsor as well. I’ll call immigration and ask what other documents the sponsor should send to prove sufficient income for support.
my family said if I apply for my husbands visa and move to Yakushima they aren’t going to help me (sign for/approve) apply for my visa extension (renewal) can I do that by myself? My employer will sponsor me. However we don’t want my child of Japanese national visa to change to a working visa. Is that even possible?
Relatives are making it unreasonably difficult to reunite my family 🙁 but my employer is fully backing us!! (He even said he would be willing to deposit money into my bank account to increase acceptance of the visa!) But I think I’ll decline. I won’t deposit a large amount all at once because that’s fishy, I’m going to put he will sponsor us for ¥80,000/month each (what do you think?) maybe less? Idk..
My husband is sending me now 60,000¥ per week and we have 300,000. But he has zero in the bank. Did you mention I should send his bank info as well? Got confused in your last message about “Yes, I recommend submitting the other documentation ” and what you said about the financial support section and our respective employment offer means #24 method of support: I would put self: company name, 10man and supporter in Japan employer name and relationship (Undecided? 8) Man
Guarantor: wife’s name and company 20man
Carrying from abroad 1000usd
And for supporter Q#24 (3) & Q#25 would he have me AND the employer as a secondary supporter? Because I’m already guarantor. But the supporter lists current job and income.
Hi Rain,
I’m sorry to hear about the challenges you are having with your family.
You should be able to renew your Child of Japanese National status on your own without your family’s assistance, I think. The only documentation you would need from them is proof of your relationship and you might be able to get that from the city hall on your own, since you are one of the persons mentioned in the form.
Regarding your employer sponsoring you- your employer can only sponsor your visa/residence status if you change to a working status. However, proof of employment, with your salary, etc., would allow you to show the immigration bureau that you are fully capable of sponsoring yourself. So, essentially, you would be sponsoring yourself based on your job with your employer.
The same thing goes for your husband. If your employer is planning to sponsor him by hiring him, then you would actually fill out his work details including salary in question 23. Then, in question 24(1), you would fill in the corresponding monthly amount in the “Self” section. (And your income that you would be using to help cover his expenses would go in the “Guarantor” section.) You would only fill in your employer’s information as a financial supporter in 24(3), if the employer was going to cover his expenses without him having to work for it.
You would only fill out question 25 if your husband was not planning to work at all and would be your permanent dependent. Although that is also translated into English as supporter, the meaning is different.
By the way, I do not think it would look fishy to see a sudden large change in your bank account. I work with student visas all the time, and it is very common for the students not to have any money in their accounts until just before they apply for the visa. Then, their parents will deposit all of the money that the immigration bureau needs to see all at once.
My reference to the “other documentation” meant that even though you are basing your application on your new employment in Yakushima, since you have not started that, I thought it was a good idea to submit proof of your current employment and salary, too.
I hope that helps!
Good Luck
– Travis from TranSenz
It’s becoming more and more troublesome to follow my relatives requests. I would rather not burden you with all the information (and venting, please excuse me for being personal) but it may serve a purpose in finding a solution.
My relatives said they won’t sign for being guarantor on my family visa renewal if I accept the money from the employer and apply for my husbands visa. (I’ve talked to my mother and she is fully supportive of my employers help and is going to try and convince my grandmother to continue being my guarantor) I can begin apply for his COE after mine gets renewed after February, and we will also have about 2,000,000¥ by then, this means Husband will probably be able to fly to Japan as early as may-August. Unless he just decides to fly here on a tourist visa in feb and change visa status (inconvenient because he won’t be able to work during that time)but possible to get visa if all the paperwork is correct (I Will be needing help taking care of my son so there’s the excuse)
My visa exp is may 9. I can apply as early as feb 9 to renew my family visa. It take 2w~3mo (mar-may) to renew.
If I try to apply for husband visa before February, whilst holding my family visa, my relatives will surely be against it and possibly notify immigration that they quit being my guarantor (this is an extreme case and I don’t think it will happen, but if it does, will I be deported?). can I apply for all this in secret? and have immigration mail the employer the COE or if they are requesting more documents they usually send mail right? This would make sure I don’t lose the mail if I move to Yakushima in the meantime and (let’s say my family got the COE or other mail but threw it away, mail will be safe if it’s sent to employer) immigration would understand to send to employer with a letter of explanation. It’s possible to make this happen without my family knowing any of this (in theory, right?) which may not be the best idea, but I have been feeling a power struggle here and it’s not getting me anywhere. I think my family is plotting for me to stay here with just my son for 2-3 years.
I’ve had multiple opportunities to have a full time job with contract in osaka but my family has made me decline every single one. I’m only allowed to work part time. They say it’s for my son, so that he can see mom often, but I feel it is an ulterior motive to make it seem to immigration that I can’t suport my husband. I have no idea. I’m at my wits end trying to think of ways to stand up to my family and move out. I hope my mom can convince my grandma.
Best case scenario would be:
Mom convinced grandma to be guarantor and let rain do her thing
Employer signs for supporter for husband
I apply for Husband COE now
Move to Yakushima in December
Renew rains visa with grandma as guarantor and Employer as supporter
Husband comes in January (almost 2,000,000¥saved)
2nd option, not very cooperative:
Employer signs for husbands supporter,
Apply for HusbandCOE in secret, have immoj send mail to employer
Apply for Husbands COE now
Employer gets mail and sends to Husband
Rain applies for visa renewal with family IN FEBRUARY, wait for mail 2w-3mo THEN move to Yakushima.
Suprize! We have ¥2,000,000 saved AND we already have Husbands visa
Above is if we would try to keep my family status visa. Below is if we would change my visa status to working visa.
I would change my family visa to working visa (hopefully not too difficult because I am already in Japan) through employer, then simultaneously apply for Husbands dependent visa and ask for 28 hrs work permission. *this may change my sons long term resident visa status as well to dependent
This option will be dramatic as well because I will probably still be living with my family for 3 months while waiting for the visas to come through. (I could get famous if my family drama was on tv!) Unless I first move to Yakushima in December, then apply for change of Visa status from Yakushima with employers assistance.
