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 an application for a spouse visa (status of residence "Spouse or Child of Japanese National", 日本人の配偶者等), you write the developments leading to the marriage in the ISA's form, the Questionnaire (質問書), in as much detail as possible and citing specific dates. A "statement of reasons" (理由書) and a "statement on the history of the marriage" (結婚経緯説明書) are not on the ISA's list of documents to be submitted. They are separate sheets that you may attach voluntarily when what you have to write does not fit in the space in the Questionnaire.
This article explains what the Questionnaire asks, how to write the space for the developments and a separate sheet, what materials to attach, and the provisions that apply when an entry is contrary to the facts.
Contents
- Do you have to submit a statement of reasons or a statement on the history of the marriage?
- What does the Questionnaire ask?
- What to write in the space for "Developments leading to the marriage"
- How to write a separate sheet (statement of reasons or statement on the history of the marriage) when you attach one
- What materials, such as photos, should you attach?
- The provisions that apply when you write something contrary to the facts
- When you are concerned about an introduction, the length of the relationship, an age difference and the like
- Items to add to the separate sheet when the couple lives abroad
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Summary
- References
Do you have to submit a statement of reasons or a statement on the history of the marriage?
What the ISA asks you to submit is the Questionnaire. A statement of reasons or a statement on the history of the marriage is a separate sheet that the applying side attaches voluntarily.
The Questionnaire is a document in which you answer, following the ISA's form, about matters such as the developments leading to the marriage and the language the couple uses in conversation. It appears on the ISA's list of documents to be submitted for "Spouse or Child of Japanese National", and the title of the form is "Questionnaire (for application for certificate of eligibility and change)" (質問書（認定・変更用）).
| Type of application | Questionnaire | Documents showing the couple's interactions |
|---|---|---|
| Application for Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書交付申請; newly entering Japan) | 1 copy | On the list |
| Application for Change of Status of Residence (在留資格変更許可申請; changing from another status of residence) | 1 copy | On the list |
| Application for Extension of Period of Stay (在留期間更新許可申請) | Not on the list | Not on the list |
A Certificate of Eligibility (COE, 在留資格認定証明書) 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 cautions that an application for which the documents to be submitted are not complete may be substantially delayed in examination or may result in an adverse disposition (不利益処分).
No document named "statement of reasons" or "statement on the history of the marriage" is on this list. The basis for a separate sheet is one sentence in the space for the developments in the Questionnaire: "If the space provided is insufficient, you may use additional pages as necessary" (行数が足りないときは，適宜の用紙を使用し記載していただいて結構です).
| Questionnaire | Statement of reasons or statement on the history of the marriage (separate sheet) | |
|---|---|---|
| ISA's list of documents to be submitted | Listed | Not listed |
| Form | The ISA's form (8 pages in total) | The Questionnaire refers to "additional pages as necessary" |
| Signature | There is a field for the spouse's signature | Not stated on the ISA's page or in the Questionnaire |
In the section of the ISA's page on the Application for Change of Status of Residence, there is a note that the form was revised on June 6, 2017. The note asks applicants to submit the new form.
Our office puts what does not fit in the space in the Questionnaire into a separate sheet and attaches it under the title "Statement on the History of the Marriage and Statement of Reasons" (結婚経緯説明書・理由書). If everything fits in the space, the documents on the list are complete even without a separate sheet.
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence 'Spouse or Child of Japanese National' (where the foreign national (applicant) is the spouse (husband or wife) of a Japanese national)" (in Japanese), "Questionnaire" (in Japanese), "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese)
The overall flow of the application and the required documents are summarized in The Spouse Visa: An Overview.
What does the Questionnaire ask?
The Questionnaire has 8 pages in total and 12 items. The person who answers and signs it is the spouse who is married to the applicant.
