When marriage process between a foreigner and Japanese is completed,the next step is application for spouse visa. Spouse visa is sometimes called Marriage visa.
And “Spouse or Child of Japanese national” is a status for a spouse of a Japanese national, biological child of a Japanese national.
Many foreigners believes that it is very easy to have a spouse visa after marriage,but actually it is more difficult than foreigners think.
Therefore,you have to prepare for much more documents and materials than Immigration office of Japan shows.
Documents for Spouse visa application in Japan
The spouses of Japanese nationals, the children adopted by Japanese nationals or those born as the children of Japanese nationals have to prepare the documents as below;
(i) In case of the spouse of a Japanese national:
a. Document certifying the marriage with the Japanese national and a copy of the alien’s residential certificate.
b. Certificate of the occupation and income of the alien or his/her spouse.
c. Letter of endorsement by the Japanese national residing in Japan.
(ii) In case of the specially adopted child or child of a Japanese national:
a. Transcript of the family register of the Japanese national and the alien’s birth certificate, or other document certifying the parent-child relationship.
b. Certificate of the occupation and income of the alien or his/her father or mother.
c. Letter of endorsement by the Japanese national residing in Japan or other endorser
residing in Japan.
(i) In case of the spouse of a Japanese national, a transcript of the family register and a copy of the residential certificate of the Japanese national.
(ii) Certificate of the occupation and income of the alien, his/her spouse, father or mother.
(iii) In case of the spouse of a Japanese national,
a letter of endorsement by the Japanese national residing in Japan; in case of the specially adopted child or child of a Japanese national, a letter of endorsement by the Japanese national residing in Japan or other endorser residing in Japan.
I believe the contents are a little abstract and elaborate as below.
Example documents necessary for Spouse Visa procedure (Certificate of Eligibility) (For Reference)
（※The following documents are just examples and this does not imply that submitting the following materials is permitted. Materials required to obtain a spouse visa vary depending on the individual case, so please call us if you need individual consulting）
1) Necessary items the foreign spouse needs to prepare
i. 1 photo (4cm x 3cm)
– One copy will be attached to the application for the status of residence, and the other copy will be attached with the foreign spouse’s name on the back and submitted along with other documents.
ii. Passport of foreign spouse: 1 copy
– Copy the passport ID and immigration stamp pages.
– Documents displaying previous visits to Japan will support your relationship credibility.
iii. Marriage certificate issued by the partner country: 1 copy
– Proof that the marriage has been established in the partner country.
– In countries with a family register system, such as South Korea, a copy of the family register can be used instead.
– If you submit the notification at an embassy in Japan, etc., it will be issued at that embassy.
2) Necessary items the Japanese spouse needs to prepare
i. Application for Certificate of Eligibility for Residence
– Distributed at regional immigration bureaus nationwide. If you use a copy of the paper, please use a clear A4 version.
ii. Self-addressed Stamped Envelope for Japanese spouse (Post a 404 yen stamp): 1 copy
iii. A copy of the family register of the Japanese spouse (with marital facts stated): 1 copy
– Proof that the marriage was legally held in Japan.
– A copy of the family register will be issued at the government office of the Japanese spouse’s home address. (* Can be ordered by mail.)
– It must be within 3 months of issuance.
– If no marriage facts are stated, a marriage registration acceptance certificate is required.
iv. Resident’s card of the Japanese spouse: 1 copy
– Make sure to prepare a copy of the resident card for “all households”.
– It must be within 3 months of issuance.
v. Document to prove the profession of the Japanese spouse: 1 copy
– Company employees are required to request a certificate of employment at their place of work.
There is no specific format, so it may be handwritten.
– If you are a self-employed person, please prepare a copy of your business license and a copy of your tax return.
vi. Document certifying Japanese spouse’s income: 1 copy
– The corporate employee’s residence tax payment certificate, residence tax declaration certificate, tax-income certificate, etc.
