Can You Change from Temporary Visitor to a Japan Spouse Visa? The Rule on Change of Status and How to Proceed

Note: This article is based on Japanese laws and materials published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) as of October 9, 2026.

In principle, you cannot change from Temporary Visitor (短期滞在) to a spouse visa (status of residence "Spouse or Child of Japanese National", 日本人の配偶者等). The Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (入管法) provides that a change of status of residence by a person staying as a Temporary Visitor is not permitted unless it is based on "special unavoidable circumstances" (やむを得ない特別の事情).

Even if a Certificate of Eligibility (COE, 在留資格認定証明書) is issued while you are in Japan, that alone does not amount to special circumstances. This article checks the conditions for a change, within the scope of what has been published, and explains how the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) advises applicants to proceed.

Can you change from Temporary Visitor to a spouse visa?

A change of status of residence from Temporary Visitor is not permitted except when it is based on "special unavoidable circumstances". The basis is the proviso to Article 20, paragraph 3 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.

Temporary Visitor is the status of residence for people who stay in Japan for only a short period, for purposes such as sightseeing or visiting relatives. The period of stay is 90 days, 30 days or 15 days (or, when the Minister of Justice individually designates a number of days not exceeding 90 days, that period).

A change from any other status of residence may be permitted by the Minister of Justice when there are "reasonable grounds to find the change appropriate" (変更を適当と認めるに足りる相当の理由). For a change from Temporary Visitor, the condition of "special unavoidable circumstances" is added to this.

The ISA also answers that a change from Temporary Visitor is "not permitted in principle" (原則として認められません). It advises people who wish to live in Japan for the medium to long term to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility.

Source: Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (in Japanese), Article 20, paragraph 3; Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q55, "Status of Residence: Temporary Visitor" (in Japanese)

What counts as "special unavoidable circumstances"?

No material has been published that specifically shows what circumstances amount to "special unavoidable circumstances" (as of October 2026). Neither the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act nor the ISA's "Guidelines for Permission for Change of Status of Residence and Extension of Period of Stay" (在留資格の変更、在留期間の更新許可のガイドライン; last revised June 2026) sets out criteria for a change from Temporary Visitor.

The "Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines" (入国・在留審査要領), a document written for immigration office staff, contains an item listing the cases in which special circumstances exist. However, in the document disclosed in response to an information disclosure request, the content of that list is redacted and cannot be read.

What has been published is the following two points.

Nor do the published materials show any criteria for whether marriage to a Japanese national amounts to special circumstances. Whether to grant permission is decided individually by the Minister of Justice on the basis of the documents submitted by the applicant.

Among the people who came to us for consultation in the past, we have met someone who had previously been permitted to change from Temporary Visitor to "Spouse or Child of Japanese National". That was not an application handled by our office, and it does not show the current practice.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q55, "Guidelines for Permission for Change of Status of Residence and Extension of Period of Stay" (in Japanese), Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines (入国・在留審査要領), Part 10, Chapter 4, Section 2 and Part 12, Chapter 2, Section 28

If a Certificate of Eligibility is issued while you are in Japan

Even if a Certificate of Eligibility is issued while you are in Japan, you cannot change from Temporary Visitor on that ground alone.

A Certificate of Eligibility is a document by which a foreign national who intends to enter Japan has it certified in advance, before entry, that he or she meets the conditions for landing. The ISA's Q&A (Q55) contains the following note.

This means that it does not follow that "the COE has been issued, so I can change my status while remaining in Japan". The ISA informed the Japan Federation of Gyoseishoshi Lawyers Associations (日本行政書士会連合会), in a notice dated March 26, 2026, that it would add this note in order to clarify the practice.

The issued COE is used when applying for a visa (査証) at a Japanese embassy or consulate general abroad (在外公館). The ISA advises that you cannot enter Japan merely by holding a COE, and that you must obtain a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q5 and Q55, "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese)

How the ISA advises applicants to proceed

The gateway to living in Japan as a spouse is the Application for Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書交付申請). It differs from the Application for Change of Status of Residence (在留資格変更許可申請) as follows.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese), "Application for Change of Status of Residence" (in Japanese)

The fee payable when a change is permitted varies with the period of stay that is granted. The amounts are summarized in Revision of Status of Residence Fees.