Here is the to do list:
Tell family I’m going to do it without their help for my visa
(Move to Yakushima now?)
Employer sends “show money” to rain and letter explaining to immoj why lots of money is being given to rain,
sponsor rain and sign for guarantor
Change visa: family>working
Simultaneously apply Husband Dependent COE (and sons)
Request permission for part time work.
(Move to Yakushima)
Sorry to be so personal but I just didnt know how to separate my family problem and my visa problem. It’s easier to explain the whole situation. Thanks for reading, if you can’t advise me anything, I understand and I’ll have to figure it out on my own.
Hi Rain,
I’m afraid I’m not sure I followed all of that. I can’t really offer any advice on the family challenges, but it seems like it might be a simpler route altogether if your husband were to apply for a working visa via your employer. Then your family wouldn’t be involved at all and that entire process could go on without their knowledge. He can always apply to change his status to dependent later, if it becomes necessary.
You had a question about sending the visa paperwork to your employer, but I’m afraid that immigration will only send it to the person who submitted the application (you), so it would end up at your family’s residence unless you had already moved to Yakushima by then and had applied to the Immigration Bureau there.
I wish you the best of luck in resolving the situation with your family and their support, as well as the visa questions!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, does it matter if my husband does not have a degree or only has one year of relevant history (tour guide) for the working visa application? He also does not speak Japanese but is learning..
Hi Rain,
I’m sorry, but I really do not know anything about applying for working visas and what the requirements or qualifications are. I have never held or worked with any working type of visa.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Good day Travis,
It’s Charles again, I commented here a couple of months ago. It’s almost 4 months now and according to the company, my application is still under evaluation by the Immigration Bureau (They were also asked to submit additional documents however none from my part). I was wondering if there is anyway for a foreign individual who lives outside of Japan to contact the immigration bureau and inquire or follow-up about the application. Can you please point me in the right direction on how to go about this because the wait is very difficult and I’d really just like to know what’s going on.
Thank you.
Hi Charles,
4 months seems like a long time. The process should take a maximum of 3, but perhaps there was some paperwork processing on the part of this agency before they submitted the application to the Immigration Bureau.
If you have your application reference number and know which Immigration Bureau office it was submitted to, you can contact them to try to ask for a status update. Typically, the Immigration Bureau does not respond to any requests for progress updates, but if you tell them that your application has already taken more than 4 months, that may get them to respond.
(Of course, you would have to contact them in Japanese.)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
Thank you for this extremely helpful website. I recently received my COE while visiting my wife in Japan after only a little more than a month after applying in Yokohama! I don’t think I would have been able to navigate the process successfully without this amazing resource.
I have a question about the second step in the process. I will be in Japan until late August, when I will be returning to NYC. Is it advisable to apply for the spouse visa when I am in the States or can I apply for the spouse visa while I am in Japan? I am a little nervous about submitting my passport while abroad since anything can happen to it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hi WS,
You should actually be able to take your CoE to the nearest Immigration Bureau and apply for a Change of Status of Residence. That would allow you to change your status to Spouse without having to leave Japan, plus you should not have to turn in your passport to do it. (You would have to show it, but not turn it in).
Typically, the process of applying for a Change of Status of Residence is identical to applying for a CoE, but since you already have the CoE, you should be able to apply by just submitting the application form, your CoE, and a new photo.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi!
Thanks for this very helpful article. 🙂
I just want to know whether they would have the certificate sent / delivered at home.
I am in Japan now with my Japanese husband under tourist VISA. I applied for the eligibility certificate myself of course with my husband last month. I just want to ask how will I know if it’s approved or not. Also, if it’s approved, should go to the immigration to get the certificate in person, or they will have it delivered.
Thank you so much.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Hi Ivanka Yokota,
You’re welcome!
If the CoE is approved, it will be sent to the address on the application form. It will just arrive one day with no prior notice.
If they have any questions or need follow-up information, they will also contact you at the address on the application form.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis,
Thank you for your response! Very helpful.
Hi
Am Manikandan From Tamilnadu India,
Could i know is there any tracking system available to check the current status of my Certificate of Eligibility application for Japan.
Since i appilied on March end i could not find the way for the current status and furher how long to wait to get CoE.
Kindly help me.
Thanks
Hi Manikandan,
Unfortunately, there isn’t in general. The Immigration Bureau never gives updates and does not respond to inquiries by phone.
I apply for over 300 CoEs a year in my day job, and it’s always a point of frustration that I can never find out the status.
However, if you applied in March, then over 3 months have passed and they certainly should have given you an answer by now. Since three months is supposed to be the maximum processing time, I would recommend that you contact the office where you applied, give your application reference number, and let them know that over 3 months have passed, so you would like to know if the results are available.
Since there is no tracking system, calling them directly is the only way.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi
hope you are good
my husband is japanese and we did marriage certificate in japan with out my present
then i did moroccain marriage after
now i want to go to japan for spouse visa
i heard that the certificate of elegibility is difficult is that true ?
my husband come to my city once and we didnt take a lot of photos together except 3 in same place same clothes and not different position
our marriage was in october last year so have been 7month of marriage
my question is the certificate of elegibility will be easy to get in our case ?
he stay 4 days in my city and that was in engagement time after he go back to japan with my papers and register our marriage
Hi Hana,
The application process is tedious, but it is not difficult, as long as you can submit everything they ask for.
If you have only ever met your husband once and you do not have any other photographs together, you will at least need to provide records of communication between you, such as letters, emails, chats, phone calls, between you before and after your marriage to demonstrate that it is a legitimate marriage.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you so much for replay
yes he ansower all questions and put all email and screen shot of our talking
we didnt talk a lot with video chat becouse he didnt understand english well and im planin to learn japanese to contact good with husband
so you give a hope that they will accept our coe
hope you the best Mr.Transsenz
Hi Hana,
I wish you all the best with your application!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Married to a Japanese women I had a Japanese residence card with “spouse of a Japanese National status” available for 3 years. This residence card expired in February this year and I completely forgot to make the necessary to request to extend it.