In the notes to the form, the spouse is "a Japanese or foreign national married to the applicant". In an application for Spouse or Child of Japanese National, this means the Japanese spouse.
| No. | Item (wording of the form) | Main entries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enter the statuses of the applicant and the spouse. | The applicant's nationality or region and name. The spouse's name, nationality or region, residence (address, whether there are other cohabitants, rent, etc.) and workplace (company name, job description, date hired, etc.) |
| 2 | Developments leading to the marriage | The date and place you first met, the developments leading to the submission of the marriage registration, whether there was an intermediary, etc. |
| 3 | Language used by the couple | The language used in everyday conversation, each person's mother tongue, the extent to which each understands the other's mother tongue, when and how the applicant learned Japanese, and how you communicate when you cannot make yourselves understood |
| 4 | Provide information on the two witnesses who signed your marriage registration in Japan. | The witnesses' names, addresses and telephone numbers |
| 5 | If you held a wedding ceremony (wedding reception), enter the date and location, etc. | Date, location and attendees |
| 6 | Marital history | For each of the applicant and the spouse, whether it is a first marriage or a remarriage; for a remarriage, which marriage it is, the period of the previous marriage, and whether it ended by divorce or by the death of the spouse |
| 7 | If the applicant has visited Japan, provide the number of times and periods. | Number of times, periods and purpose of the visits |
| 8 | If the spouse has visited the applicant's home country, provide the number of times and periods. | The number of times and periods, from the time you first met until marriage and after marriage |
| 9 | Has the applicant ever been forcibly deported from Japan (including under a departure order)? | Yes or no, and the number of times |
| 10 | For an applicant answering in the affirmative to Question 9 above | Details of the violation, the date and airport of departure, whether the name and other details in the passport at that time are the same as in this application, and the period and address at which the couple lived together before the deportation |
| 11 | Relatives of the applicant and the spouse | Names, addresses and other details of the father, mother, brothers, sisters and children |
| 12 | Which of your relatives know of the marriage? | Circle the applicable relatives on the husband's side and on the wife's side |
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Questionnaire" (in Japanese; for application for certificate of eligibility and change)
What to write in the space for "Developments leading to the marriage"
What the form asks for is an explanation of the developments from the time you first met until the submission of the marriage registration, in as much detail as possible and citing specific dates.
(ii) Explain the developments leading to the submission of the marriage registration in as much detail as possible, citing specific dates from the time that you first met (if you came to know each other through an introduction, from how you came to be introduced).
At the top of the form, too, there is an instruction to "be as specific and detailed as possible" (できるだけ具体的に，かつ詳しく) in the parts you write in. If you came to know each other through someone's introduction, you start from the point at which you were introduced. Before this space, as (i), there is a space for the date and place you first met.
When our office asks a couple to write this space and a separate sheet, we organize the content in the order of the following items. Where a date can be given, we write it down to the day, and we do not fill in dates that cannot be recalled by guessing.
- How you met: when, where and how you met. If there was an intermediary, how that came about
- Start of the relationship: what led to it. If you were living apart, the circumstances at that time
- Introduction to relatives: when and in what circumstances you told both families
- Proposal: when, where and in what circumstances
- Marriage notification (婚姻の届出): where it was filed and the date
- April 15, 2023: Met for the first time at a restaurant in Tokyo, introduced by Mr./Ms. A, a friend of the spouse from university
- June 10, 2023: Began the relationship
- January 3, 2024: Introduced the applicant to the spouse's parents
- August 20, 2024: Filed the marriage notification at the ○○ City Office
If you met through an introduction, also fill in the space on the intermediary
After the space for the developments, there is a space asking whether there was an intermediary. If the answer is "Yes", the following is entered.
- The intermediary's nationality, name, sex, date of birth, address and telephone number (and Residence Card number for a foreign national)
- The date, place and method of the introduction (photo, telephone, meeting, email or other)
- The relationship between the intermediary and the applicant, and the relationship between the intermediary and the spouse
For an introduction by a marriage agency, the company name is entered in the name field. For the relationship with the intermediary, there is a note: "The relationship should be explained in detail, rather than merely stating that the intermediary is a friend or acquaintance" (単に友人・知人と記載するのではなく，どのような関係か詳しく記載してください).
