Note: This article is based on Japanese laws and materials published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) as of October 9, 2026.
An extension of the period of stay (在留期間の更新, often called a "renewal") for a spouse visa (status of residence "Spouse or Child of Japanese National", 日本人の配偶者等) cannot be applied for while you yourself are abroad. Whether you ask a Gyoseishoshi (administrative scrivener) to handle it or apply online, you need to be in Japan at the time of the application.
Once the application has been filed, you can leave Japan. However, there is a deadline for returning to Japan, and in principle you cannot receive your new residence card while you are outside Japan either. For those whose stay abroad overlaps with the time for an extension, this article explains, in order, when you can apply, the deadline for returning to Japan, and what happens if you do not make it in time.
Contents
- The extension can be applied for only while you yourself are in Japan
- From when can you apply?
- When you can apply earlier than three months before
- After applying you can leave Japan, but there is a deadline for returning
- In principle, the new residence card cannot be received while you are outside Japan
- If you could not return to Japan by the date of expiration and could not apply
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Summary
- References
The extension can be applied for only while you yourself are in Japan
An extension of the period of stay (Application for Extension of Period of Stay, 在留期間更新許可申請) cannot be applied for while the person concerned is outside Japan. This is the same at the counter and online.
| Method | Treatment while outside Japan |
|---|---|
| A Gyoseishoshi or similar person (an authorized filing agent, 取次者) submits it at the counter | You do not have to go to the immigration office yourself, but you must be staying in Japan (if the immigration office wishes to ask you about something directly, you may be asked to appear) |
| Applying online | A person who is outside Japan on re-entry permission (再入国許可) or special re-entry permission (みなし再入国許可) cannot apply. The system cannot be accessed from abroad |
| Submitting it to a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad | Cannot be applied for |
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Extension of Period of Stay" (in Japanese), "Q&A on Online Application Procedures" (in Japanese), A4-17 and A4-36, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q64
The application can be submitted by the person concerned, a legal representative (法定代理人), or an authorized filing agent (a Gyoseishoshi, attorney or other person who has filed a notification with the immigration office). Even when an authorized filing agent or a relative submits it in your place, the law provides that this is done on behalf of a foreign national "who is in Japan" (本邦にある) (Regulation for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (入管法施行規則), Article 59-4, paragraph 4).
A relative such as your Japanese spouse can apply in your place only when you are under 16, or when you cannot apply yourself because of illness or a similar reason. The ISA states that being busy with work, or commuting to work or school, does not count as such a reason.
From when can you apply?
A person who has a period of stay of six months or more can apply from three months before the date the period of stay expires. The deadline for applying is the date the period of stay expires.
The ISA asks those who wish to receive permission within their period of stay to make efforts to apply between three months and 45 days before the date of expiration. It also states that this is not a promise that a disposition (the decision on the application) will be made within the period of stay.
If the "three months before" point comes while you are abroad, you will then have to return to Japan and apply by the date the period of stay expires. For those who, at the time of leaving Japan, have not yet reached the "three months before" point, there is the handling described in the next section.
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Extension of Period of Stay" (in Japanese), section on the application period, "If You Wish to Receive Permission for a Change or Extension within Your Period of Stay" (in Japanese)
When you can apply earlier than three months before
When "truly unavoidable special circumstances" (真にやむを得ない特別な事情) are found, the immigration office may also accept an application three months or more before the date of expiration. This is not a system under which an application is always accepted. The procedure is to inquire in advance with the immigration office where you will apply, attaching the necessary documents.
The ISA gives the following eight examples of cases in which special circumstances are found.
- Studying abroad (海外に留学する場合)
- Going on an overseas business trip or overseas assignment for a long period under a company order (業務命令により長期間にわたり海外出張や海外赴任をする場合)
- Being pregnant, with the time of childbirth overlapping with the time for applying (妊娠中であり、出産時期が申請時期と重なる場合)
- Returning to your home country to give birth (本国に里帰り出産する場合)
- Being hospitalized for medical treatment (病気治療により入院する場合)
- Planning to be hospitalized for medical treatment in your home country (本国で病気治療による入院を予定している場合)
- Family members applying at the same time (家族が同時申請する場合)
- When, to obtain a visa for a foreign country, a remaining period of stay in Japan of six months or more is required (外国の査証取得の際、日本での残りの在留期間が6か月以上必要である場合)
The documents to prepare are also shown for each example. Those for the examples that involve going abroad are as follows. The immigration office may also ask for additional documents.