Today we went to the Immigration Office in Shinagawa,
The Immigration Office presented us the situation as follow:
– I cannot work for salary as immediate effect
– I have a choice to make immediately, today, between 2 options which are
1) despite being married to a Japanese National and having a Japanese daughter I decide to quite Japan without being able to come back in Japan for 1 year long. The departure from Japan being in a minimum of 1 month after today.
2) I decide to stay in Japan the time for the Administration to launch a process to get a new Residence card. This process should take about 3 months. During that time I cannot work for salary.
We took decision to go for the 2nd choice.
What can be done now to expedite the process?
What is your impress about this situation?
How long do you think this will really takes to sort this out?
Thank you
Hi Arkhane,
I’m sorry to hear about your situation.
I have a friend who went through #2, as well. Personally, I think that’s the better choice, as it keeps you with your family!
There is nothing you can do to expedite the process (or any process with the immigration bureau). They are slow and bureaucratic, but taking a long time does not necessarily mean that you won’t receive a positive answer in the end.
The only thing you can do is if they ask you any question or request any additional documents, to be sure to turn them in as quickly as possible.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
hay Traviz
I got scholarship to continue my study in Japan. In this case, I will bring my husband. So, can you help me to deal with my condition as students who wanna get spouse visa for my husband?
thank you
Hi Meitaya,
You would be applying for a Dependent Visa, not a Spouse Visa. (Spouse Visa is only for spouses of Japanese citizens or permanent residents).
You will need to come to Japan on your own first, then apply for a Dependent CoE for your husband. Once you receive it, send it to him in your home country so he can apply for a visa.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I was previously married to a Japanese national in Japan and got divorced .Since moved on and I’m in another relationship. If I was to get married again, would I have to visit the British Embassy in Tokyo and administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit like I did the first time to prove I’m divorced / not married?
Many Thanks
Richard
Hi Richard,
Yes, you would need the same proof of eligibility to marry any time you get married in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello Travis,
I’m afraid my question is not really related to your post but i’m hopeful you can still give me an answer. I am married to a japanese national and am currently living here in japan. We are planning to apply for my permanent residency but i am jobless at the moment. Would that affect our request for a permanent residency? Thank you so much for taking time in reading this.
Hi LC,
There is nothing in the permanent residency application that requires that you be employed.
If your Japanese spouse is employed and serves as your guarantor and supporter, that should be sufficient!
… I really should do an article about that process at some point.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much for your reply. Yes, my husband is working and we dont have any children yet.
Thanks for considering on having a post about this kind of stuff. Im sure a lot of foreign spouse would find it very useful. 😊
Hi LC,
In that case, there should be no problem with your application. I will add the post to my list to write!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Your website has been very informative and helpful, but I was wondering if you could lend me some advice. We have been in touch with the immigration office, but both times received less than informative answers to our questions:
We both have been living abroad since 2014 (before that Japan), me working in Sweden, her in Dubai until a few months ago. We got married 2 years ago in Sweden and registered the marriage in Japan last year. She now got a job starting next week in Japan, I am planning to transfer in October if possible, else I will change jobs. Her family is..complicated, so the plan is that she would be my guarantor. Money for us isn’t a problem, but obviously, we don’t have any tax form in Japan from the previous year. Would it be enough that I declare that I can self support myself, write down a suitable monthly support (e.g. 200000 Yen), then write something like 2000000Yen remittance (I could show a swedish bank statement to that amount) to include this etc and she can attach her job contract. Then she would hand these documents all in together with all the other required forms, except the tax form of course.
What do you think?
Hi Patrick,
I know the Immigration Bureau can be irritatingly unclear. They do not want to give the impression that something would certainly be acceptable without having reviewed it, since they are afraid you could come back and make a claim against them.
If your resources in the bank are sufficient and your wife has a salaried job but no tax records, you should still be able to apply with the documentation that you suggested.
In your case, I assume you wouldn’t have a monthly income when you arrive in Japan, unless you already have a job lined up here. But if you write that you will derive something like 100,000 – 150,000 yen of support per month from your personal savings, by way of international remittances (ATM withdrawals from international bank), and you can show your account balances, that should be more than sufficient to meet your financial requirements. Even lower than 100,000 yen/month should be fine since you will be living together.
For your wife, as guarantor, I would recommend showing her contract, with pay and term of employment, as well as a note explaining why she does not yet have tax records.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks for the info.
Yes, it sure is confusing. Sadly not as easy and convenient like when we came here to Sweden..everything done online, clear directions etc etc and above all, simple clear instructions and for at least our case, not much was needed..
So it is enough to write down my wife as guarantor, in 24) just mark self and possibly Guarantor, then skip 24/3 and 25 and have her fill in 27 and sign it before she hands it in right?.. I will pickup a copy of your book as thanks for the help when this is completed 🙂
Hi Patrick Kishino,
Yes, I agree that the process is painfully complicated! My frustration was what motivated me to write this article and the book in the first place! (Thank you for your kind offer to purchase a copy, by the way!)
I would recommend that you mark self and fill in a monthly amount in 24(1). Fill in the same amount under remittances from abroad in 24(2), skip 24(3) 25, and have your wife fill in 26 and 27. She still needs to fill in 26 to declare herself as your guarantor, even if she is not providing you with financial support in 24(1).
If you also write support from your wife as guarantor in 24(1), then her financial support would presumably come from within Japan, so you would not include that in the amount that you list in 24(2).
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
i want to bring my wife to live with me in japan and even her coe is also with me, my problem is what will happen if my wife will not come to japan within the 3 month of coe issued,
Hi Shiva,
If your wife does not arrive in Japan within three months of the CoE being issued, the CoE would become invalid. You would have to return it to the Immigration Bureau, along with a letter explaining why it wasn’t used, and start the application all over again.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Good day Travis,
Thank you for this wonderful post. I also have a few questions regarding the process. I graduated last October and I’ve been trying to find a job in my country for the past few months but nothing seemed to be going my way. With a huge stroke of luck, I managed to land a job in a very prominent company in Japan last February. With that, I stopped finding a job. The company asked for a scanned copy of my diploma (This is the only document that was asked from me) and submitted the certificate of eligibility on Friday last week. With my luck the past few months, I feel that things are going to smoothly for me and my anxiety always creeps in. Is there a chance that my certificate of eligibility will be denied? I am very much afraid that it will happen and I’ll be back to where I started. Would writing “unemployed” on the application form affect the outcome? I graduated from one of the top universities in the country and my passport also possesses dozens of stamps from travelling to other countries in Asia however I’m not sure if that would be enough to get my certificate since I’m just an unemployed fresh graduate. I know that it will usually take 1-3 months but I’ve been unemployed for so long already. After this I would also have to go through with the visa, is it stricter? Are the chances of getting denied higher?