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Questionnaire" (in Japanese), items 2(1) and 2(2)
How to write a separate sheet (statement of reasons or statement on the history of the marriage) when you attach one
A separate sheet is a continuation of the space in the Questionnaire, so keep the dates, places and names of people the same as in the Questionnaire and the other documents submitted.
If they differ, one of them is contrary to the facts. If you check the periods of the applicant's visits to Japan and the spouse's visits to the applicant's home country that go in the Questionnaire (items 7 and 8) against the entry and departure records in the passports before writing them, the dates will also match those in the separate sheet.
The form, number of pages and signature for a separate sheet are not stated either on the ISA's page on documents to be submitted or in the Questionnaire (as of October 2026). Our office prepares it as follows.
- It is prepared on A4 paper, and both the applicant and the Japanese spouse sign it
- As a guide, the length is about two to four A4 pages
- First, "when, where, with whom and what you did" is written out as a list
- Events for which photos or records remain are given priority and written in detail
- At the end, what kind of life the applicant wishes to lead in Japan is added in the applicant's own words
When you engage our office, we ask the couple to write out the facts as a list. For the separate sheet, the work of putting them into prose is done by the Gyoseishoshi (administrative scrivener). The Questionnaire is filled in and signed by the Japanese spouse personally.
A separate sheet written in a foreign language is accompanied by a Japanese translation. The ISA asks that a translation (in Japanese) be attached when documents to be submitted are prepared in a foreign language.
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence 'Spouse or Child of Japanese National' (where the foreign national (applicant) is the spouse (husband or wife) of a Japanese national)" (in Japanese), points to note when applying; "Questionnaire" (in Japanese)
What materials, such as photos, should you attach?
What the ISA lists as "documents showing the couple's interactions" (夫婦間の交流が確認できる資料) are snapshots, and social media records and call records.
| Material | What the ISA's page says |
|---|---|
| Snapshots | "Showing the two of you together, with your appearance clearly identifiable. Photos edited with an app are not accepted." 2 to 3 photos |
| Other | As "of the following, those that can be submitted": social media records, call records |
The photos are 2 to 3 in number (the page counts them as 2〜3葉, meaning 2 to 3 prints), and photos edited with an app cannot be used. For social media records and call records, the wording is "those that can be submitted".
The space for the developments in the Questionnaire also has a sentence about materials. It reads: "You may also attach relevant photos and letters as well as documents proving international calls" (説明に関連する写真・手紙や国際電話の利用などを証明するものを添付されても結構です).
At our office, if the couple has at hand materials that correspond to the events mentioned in the explanation of the developments, we ask them to prepare so that these can be submitted together. These include photos of the wedding ceremony, trips and family gatherings, records of exchanges on messaging apps, and the entry and departure records in passports.
Materials submitted are, in principle, not returned. For originals that are difficult to obtain again, you state at the time of application that you wish to have them returned. In the course of the examination, the immigration office may also ask for materials that are not listed on the page.
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence 'Spouse or Child of Japanese National' (where the foreign national (applicant) is the spouse (husband or wife) of a Japanese national)" (in Japanese), "Questionnaire" (in Japanese), item 2(1)
The provisions that apply when you write something contrary to the facts
The Questionnaire states expressly that, if an entry is found to be contrary to the facts, the applicant may be treated unfavorably in the examination, or criminal charges may result.
Any statements in this questionnaire which are found to be contrary to the facts will prejudice the applicant's examination treatment and may result in criminal charges. Therefore, please confirm that your answers contain no mistakes before you independently sign and submit this questionnaire.