| Example | Documents to prepare |
|---|---|
| Studying abroad | Letter of admission or similar document from the school abroad, a document showing your contact details and where you will stay while studying abroad, a copy of the airline ticket |
| Overseas business trip or overseas assignment under a company order | Written order for the business trip or assignment issued by the organization you belong to, an itinerary, a document showing your contact details and where you will stay, a copy of the airline ticket (for a business trip, also the hotel booking confirmation) |
| Returning to your home country to give birth | Medical certificate from a doctor, an itinerary, a document showing your contact details and where you will stay while in your home country, a copy of the airline ticket |
| Planning to be hospitalized in your home country | Medical certificate from a doctor, materials on the hospital where you will be hospitalized, a treatment schedule, materials showing where you will stay before hospitalization and after discharge, a copy of the airline ticket |
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Extension of Period of Stay" (in Japanese), section on the application period, and the list of documents (PDF) (in Japanese) posted on the same page
Accompanying a Japanese spouse on an overseas assignment is not written among these eight examples (as of October 2026). The eight are given as examples. Whether an application is accepted in the case of accompanying a spouse is not written in the ISA's materials. You will have to inquire in advance with the immigration office where you will apply, attaching documents.
If you will be outside Japan for a long time, it is safer to decide, before you leave, on a schedule that allows you to return to Japan between three months before the date of expiration and the date of expiration. In our consultation on extensions for a Spouse or Child of Japanese National, we review with you the timing of the extension and the schedule for your temporary return to Japan.
Our office has been consulted about a situation in which, at the time of leaving Japan, three months or more remained until the date of expiration, and the person left without having been able to apply for an extension. A temporary return to Japan could not be arranged at the time for the extension, and the person ended up starting over from an Application for Certificate of Eligibility (COE, 在留資格認定証明書交付申請).
After applying you can leave Japan, but there is a deadline for returning
After you have applied for an extension, you can leave Japan even while the application is under examination. However, you need to return to Japan and receive the result by the date on which two months have passed from the date your previous period of stay expires.
If no result has been given by the time the period of stay expires, the person who applied can continue to stay in Japan under the current status of residence even after the expiration. The person can stay until the time the result is given or the end of the date on which two months have passed from the date of expiration, whichever comes earlier (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 21, paragraph 4 and Article 20, paragraph 6). This period is called the special provision period (特例期間).
| How you leave Japan | Deadline for returning to Japan |
|---|---|
| Special re-entry permission (a system under which no permission in advance is needed if you return within one year from departure) | Whichever is earlier: "the date on which two months have passed from the date the previous period of stay expires" or "one year from the date of departure" |
| Re-entry permission (permission received at the immigration office before departure) | Return and receive the disposition by the date on which two months have passed from the date your previous period of stay expires. The expiration date of the re-entry permission must not have passed either (the re-entry permission normally runs until the date of expiration of the period of stay; if you will return after that date, check with the immigration office before leaving Japan) |
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q23 and Q61, "What Is the Special Provision Period?" (in Japanese)
The ISA instructs applicants, after re-entering Japan, to be sure to receive the result at the immigration office where they applied before two months have passed from the date of expiration. Once the two months have passed, you will be overstaying (不法残留) even though you have applied.
During the examination, the immigration office may contact you. The ISA states that it is desirable to remain reachable even while you are outside Japan.
For Spouse or Child of Japanese National, extension applications that were permitted took 45.2 days on average from application to notice of permission (permissions granted in July 2026; national average).
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Processing Time for Residence Examinations" (in Japanese; permissions granted in July 2026)
In principle, the new residence card cannot be received while you are outside Japan
The new residence card issued when permission is granted cannot, in principle, be received while the person concerned is outside Japan. In its Q&A on online applications, the ISA asks applicants to confirm, before receiving the card, that the person concerned is not outside Japan.
| Application method | How the card is received |
|---|---|
| Application at the counter | Go to the counter after receiving the notice from the immigration office. Return your current residence card and receive the new residence card |
| Online application (collection at a counter) | Show the examination completion email at the counter, submit the required documents and receive the card |
| Online application (delivery by mail) | Following the examination completion email, send the original of your current residence card and other items to the immigration office. The new residence card is sent by mail |
The persons who can receive the card at the counter are the same as those who can submit the application: the person concerned, a legal representative, an authorized filing agent and so on. Family members such as a spouse or child cannot receive it unless they fall within this scope.
If you have chosen delivery by mail, be careful about when you leave Japan. To leave Japan on special re-entry permission, you must hold a valid residence card. While your residence card has been sent to the immigration office, you cannot leave Japan on special re-entry permission.
The fee for an extension was revised on October 1, 2026, and the amount is determined by how you apply (at the counter or online) and by the length of the period of stay granted. The amounts are set out in our list of fees for status of residence procedures.
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Q&A on Online Application Procedures" (in Japanese), A4-18, A6-1, A6-3, A6-5, A7-2 and A7-3, "Application for Extension of Period of Stay" (in Japanese), sections on who receives the residence card at the time of disposition and on fees, "Q&A: Frequently Asked Questions on the Residence Management System" (in Japanese), Q60
If you could not return to Japan by the date of expiration and could not apply
If the date of expiration of your period of stay arrives while you are abroad without your having applied for an extension, there is no way to obtain an extension from abroad. The ISA instructs people to re-enter Japan before the date of expiration of the period of stay has passed and to apply at the immigration office that has jurisdiction over the area where they live.