– If you are a self-employed person, please prepare an income certificate from the government office or a tax payment certificate issued by the tax office (No. 1 and 2).
vii. Questionnaire: 1 copy
– This is also a document that confirms whether this marriage is real or not.
– The paper is distributed by the Regional Immigration Bureau.
viii. Personal Reference Letter: 1 copy
– The letter is to guarantee the foreign spouse’s stay and return expenses in Japan and compliance with Japanese law.
– The Japanese spouse will be the guarantor.
– The paper is distributed by the Regional Immigration Bureau.
ix. Two or three snapshots of the married couple
– Photos from a date or a wedding.
– If there is a photograph taken with a Japanese relative, please submit it.
x. Other documents that prove the relationship history
– If you have any documents that prove that you have been in the relationship in past as well, such as a letter (i.e. love letter), a statement of an international call, or a receipt for remittance of money, please submit it.
Once you have gathered the documents from i to x, apply at the Regional Immigration Bureau that governs your address.
Be sure to keep a copy of your application documents for later use.
The time period from application to obtaining the result is about 2 weeks to 3 months. (In the case of Osaka Immigration Bureau) (Depending on how crowded the Immigration Bureau is and the situation of the applicant, please note that it may be faster or slower than this)
Things to be written in the application statement
In the reason for the application (explanation of the relationship), explain where and how you met, about the situation until you went into a relationship, what kind of dates and trips you had during the relationship, other facts, such as when you were introduced to each other’s parents, what made them agree to the marriage, and how to live a new married life in Japan, all in chronological order.
Although it will be quite private, let the judging department understand that the relationship is serious by sincerely explaining this. If you are not good at writing, we recommend that you consider a document creation agency.
Points to note in the questionnaire (specified format)
The questionnaire to be submitted by the Immigration and Immigration Bureau (Immigration Bureau) for a spouse application contains a large number of items on all eight pages.
If there is a referrer, please describe the details of the referrer (along with a copy of residence card and ID card), the number of times they have traveled to and from each other’s countries, enter the date of entry and departure as well. If there had been a violation of the law in the past, do not conceal the details. Provide basic information of both families and other facts.
There is a column on the second page that describes the relationship, but there is not much space, so it is desirable to create a separate statement of reason (explanation of the relationship). It is especially important to not note false details of the relationship.
Do not lie in the Spouse Application
If you need spouse qualifications to start a couple’s life in Japan, you must apply at the Immigration and Residence Authority (Immigration Bureau).
At this time, there are surprisingly many people who have facts that they do not want to convey to the judging section and past events that they want to hide. For example at the time they met, one was in a state of illegal stay or they met at a store where one was working illegally and started with an affair, etc.
In such a case, the possible actions to take when applying are: 1. To hide the facts, 2. To lie (apply with false content). It’s worrying whichever you choose, but the absolute bad thing would be to lie (apply with false content).
It is understandable that you may want to lie to be permitted or not be at a disadvantage when the judging is done.
However, please don’t twist the truth. When you start adapting facts to hide something, the relationship is often distorted. Even if you think you’re doing a good job at hiding or lying, the Japanese Immigration and Residence Authority (Immigration Bureau) will see through it.
If you’re not permitted or granted access because of a lie, the damage will be severe. As a matter of fact, permission has been granted in the past even for those applications with illegal situations and inappropriate relationships.
Conversely, if a person is rejected because of false content, it will be very difficult to obtain permission by reapplying from there.
The important thing is how much of the relationship they have built and what they are doing now and in the future. Do the right thing without making the wrong choice.
Our firm focuses on affirming the situation precisely before applying.
We analyze from various viewpoints and propose the optimal support according to each situation. Even if there is any situation that is unfavorable to the examination (such as a violation of the past law, the background of the encounter is illegal, the number of remarriages is large, etc.), we prepare the application documents appealing comprehensive marriage relations etc. and reduce the risk of rejection.
We aim to minimize the risk so that our customers can head towards their goals. Since the situation is different for each customer, please feel free to contact us first.
If you are interested in applying for spouse visa, please contact us for further information.