Hi Charles,
If a large company is applying for the CoE on your behalf, you can be sure that they have experience in the process and should have no trouble getting your CoE.
Writing unemployed should not be a problem, since you are coming to Japan on a work visa and will have a job here. That is what matters most!
I don’t think you have anything to worry about. It can be a bit of a long wait, but I have never head of anyone being denied a working visa if a company applied on their behalf.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you so much! This really puts me at ease! I guess all I got to do is be patient, I hope my visa goes just as smoothly!
Hello good evening..if someone’s know the list of requirements for take a permanent visa here in japan..i am filipino (this coming December is my 5 years living here in japan) my husband is half japanese ..his visa is permanent..His will try to apply my permanent visa but we don’t know the requirements..
Hi Lhaine,
I haven’t written a post yet about the requirements to apply for permanent residency, but it is on my list of things to do. In the meantime, I regret to say that it is a longer topic than I can cover in a comment here.
Unfortunately, the directions on the Immigration Bureau’s English website just say to ask at your local immigration bureau office. Visiting the local office to ask would probably be your best start for now.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
I would like to thank you for making this blog and sharing your experience. What amaze me the most is your heartfelt concern to all commenter no matter how small our question may be.
I have few question I hope you can help out. First, I would like to give a brief background of myself and my wife.
We`re both from the Philippines got married in the Philippines embassy in Roppongi Tokyo this March 14, 2018. I currently have an Engineering/Humanities and International Service valid until Maech 2019 (though I used to have an Instructor visa for the year 2017-2018 and had a student visa from 2015-2017). I don`t have a resident tax yet becaue I didnt work when I was a student
My wife has a multiple tourist visa for maximum stay of 30 day per entry.
Here are my questions;
1. Application for eligibility
My wife`s mother is living in Japan married to a Japanese(no blood relation).
Should I still write my wife`s mother in the application in the family section AND her Japanese stepfather? with their proof of relation like birth certificate?
2. Japanese spouse`s koseki
We went to municipal office to register her in our household BUT the staff said that I can register her after receiving her residence card.
7. Questionaire form
Would you suggest that we write in a bullet type form for easier comprehension or writing is full proper paragraph is better.
8. I bought a return ticket for her this June because we hope that we can just exchange the visa once she`s here.
On the section of the number times been to Japan on the COE form will it matter if she comes to Japan before the result or they don`t really care about it?
Again sorry to bother you, thank you in advance for your time.
Hi Mark,
Thank you for your kind words!
You wrote this comment on the post about the Spouse Visa application process, but since it sounds like you are not a Japanese citizen or a Permanent Resident, you would actually be applying for a Dependent Visa for your wife. The requirements for that application process are different – and a bit simpler!
1. I would recommend writing your wife’s mother in the form, but not her step father unless he legally adopted her when they got married. As far as I know, you do not need to provide any proof of their relationship, such as a birth certificate.
2. Since you are not Japanese and do not have a koseki, this does not apply in your case. (It is not required for a dependent visa). But the city hall was correct, she cannot be registered until she has her residence card, after you complete this process.
7. The questionnaire form does not apply to the dependent visa, so you don’t need to worry about that!
8. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, you cannot apply for a Change of Status of Residence from a Temporary Visitor/Tourist visa to a Dependent Visa, so she would have to return to the Philippines to apply for a visa after you get the CoE. If she is in Japan when you receive the CoE, you can always try to go to the Immigration Bureau office with that CoE and a Change of Status of Residence application. I have not heard of that being successful in the past, but it does not hurt to try!
In the mean time, fill in the number of times that she has visited Japan as of the day that you submit the CoE application form. It does not matter if she visits Japan again after that date. It won’t hurt her application!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis,
Thank you for your prompt response.
I had checked your dependent visa page. You’re correct it’s simplier and appropriate on our end.
I have some follow up questions if you don’t mind.
1. If we process the elegibility will she be granted the same expiration of visa like me since she’s under visa? Or she’ll be given 1 year too.
2. General question what are the different duration of dependent visa?
3. Let say she’s given 3 MOS visa can we request for extension?
Thank you and You’re REALLY A LIFE SAVER
Hi Mark,
1. Her Period of Stay should be independent of yours. However, if you were to leave Japan permanently, she would also have to leave, even if she had time left on her period of stay, since her legal basis for her dependent residence status would be gone.
2. The possible periods of stay for a dependent visa are: 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 1 year and 3 months, 2 years, 2 years and 3 months, 3 years, 3 years and 3 months, 4 years, 4 years and 3 months, 5 years.
3. Yes.
I’m glad I could help!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis,
Thank you very much. More than answers you’ve given us confidence in processing. I will update you if she got approve when we try to switch her visa while she’s here.
Hi Travis!
Me and my japanese spouse got married last december 2017 and I am 4 months pregnant now. My husband is not paying his tax in full since he got divorced with his ex wife last 2013 but paying it in partial until now. My question is that would it be possible for my coe application to be denied because of that? He will go next week to the immigration office for my coe application. Does he need to put on his letter that I am pregnant now? Been so stress lately because of this. Hoping for your reply. Thank you in advance. Godbless!
Hi Pia,
Congratulations!
I do not know how the tax payment situation would affect your application because I do not have any specific examples. If he is authorized to make partial payments instead of payment in full, then that should not be a problem.