The validity period of special re-entry permission is one year from the date of departure. If the date of expiration of the period of stay comes earlier than that, the validity period runs until the date of expiration of the period of stay (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 26-2, paragraph 2). This validity period cannot be extended while you are abroad.
If you do not re-enter Japan within the validity period, the residence card loses its validity (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 19-14, item 4). The person concerned is obliged to return the residence card to the ISA within 14 days from that date.
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q57 and Q64, "Special Re-entry Permission (Article 26-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act)" (in Japanese), "Q&A: Frequently Asked Questions on the Residence Management System" (in Japanese), Q69
What follows is our office's own summary based on the provisions of the Act. Once the validity period of the re-entry permission has passed, you cannot land in Japan on the re-entry permission. Except where you are visa-exempt, you need a visa (査証) anew (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 6, paragraph 1). To live in Japan again for the medium to long term as the spouse of a Japanese national, you will, in principle, have to start from an Application for Certificate of Eligibility, which is the procedure for foreign nationals who intend to enter Japan.
For Spouse or Child of Japanese National, it took 106.5 days on average until the Certificate of Eligibility was issued (COEs issued in July 2026; national average).
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese), "Processing Time for Residence Examinations" (in Japanese; COEs issued in July 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my husband (or wife) who is in Japan apply online in my place?
Not while you yourself are outside Japan. A relative can apply online, in principle, only when the person concerned is under 16, or cannot apply himself or herself because of illness or a similar reason. On top of that, it is stated that, for a person who is outside Japan, an application cannot be made online either.
Can I apply online on the very day my period of stay expires?
No. On the very day the period of stay expires, you cannot apply through the Online Residence Application System, and you will have to apply at the counter of the immigration office that has jurisdiction. Please be careful if you are planning a schedule in which you return to Japan just before the date of expiration.
I will stay abroad for more than one year. What should I do?
Because special re-entry permission cannot be used, you obtain re-entry permission at the immigration office before leaving Japan. The validity period of the re-entry permission is decided within the range of your current period of stay. If the date of expiration of your period of stay comes first, you need to return to Japan before that date and apply for an extension.
Summary
An extension for a spouse visa (Spouse or Child of Japanese National) can be applied for only while you yourself are in Japan. A person who has a period of stay of six months or more can apply from three months before the date the period of stay expires. Only when truly unavoidable special circumstances are found may the immigration office also accept an application earlier than that.
After applying you can leave Japan, but you need to return to Japan and receive the result by the date on which two months have passed from the date your previous period of stay expires. In principle, the new residence card cannot be received while you are outside Japan either.
Once a stay abroad has been decided, check the expiration date on your residence card and confirm, before you leave Japan, whether you can be in Japan on the day you apply and on the day you receive the result.
References
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Extension of Period of Stay" (in Japanese; accessed October 9, 2026)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, list of documents posted on the Application for Extension of Period of Stay page (PDF) (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "If You Wish to Receive Permission for a Change or Extension within Your Period of Stay" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "What Is the Special Provision Period?" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Immigration and Residence Examination Q&A" (in Japanese), Q23, Q57, Q61 and Q64
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Q&A on Online Application Procedures" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Online Procedures for Residence Applications" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Re-entry Permission" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Special Re-entry Permission (Article 26-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act)" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Q&A: Frequently Asked Questions on the Residence Management System" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Application for Certificate of Eligibility" (in Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Processing Time for Residence Examinations" (in Japanese; COEs issued and permissions granted in July 2026)
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 6, Article 19-14, Article 19-15, Article 20, paragraph 6, Article 21, Article 26, Article 26-2 and Article 61-8-3
- Regulation for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 21 and Article 59-4
![What Is a Japan Spouse Visa? Eligibility, Types of Application, Required Documents and Processing Times [Complete Guide]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fue01fgnu%2Fproduction%2Fd30113f81b2b4fd8df896876e17dcbe8a84889c7-2400x1350.png%3Frect%3D2%2C0%2C2396%2C1350%26w%3D600%26h%3D338&w=3840&q=75&dpl=dpl_FRNEwQbN5fxFQTBSaP27jZt4n11T)
![Japan Status of Residence Fee Increase [Effective October 2026]: 10,000–75,000 Yen for Extension or Change, 200,000 Yen for Permanent Residence](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fue01fgnu%2Fproduction%2Fab003f85826a27611d6a937cde0ac67f3e2e2218-2400x1350.png%3Frect%3D2%2C0%2C2396%2C1350%26w%3D600%26h%3D338&w=3840&q=75&dpl=dpl_FRNEwQbN5fxFQTBSaP27jZt4n11T)