A note with the same content appears in two places: at the top of the form and below the signature field. The Questionnaire does not cite which legal provisions it is referring to. Our office's summary of the related provisions of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (出入国管理及び難民認定法; the "Immigration Act") is as follows.
| Type | Provision of the Immigration Act | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Revocation of status of residence (在留資格の取消し) | When it is found that a person received a seal of verification for landing, etc. by deceit or other wrongful means, the Minister of Justice may revoke the status of residence | Article 22-4, paragraph 1, item 2 |
| Revocation of status of residence | The status may also be revoked when it is found that a person received a seal of verification for landing, etc. through the submission of documents containing false entries | Item 3 of the same paragraph |
| Penalty | A person who, by deceit or other wrongful means, landed after receiving landing permission, etc., or received permission such as a change of status of residence: imprisonment (拘禁刑) for up to 3 years or a fine of up to 3 million yen, or both | Article 70, paragraph 1, item 2-2 |
| Penalty | A person who, for the purpose of profit, facilitated the commission of the above act: the same penalty | Article 74-6 |
"A seal of verification for landing, etc." includes, in addition to landing permission at the time of entry, permission such as a change of status of residence. The ISA explains that item 3 does not require deceit or other wrongful means, and does not require intent on the part of the applicant either.
The immigration office may investigate the facts when this is necessary for the issuance of a COE or for permission for a change of status of residence. When it is necessary for the investigation, an immigration inspector may ask the persons concerned to appear, question them, and ask them to present documents (Immigration Act, Article 59-2).
Facts that are hard to write, such as marital history or a history of deportation, are also written as the items of the Questionnaire ask.
Source: Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (in Japanese), Articles 22-4, 59-2, 70 and 74-6; Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Revocation of Status of Residence (Article 22-4 of the Immigration Act)" (in Japanese), "Questionnaire" (in Japanese)
When you are concerned about an introduction, the length of the relationship, an age difference and the like
No criteria on age difference or the length of the relationship are stated either on the ISA's page on documents to be submitted or in the Questionnaire (as of October 2026).
What the Questionnaire asks about is facts. When there is a circumstance you are concerned about, write the items related to that circumstance specifically, as the form instructs.
| Circumstance of concern | Item of the Questionnaire | How the form asks you to write |
|---|---|---|
| You met through an introduction (including a marriage agency) | 2(1), 2(2) | Start from how you came to be introduced. Explain the relationship with the intermediary "in detail" |
| The relationship was short, or you met only a few times | 2(1), 7, 8 | Write the developments "citing specific dates". Write the number of times and periods of the visits to Japan and to the applicant's home country |
| You cannot fully make yourselves understood | 3 | Choose the extent of understanding from four options. If you cannot make yourselves understood, write how you communicate and the interpreter |
| It is a remarriage | 6 | Write which marriage it is, the period of the previous marriage, and whether it ended by divorce or by the death of the spouse |
| You have not held a wedding ceremony | 5 | This is a space to be filled in "if you held" a wedding ceremony (wedding reception) |
| The applicant has been deported | 9, 10 | Write the details of the violation, the date and airport of departure, etc. |
There is no item in the Questionnaire that asks about the age difference itself.
The Supreme Court of Japan has held that, to stay in Japan under the status of residence "Spouse or Child of Japanese National", it is not enough merely to be in a legally valid marriage. The activities the person intends to engage in in Japan must be activities as a person who has the status of spouse of a Japanese national (Supreme Court judgment of October 17, 2002).
The Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines (入国・在留審査要領), a document for immigration officials, also state that whether the marriage has substance is judged from the materials submitted and the like. There are also headings on the Questionnaire and on "supporting materials on the relationship and interactions" (交際・交流に関する立証資料), but in the document disclosed in response to an information disclosure request, the contents are redacted and cannot be read.
For that reason, a way of writing that "will get you permission if you write it this way" cannot be shown from published materials. If you are unsure how to explain your circumstances, in our consultation on spouse visa applications we check with you what to write in the Questionnaire and the separate sheet.