When you submit your CoE application, I would recommend submitting a copy of your 母子手帳 (the handbook they give you to keep track of your pregnancy and baby’s development) showing that you and he are the parents of your unborn baby. They should help strengthen your application a little bit by showing the commitment of your relations. I did the same thing when my wife was pregnant and I was applying to renew my spouse status.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis,
Thank you for the reply. My follow up question is, I just had my baby book last week. Should I photo copy that as well as my ultrasound records and send them to my husband? I already changed my status here in the Philippines thats why the record shows the surname of my husband. You are really a big help to us Travis. You are such a blessing!
Hi Pia,
Are you having your baby in the Philippines? Sorry, I was under the impression that you were in Japan.
In Japan, the baby book you get shows both parents’ names and the baby’s due date.
Even if your book does not show that, then I would still recommend you send copies of the pages of the book that show the information about the baby and the parents, if any. You should not need to send the ultrasound pictures.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I have a question related to using a bank statement as a proof of additional financial resources (in addition to the minimum 80,000 yen from a supporter in Japan). Will those bank funds ever be checked again after the COE is granted? For instance, at the time of the visa application itself or even upon entering Japan? I have a good deal of cash in the bank right now that I would like to utilize to strengthen my application, but that may go down a bit before I actually move. Is that a possibility or not a good idea?
Thanks,
ET
Hi ET,
They won’t check your bank account balance again after you submit the statement (they won’t have any way to do so!), so you don’t need to worry about that.
It is fine if the balance goes down a bit in the meantime before you arrive in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks again for all your advice!
One last thing, My wife (who is Japanese) is looking into getting her 住民票but she found that since she her address registered with the Japanese embassy in the USA, she may need to get a different form from the Embassy here called 在留証明. Have you heard about this form?
ET
Hi ET,
I am not directly familiar with that document, but it looks like it is used as an alternative to a 住民票 for some procedures.
When I got married, my wife was still registered in her family’s 住民票 even though she was living overseas, so she was able to get that.
I would recommend that you, or whoever will apply for your CoE on your behalf from Japan, contact the Immigration Bureau and make sure that a 在留証明 can be used as a replacement for the CoE application.
Please do let me know how it goes!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks, I will!
Hi Travis,
Good afternoon.
I hope you can help. I went to Immigration Bureau and applied my CoE & Spouse Visa on 2nd April. My passport got a stamped by immigration. What is this stamped for? I would like to know if I can leave Japan before I got CoE; because I have a business schedule in mid of May to Macau. What will it be happened if I leave Japan before I receive CoE? Would my application be cancelled once I leave and I have to re-apply it when I back
Hi Steph T,
If you applied for a Change of Status of Residence, they should have stamped your passport to show that you had submitted the application, the date, and your application reference number.
With that stamp, you are able to stay in Japan up to two months from the date of the stamp, even if your current period of stay expires. It should not affect your ability to leave the country at all.
You would still have to go through the normal procedures for entering and leaving the country, based on your current residence status.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
I just wanted to update you on the use of 在留証明. That worked perfectly, but it had to be in combination with 戸籍の附票 that indicated that my spouse’s residence is overseas. That document just had the previous 住民票 address crossed out and said 米国 on the bottom line as the current residence.
ET
Hi ET,
Thank you very much for the updates! I will keep that in mind for applicants with questions in the future!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis, ask for a help. My husband is a filipino and a nikkie jin.. he’s visa status is long term .. we’ve already applied for COE last may 2017 but got denied. We’ve been maried for almost 3 yrs.. what are the possible reason why our application always denied? Even if we applied for tourist “visit relative” still got denied. 😔 he has koseki.. we got married here in philippines..and he’s monthly income minimum of 200,000 yen. Do you think he should register our marriage in koseki? Or there is another problem in our application? We are planning to apply for another Coe this coming june 2018.. hope you could help us o suggest for any possibilities. Thanks.
Hi Jane Alvizo,
If your husband is not a Japanese national, you would need to apply for a Dependent CoE, not a Spouse CoE. That should be a much simpler process.
But you mentioned that your husband has a koseki. In my understanding, only Japanese citizens have those. I am a permanent resident and I don’t even have one. So, I am a little confused about his status. If he has his own koseki, then he would probably have to report your marriage to the Japanese government and get you added to his koseki. That could be part of the problem.
His income would seem to be sufficient, as long as he has all of the proper tax records. I’m afraid that without actually seeing your application, I don’t know what else could have caused them to reject it. The Immigration Bureau never asked him for additional documentation? Usually they will request clarifying documents if there is a specific problem.
I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello.. thanks for reply.. i mean the koseki is from his lolo…😊 the immigration does not request any additional requirements..but thankyou for replying.. we will try to apply a dependent CoE soon..😊
hello, sorry for asking in you comment box, im just worried, my husband who is a japanese national file my coe last dec 28,2017 but then april 5,2018 after 3 months my coe is denied.. whats wrong? by the way we just married last dec.8,2017 in japan, i had a temporary visit visa then and we got married before my visa end i got back to my country, why is it that my coe denied? he tell me that he will go to immigration office after 10days to ask why my coe denied.. im just worried
Hi Melody,
I’m very sorry to hear about your struggles.
Did the Immigration Bureau ask him to submit any additional documents during the application process? Typically, if there is something missing or incomplete, or the Immigration Bureau needs more evidence, then they would ask the person to submit additional documentation before rejecting the application. If they asked for additional documentation and he did not provide it (or it was not enough for their needs), that would be the best hint as to why the application was rejected.
If they did not ask for any additional documentation, then I’m afraid I cannot give you a certain answer why the application was rejected. In general, missing or incomplete documents, insufficient financial resources, and insufficient proof of the validity of the relationship are the most common reasons I have heard of for applications being rejected. Those are the areas I would recommend that you check first.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
no they did not ask anything. me and ny husband waited for 3 months but denied. maybe because my husband was divorced before and we have a 12 year age gap. mybhusband will go to immigration after 10 days and he will ask whats the reason, hoping that he can get an answer, can he fight for my coe? is there any chance that we can have it?
Hi Melody,
Unfortunately, there is no way to fight or appeal a rejected application. If he finds out what was missing with it, then he can correct that and apply again from scratch, though.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis!
