Spouse Visa Application

A. Per the nationwide averages published by the Immigration Services Agency (cases approved in July 2026, Spouse or Child of Japanese National): 106.5 days for a Certificate of Eligibility, 57.4 days for a change of status and 45.2 days for a renewal. Actual periods vary considerably by bureau. Under the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau a Certificate of Eligibility takes 6 months to 1 year, while regional bureaux tend to be shorter.

A. Immigration publishes no threshold. In practice an annual household income of around 2.5 million yen is a rough benchmark, and above 3 million yen income is rarely an issue. Income alone does not decide the outcome: savings, assets and planned employment are assessed together. Applications below the benchmark are often approved where assets and future prospects are documented carefully.

A. Yes. Municipal tax certificates showing assessment and payment are required documents, and payment status is always checked. If you have arrears, we strongly recommend clearing them before filing.

A. Yes. A tax certificate only reflects the previous year, so we document your current income with a certificate of employment, recent payslips and bank records showing salary deposits. The same applies if you have just changed jobs.

A. In a Certificate of Eligibility application, overseas income tends to carry little weight, since you will be supporting yourselves in Japan after arrival. What matters is how you evidence your household finances on the Japanese side, including savings and planned employment after arrival.

A. Yes. Spouse visas have no work restrictions — any job is permitted. Full-time, part-time, contract, or self-employed all possible.

A. No. A spouse visa requires legal marriage to be established. Please complete marriage procedures in both Japan and your home country before applying.

A. An age difference alone does not cause denial. However, differences over 10 years (or over 20 years) tend to lead to stricter review, so it is important to carefully substantiate the reality of the relationship.

A. Decisions follow Immigration practice. To obtain 5 years: more than 3 years of cohabitation after marriage, full compliance with reporting/public/tax obligations, etc. The first issuance is often 1 year, then extended over renewals.

A. Not necessarily. Where the earlier status has lapsed and you file a fresh Certificate of Eligibility application, a one-year period is possible even with a long marriage history. The period granted is at the discretion of Immigration, so it is important to set out your marriage history and past residence accurately in the statement of reasons.

A. Where the marriage was registered in Japan, some countries have no system for registering it on their side, so no marriage certificate can be issued. The United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, China and Canada fall into this group. In that case the Japanese family register showing the marriage serves as the primary evidence, accompanied by a written explanation of why no certificate is issued, with supporting authority. By contrast, where the marriage was concluded under the other country law, as in France or Mexico, a certificate can be obtained.

A. As a rule, no. Immigration states expressly that the issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility alone does not amount to unavoidable special circumstances. Exceptions may be recognised where there are circumstances such as the marriage itself, the birth of a child, childbirth and postnatal recovery, a sudden change in conditions in the home country, or illness or injury making return difficult. We have handled a case approved on the basis of illness in the family.

A. You will no longer qualify for the spouse visa residence status. You need to consider changing to another status such as "Long-Term Resident," and have a 14-day notification obligation to Immigration.

A. Cohabitation is required in principle, but there is room for approval if there is a reasonable reason (job assignment away from home, medical treatment, etc.). Preparing documents explaining the reason is crucial.

A. For spouses of Japanese nationals: 3 years of marriage + continuous 1-year residence in Japan satisfies the residence requirement. However, other requirements such as tax, pension, and health insurance payment status must also all be met.

A. Yes. We analyze the denial reasons and redesign the substantiation strategy for reapplication. Our office handles reapplication after denial (additional fee: +¥27,500).

A. No retainer fee required. Full post-payment after the application is filed with Immigration. If denied, we will rewrite the reason statement and re-apply at no extra cost, once per applicant and status of residence.

A. Yes. The first 60 minutes are completely free. Consultation not premised on commissioning is welcome. No sales follow-up after consultation.

A. Either is fine. We support clients elsewhere in Japan and clients living overseas, all online. Meetings are by Google Meet, and documents are exchanged through a shared spreadsheet and PDF. You need neither visit our office nor travel to Japan.

A. We do need a relative to be named as your representative, but they will have almost nothing to do. We prepare the documents, file the application and handle any follow-up requests from Immigration.

A. Yes. We will guide you on documents that substitute for the residence certificate and tax certificates.

A. Three main differences: ① No retainer fee / full post-payment, ② Thoughtful pre-consultation with honest approval-likelihood assessment, ③ Free re-application if denied. All are rare in the industry.

A. The Philippines has no divorce system, so remarriage requires an Annulment. Philippine-specific procedures like DFA authentication (red ribbon / apostille) of PSA documents and CENOMAR are also required. Our representative has expertise in Philippine matters from the Jeepney (Philippine desk) background.