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Questionnaire" (in Japanese); Supreme Court of Japan, "Judgment of October 17, 2002" (in Japanese); Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines (入国・在留審査要領), Part 12, Chapter 2, Section 28
Items to add to the separate sheet when the couple lives abroad
When a couple lives abroad and is going to move to Japan, our office adds the following items to the separate sheet. These are not items listed by the ISA; they are our office's own arrangement.
| Item | What to write |
|---|---|
| Life in Japan | If there was a period when you lived together in Japan, your housing, work and daily life during that period |
| Background to going abroad | Why you left Japan and moved abroad. Whether you went after marriage or while in the relationship |
| Life abroad | Housing (with whom and where), each person's work, the language used at home, and contact with both families |
| How you decided to return to Japan | What led you to start discussing a move to Japan, and how the two of you decided |
| Plans after arrival in Japan | Housing (in whose name, and who will live with you), living expenses, and the applicant's plans for work or Japanese language study |
What the space for the developments in the Questionnaire asks about is the developments up to the submission of the marriage registration. The period you lived abroad after marriage does not come up in this space. Our office makes the second half of the separate sheet a "statement of reasons" and writes there the reasons for moving to Japan and the plans after arrival.
Living expenses after arrival also relate to the ISA's documents to be submitted. The documents certifying the expenses for the stay are the resident tax certificate (taxation or tax-exemption certificate) (課税（非課税）証明書) and the tax payment certificate (納税証明書) of the person who bears the expenses of the stay. When these cannot be used, for example because it is shortly after entry or because of a move, applicants are advised to submit the following documents and the like.
- Copy of a bankbook
- Certificate of prospective employment or notice of job offer (issued by a company in Japan)
- Documents equivalent to the above
If you write plans for work after arrival in the separate sheet, make the content consistent with these documents.
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence 'Spouse or Child of Japanese National' (where the foreign national (applicant) is the spouse (husband or wife) of a Japanese national)" (in Japanese), "Questionnaire" (in Japanese)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a foreign-language version of the Questionnaire?
The ISA publishes the Questionnaire in 10 languages in addition to Japanese: English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian.
You can use a foreign-language version of the Questionnaire. The same page asks that a translation (in Japanese) be attached when documents to be submitted are prepared in a foreign language. Whether a translation is needed for a foreign-language version of the Questionnaire is not stated on the page (as of October 2026).
Do I also submit the Questionnaire for an extension of period of stay?
On the ISA's page, the Questionnaire is not listed among the documents to be submitted for an Application for Extension of Period of Stay. Documents showing the couple's interactions are not on the list for an extension either.
However, the page states that, in the course of the examination, materials not listed on the page may be requested.
Is it the same Questionnaire for the spouse of a permanent resident?
It is the same form. The same Questionnaire (for application for certificate of eligibility and change) is also on the ISA's list of documents to be submitted for "Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident" (永住者の配偶者等).
Summary
You write the developments leading to the marriage in the ISA's form, the Questionnaire: the developments from the time you first met until the submission of the marriage registration, citing specific dates. A statement of reasons or a statement on the history of the marriage is not on the list of documents to be submitted; it is a separate sheet that you may attach voluntarily when the space is not enough.
Write only facts, and make the dates and places consistent across the Questionnaire, the separate sheet and the other documents submitted. As a first step, try writing out the events from how you met to the marriage notification as a list, together with the dates. If you mark the events for which photos or records remain, it becomes easier to choose the materials to attach.
References
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence 'Spouse or Child of Japanese National' (where the foreign national (applicant) is the spouse (husband or wife) of a Japanese national)" (in Japanese; list of documents to be submitted, points to note when applying)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Questionnaire" (in Japanese; for application for certificate of eligibility and change. The ISA's page carries a note that the form was revised on June 6, 2017)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence 'Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident'" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Revocation of Status of Residence (Article 22-4 of the Immigration Act)" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (in Japanese), Articles 22-4, 59-2, 70 and 74-6
- Supreme Court of Japan, "Judgment of October 17, 2002" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines (入国・在留審査要領), Part 12 "Status of Residence", Chapter 2, Section 28 (disclosed document; not published on the ISA's website)
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