Good noon. Do I really need to apply for the Spouse visa with COE in my home country? What if I am in Japan as “Temporary Visitor” status then apply for Change of Status of Residence w/ my COE? Will that be possible? If so, will it take 1 month to 3 months again just like the processing time of COE? Hoping to hear from you soon. More power to you!
Hi Sakura,
If you are in Japan as a Temporary Visitor and have your CoE, you should be able to take the CoE, the Change of Status or Residence Application, a photo, and the fee (4000 yen) to the Immigration Bureau and get your residence status changed on the same day.
You would not need to prepare all of the supporting documentation again and there should be no waiting time (unless they are particularly busy that day).
I just heard back from another commenter earlier today who did exactly that and had his Spouse residence card within two hours!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis,
In relation to this, I’ve read in some places online that applicants that have done this had to wait the full 1-3 months. Is there a reason that some people have to wait and others get the change on the same day? Is there anything specific that needs to be brought to the immigration official’s attention when turning in the Change of Status of Residence, photo and CoE together to make sure that it gets processed as quickly as possible?
I am in the waiting process for the CoE, but because of our schedule for finishing jobs, if the CoE itself takes the full 3 months it’s going to put some financial pressure on my wife and I if we have to hang around in the United States waiting for it to finish and then apply for the visa here as well. But I am wary, just because of so many things I’ve heard about people being discouraged from using the CoE in Japan to change the Status of Residence.
In your experience has this been relaxed recently (as it seems most of the stories of people waiting a long time for the Change of Status when they already had the CoE was a few years ago)? Or do you think this is up to the person at the desk when you bring your paperwork in?
As always, thanks for your great advice,
ET
Hi ET,
Unfortunately, I have never heard of anyone having to wait the full three months to change their status of residence in country, if they already had the CoE, so I can’t comment on those stories. (If they did not have a CoE and were applying for a Change of Status of Residence from scratch, it could certainly take that long!)
I have seen people getting it changed the same day, if they have the CoE, or a maximum of a few days later, depending on how busy that particular office was. Some other commenters on here have said that it took them a few weeks to get their Change of Status approved, because the office was busier where they were.
The only other thing that I would recommend that you bring with you when you go to the Immigration Bureau would be a letter of explanation saying why you are using the CoE to apply for the Change of Status in country instead of applying for a visa from the US. It could be something as simple as stating that you were visiting Japan while waiting for the CoE to be issued and since it was released while you were there, you want to apply from within the country. They may ask for that and they may not. Otherwise, everything you listed seems to be enough. After that, it is up to how busy the office is.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks again for the help Travis!
Hi Travis,
I would like to inform you that I have successfully got my COE and was able to change my status of residence from Tourist visa to a Spouse of a Japanese National here in our local immigration bureau. However, I am a little anxious because they did not put any stamp on my passport regarding my tourist visa that will expire next month. They just gave my Residence card. Do you happen to know if they should have put a stamp on passport also or a residence card is all I need in changing my residence status? I am really wondering if the immigration officer that assisted me just forgot it. Hoping for your favorable response.
P.S. Thank you so much for your wonderful blog and book and also for all your assistance, Travis. More power to you!
Hi Sakura,
Thank you very much for your kind words!
If they issue you a Residence Card, they do not stamp anything in your passport regarding the tourist status – that is normal procedure, so do not worry.
The Residence Card is the most important document you can have to show your status. The passport stamp only applies for statuses (or periods of stay) that do not grant a Residence Card.
By the way, they should have put a stamp in your passport when you first applied for the Change of Status of residence – this would be a rubber stamp with your application number written in, not a sticker like the tourist landing permission. If any immigration inspector sees that stamp in the future, they will know that you applied for a Change of Status of Residence and should know to ask you for your Residence Card, so you have nothing to worry about.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello,
Thank you very much for the excellent guide, I’m sure its saved me a ton of time with the application!
I have a couple of questions..
My spouse is a Japanese national. She has ample savings, and she is also the only one with a full year’s residence tax records and the resident tax certificate . Therefore I was going to use her as the guarantor. For financial support, I was going to put down a mixture of my own earnings and hers.
I’m self employed and currently on a work visa here in Japan. Officially I earn a salary of 200,000 yen per month here, and I have a recent gensen choshuhyo tax cert. as proof. For my earnings though, I don’t have any bank statements or anything that can work as proof, just the gensen choshuhyo which shows this amount and taxes paid on the amount.
As mentioned before, as I don’t have a years worth of residence tax payments yet, there is no certificate for that for myself, so I will need to rely on my spouses’.
From reading your guide and suggestions, it seems it would be enough for me to submit my gensen choshuhyo for my company, and a Certificate of Employment that shows the period of employment and salary. If I combine this with my spouses’ earnings/savings, do you think this will be enough/or a good idea? I could submit my spouses’ bank statement as proof of her savings etc too.
So I was wondering about the Certificate of Employment – do you happen to know if that document should be in Japanese? is there a template you have I can use for that, so that I can create my own version (as I’m self employed)? I did a bit of research with Google Sensei, and found a number of templates out there, but thought I better ask for guidance on you, as I didn’t want to submit the wrong thing. I’ll be making the Certificate of Employment myself, for my company as self employed here in Japan.
Thanks so much!
Hi James,
The only financial proofs you are strictly required to submit is your Japanese spouse’s Residence Tax records. That should also be enough to prove her financial capability to be your finanial supporter as well as guarantor.
However, if you are going to list that you will support yourself partially, then I would recommend including your Certificate of Employment with salary and Gensen. It can’t hurt, and it should certainly be more than enough.
I don’t have a template for the Certificate of Employment (although that’s a good idea to develop for the future).
It sounds like you are self-emloyed but have an officially registered company. Am I right? In that case, a letter on company letterhead, if you have it, titled 証明書 that describes your role within the company (社長?), type of employment, salary, and period of employment should be fine. If you are the sole employee and also signing the document, I’m not sure how the Immigration Bureau would view that. They may ask you for more information on your company and it’s registration/financial situation, so be prepared to submit that, if requested.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thanks Travis for the rapid and thoughtful reply!