Steps for entering Japan with a Certificate of Eligibility

1. The foreign national or a representative applies to a Regional Immigration Services Office (地方出入国在留管理官署) for issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility. When entering Japan after marrying a Japanese national, the Japanese spouse acts as the representative and applies to the office that has jurisdiction over his or her address
2. When the COE is issued, present it at a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad and obtain a visa
3. Come to Japan within three months from the date of issuance and file an application for landing (the COE is valid for three months)

For a Certificate of Eligibility for "Spouse or Child of Japanese National", the national average from acceptance of the application to issuance is 106.5 days (COEs issued in July 2026). The ISA advises applying with enough time to receive the COE before entering Japan.

Among the applications handled by our office, too, we have seen issuance take about half a year within the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau. For details, see How Long Does a Spouse Visa COE Application Take?.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q3 to Q6, "Processing Time for Residence Examinations" (in Japanese; COEs issued in July 2026)

Visiting your spouse as a Temporary Visitor during the examination

Even when you come to Japan as a Temporary Visitor while waiting for the examination, the aim is not a change of status but to leave Japan and obtain a visa.

Among the couples our office has assisted, too, we have seen the following plan made in case the examination took a long time.

1. File the application for a Certificate of Eligibility first
2. While waiting for the examination, come to Japan temporarily as a Temporary Visitor to visit your spouse (nationals of countries and regions that are not visa-exempt need a Temporary Visitor visa)
3. When the COE is issued, leave Japan within your period of stay and obtain a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad
4. Enter Japan as a "Spouse or Child of Japanese National" within three months from the date of issuance

Coming to Japan as a Temporary Visitor is for Temporary Visitor activities, such as visiting relatives. In the visa application and the landing examination, state the purpose of your visit and your planned stay truthfully. Even if a COE application is pending, a Temporary Visitor visa or landing as a Temporary Visitor is not guaranteed to be granted. The immigration office's examination guidelines describe how to respond when a person whose purpose from the outset is a long stay asks whether he or she can enter as a Temporary Visitor. The response is to instruct the person to obtain a visa suited to the purpose of entry (including a Certificate of Eligibility).

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q7, Q31 and Q62, "Status of Residence: Temporary Visitor" (in Japanese), Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines (入国・在留審査要領), Part 12, Chapter 2, Section 20

If you have a preferred date of entry, we can review with you the timing of the application and your plan for coming to Japan, through our consultation on COE applications for a Spouse or Child of Japanese National.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for a change even as a Temporary Visitor with a period of stay of 15 or 30 days?

The rule on the period during which you can apply does not vary with the length of the period of stay. It runs from the time the grounds for the change arise until the date of expiration of the period of stay. The requirement of "special unavoidable circumstances" for permission is also the same.

Where a difference arises is in how you are treated during the examination. A person who applied for a change within the period of stay may, even if no result is given by the date of expiration, stay in Japan until the time the result is given or the time two months have passed from the date of expiration, whichever comes first. People with a period of stay of 30 days or less are excluded from this (Article 20, paragraph 6 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act).

Is it the same for a change to another status of residence, such as "Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident" (永住者の配偶者等)?

It is the same. The proviso to Article 20, paragraph 3 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act does not limit the status of residence to which the change is made. "Special unavoidable circumstances" are required for a change to any status of residence.

Summary

A change from Temporary Visitor to a spouse visa is not permitted except when it is based on "special unavoidable circumstances". No material has been published that specifically shows what circumstances qualify, and the mere fact that a Certificate of Eligibility was issued while you are in Japan does not amount to special circumstances.

What the ISA advises is to have a Certificate of Eligibility issued, obtain a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad, and then enter Japan. If the date you want to enter Japan is fixed, counting back from that date and deciding first when to file the application will make it easier to plan.

References

• Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (in Japanese), Articles 7-2, 19-3 and 20
• Regulation for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (出入国管理及び難民認定法施行規則), Article 6-2, Appended Table II and Appended Table IV
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q3 to Q7, Q31, Q55 and Q62
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Change of Status of Residence" (in Japanese)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence: Temporary Visitor" (in Japanese)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Guidelines for Permission for Change of Status of Residence and Extension of Period of Stay" (in Japanese; established March 2008, last revised June 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Processing Time for Residence Examinations" (in Japanese; COEs issued in July 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines (入国・在留審査要領), Part 10 "Residence Examination" and Part 12 "Status of Residence" (disclosed document; not published on the ISA's website)