My company is officially registered in the UK. In Japan, currently i’m on a work visa – a Representative Office for my company, here in Japan.
I have a document that my immigration agent provided a couple of years ago, when I first applied for my work visa. This document I’ve now updated to include my companies letterhead. The document is in English, and titled ‘Letter of Appointment’. Basically it must be what my agent used as the English equivalent of my Certificate of Employment. It includes my yearly salary, which matches the gensen exactly. It includes my job title, duration of employment, type of work, office’s address, etc, and best of all it is signed by another employee (back in the UK). As I recall I had to get another employee, someone back in the UK, to sign the document, to prove that my company can continue to operate there without me.
Do you think this is basically the same as a Certificate of Employment, and it is ok to submit this in Letter of Appointment instead, in English? or would it be best to recreate the document entirely in Japanese, titled Certificate of Employment, etc. Thanks Travis!
Hi James,
Thank you for the detailed explanation! In that case, the document that you described sounds like it would be fine. Since it is issued by an office in the UK, it makes sense to be in English (and if that worked for you for your visa, there is no reason why it shouldn’t work for you again now).
Ultimately, it’s only in there to prove your financial means, it’s not otherwise an essential part of the required documents, so they should not have a problem accepting it in English, as far as I can tell.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Brilliant, thanks Travis!;)
Hi,I just wanted to have some information about visa
I was staying in the Philippines now,
And my husband wants me to get some short stay visa first and after That the spouse visa as well because he wants me to wait my eligibility certificate in Japan instead of here in the Philippines that’s why I get a short stay also,
so should I process first the short stay visa or spouse visa eligibility at the same time?
Hi Mayumi Ishii,
If your Certificate of Eligibility is still processing, you should be able to apply for a Temporary Visitor visa in the meantime. Then, if your CoE is issued while you are still in Japan, you may be able to take that CoE and a “Change of Status of Residence” application form to the local immigration bureau office to change your status right there without having to return to the Philippines. I would recommend starting the CoE process, first, just to get it started, then start working on the Temporary Visitor visa right afterward.
I would recommend that when you apply for the Temporary Visitor visa that you do not mention that you are applying for a CoE for a Spouse Status and do not mention that you want to change your status while in Japan.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you very much Travis, its really help.
Hi there.. I hope you could help me..
We have applied for visa without CoE here in the Philippines.. i was just wondering if you have an idea on how many months would it take to be processed by the embassy.. i have searched and read articles regarding this concern and all i could find was 1-3 month timeframe.. what got me confused is that the agency who applied for our visa told me that it would take about 6mon or more..
They have already submitted our application under nikkeijin just last week..
We are excited at the same time nervous and worried that it will take long than we have expected..
Please help me clear this confusion..
Thank you!
Hi Jo,
To the best of my knowledge, applying for a visa without a CoE is supposed to take 1-3 months, just like you found. However, I have also seen that almost all visa applications in the Philippines (including applications with a CoE) take longer than they are supposed to.
Perhaps someone else with direct experience can comment, as well!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
I am currently in Japan on a tourist visa and arrived here in November, married my spouse in December and then applied for a COE. The reasoning for applying for the COE was that I was worried a change of status may not be processed in time before my tourist visa expired this week. However, I was able to extend my tourist visa anyway so I could stay in Japan an extra 90 days until May.
I just received my Certificate of Eligibility today so I’m now planning to apply for a Change of Status to a spousal visa.
My question is this: do I need to re-submit all of the various documents again such as my wife’s Juminhyou, Letter of guarantee, Questionnaire etc OR will just the Change of Status application form be sufficient as the Osaka immigration office already possesses all of the other documents from my COE application last month? Not needing these documents again will save my wife half a day’s holiday to take a trip to the local ward office to get fresh copies.
I bought your book from Amazon by the way and it was a BIG help so thank you very much for that!! It made it much simpler to understand the COE process so that was 3000 Yen well spent!!
Hi Paul,
Thank you for your kind comments! I’m glad that you found the book helpful.
Since you have the CoE in hand, you will not need to resubmit all of the documents that you submitted for the CoE application. It should be enough just to submit the application form with a photo and your CoE. You’ll also need to have 4,000 yen to buy the revenue stamps. You only need to pay when you pick up the card, but in some cases I have seen the Immigration Bureau be able to issue cards in your situation on the same day, so it’s best to be prepared!
It would be safest to call the immigration bureau office to double-check, but that is what has worked for everyone I have talked to in the past.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis.
Apologies for the late reply but I thought I’d let you know I successfully managed to change my status to that of a Spouse so I can now live here … for the next year anyway until I have to renew. I’m planning to go to a language school now and having a resident visa makes the application a piece of cake!
I arrived at 11:30 and they warned me it would be processed that day, but it would probably take a long time so I prepared myself for a multi-hour wait. Although I was out of there by 1pm with my Alien Registration card in hand.
Again, many thanks for the help and your website (and book) was extremely useful!!
Hi Paul,
Congratulations and thank you for your kind words! Schools and jobs become a lot simpler when you have spouse status.
Thank you also for confirming that they were able to process your application the same day, since you had the CoE in hand! I am glad to hear that seems to be consistent from office to office.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
HI travIS
I have this question thats been bothering me.my wife’s ceo has been applied lastYear decembER.me and my father are the guarantors of my wife.I just started working last yr of july.So i they only ask for my payslip and shakai hoken.last deC.i went home here in the phil.I am excused at my company that i cannot come back yet for some personal reason.But may hakken kaisha cutted my shakai last january 31 bec.I am not there working.But they will apply it again as soon as i go back to japan
My question is will the immigration trace that it happened?will be that the reason that my wife’s ceo be rejected?
And i also have one more question. when wr applied for her ceo.the immigration req. are all my family members residence tax,income tax and hoken as well.Are we all the guarantors of my wife?or me and just my father?bec.thats what we wrote on the application.We are living in one house By the way.
Hi Carl,
There is only space to write one guarantor on the CoE application, but you can write multiple financial supporters.
Typically, the spouse is the guarantor if they can be.
Unfortunately, I don’t know if the Immigration Bureau will follow up with your company or not, so I can’t give you a certain answer one way or another. But it would probably be better if you returned to work sooner rather than later, just in case.
By the way, you referred to the Philippines being “home,” but are you a permanent resident of Japan? This article is about the process for spouses of Japanese citizens or permanent residents. If you are not a permanent resident, I would recommend referring to my article on how to apply for a Dependent Visa.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Yes i am a permanent resident in japan
I went just went home here in ph bec.my wife is still here.we decided to just wait for her ceo to come out so that we will go to japan together.yes i am the guarantor of my wife but we aslo attached my fathers guarantee letter and cert.of employment.is this this maybe the reason why is taking it so long to for the ceo to come bec.i went here in the ph and my shaka8 hoken is cut.?.we first submitted it nov.last yr then there is addtionao req..we provided it agin last dec.27.so how is the counting of the application?
Sorry fo my typo errors.and thats coe not ceo
Hi Carl,
There’s really no way to know why the application might be taking so long. It can take up to 3 months to process, according to the Immigration Bureau’s guidelines, and if you had to submit additional documents – right around the end of year holidays, as well – it is not surprising that it is taking close to the full three months.
It should be three months from the initial submission date, so hopefully you will hear back from them soon!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis.My wife’s eligibility finally arrived!all my worries are gone!so happy.
Now its time for visa.the visa will be granted right if you have the COE in hand?
Hi Carl,
That’s terrific news! Thank you for letting me know, as well.
Technically, even if you have a CoE in hand, the visa is not guaranteed, but it should not be a problem for you. The only reason I have heard of why someone would not be able to get a visa is if the reason for the CoE is no longer valid (e.g. in your case, if you and your wife had gotten divorced in the meantime). Since that is not an issue, you should be fine!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Travis, thank you very much for the article.
thanks to my mother in law, i already get the COE without doing anything.
Only one problem is she was a bit too honest 😀
She asked for 1 year visa (actually i will be there for only 6 months for birth delivery so 1 year is good)
but I often visit Japan around 3 times/year to visit husband’s family, friends, sightseeing and i hate applying visa every time.
Do you know know how complicated it would be to apply for extension when this visa get expired?
Thank you very much !!!
Hi Sa,
You can apply for an extension of period of stay when you are within three months of the expiration of your current period of stay. You’ll have to submit more or less the same documentation, except for the questionnaire and it’s not that terribly complicated if you are living in Japan and have all the required records.
But this residence status is intended for people who will be living in Japan, not just visiting form time to time. If they see that you are not living constantly in Japan, they may refuse to renew your status.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Travis, we got the CoE today (1 year validity). It took about 7 weeks so not that bad. Really thank you so much for all the info/answers in this blog as well as the info in your book. It may be useful (to other Italians) to know that the Italian embassy in Tokyo issues right away a doc (in Italian and Japanese) that can be used as foreign marriage certificate in the CoE application (saving the trouble to have to wait for the actual registration and to have to translate the doc).
Hi Gab,
Congratulations!
Thank you for sharing how long it took and the information about the Italian Embassy in Tokyo, as well!
I keep a list of things to update in the book when I release new editions, so I will add in your information about the Italian Embassy, as well.
Thank you again and good luck with your visa application!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis. im bothered with something.here it is.we applied for my husbands ceo last december.before we applied it i already bought my ticket going to phil.my vacation is suppostedly 3wks but me and my husband decided that i will stay longer here in the phil and we will just wait for his eligibility.
my question is ,will the immigration trace that i went home?will it affect my husbands eligiblity?like do i need to be in japan?until now,there is no result yet.its going to be 1 month this friday.
My mother is the one who applied my husband’s ceo.i was at work that time.all my family members are in japan
Hi Hazel,
You do not need to be in Japan for the CoE to be issued and it is not going to be a problem if you leave the country to spend time with your husband!
The only “problem” is that someone has to be in Japan to receive the CoE by mail and then forward it to you, but based on your second comment, it sounds like you have that solved, already!
One month would be pretty short for a CoE to be issued, so it’s not late, by any means! This is normal processing time and you should have nothing to worry about.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thankyou so much for answering back.
But i wrote on the application that i have a work in japan.i just started july of last year.so the thing is they will call the company iam working.and. ask if i work there then the company will say yes but im in the phil right now.will that affect?
And by the way.we are from shizouka.in hamamatsu immigration we submitted it.
Its like a province in there.i jusy wanted ti share.
Hi Hazel,
As long as your absence from the company is excused (e.g. they approved your vacation time), there should be no problem!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi travis.!
I just want to ask something about coe. My husband applied for my coe last year nov. 3rd week. Then after a month the immigration asked for add. Requirement so last month january my husband already submitted the add. Requirement in the immigration needed for my coe. But until now were still waiting for my coe. It will be going 3 months by 3rd week of feb. Do i have to be bother.?
Hi Maria,
If your husband submitted everything they asked for by the deadline they gave him, then they should be able to give you a result within the 3-month processing time, even if it may be at the very end.
In my experience, I have never heard of them failing to give a final decision within the 3 month period. (Sometimes, if they ask for additional documents and the person does not submit them by the deadline, then they reject the application and tell you to try again, but if your husband met the deadlines, that should not happen!)
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for replying travis. The immigration told my husband that the additional requirement need to submit by january 19 last month. Then my husband sent it to immigration last january 5. So we didnt failed the deadline. But until now there’s no feedback from immigration. I feel worried.
Hi Maria,
I’m glad to hear that he made it in well before the deadline. Don’t worry too much about the lack of feedback: The Immigration Bureau will only ever contact you when something is wrong or when the application is complete.
I work with international students and personally file approximately 300 CoE applications every year. Immigration never tells me a word about their progress and won’t give any information if I call to ask. It’s just their way. Nothing out of the ordinary.
I hope you hear good news soon!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hello travis.! Finally my husband already got my coe.! Our next step is my visa application. Hope it will turn all good. By the way thank you for your blog. It helps the people for worrying about applying coe. And thank you for replying me. Have a great day.!