Japan spouse visa 2026: requirements, documents, time

The Japan spouse visa is the name most people use for the status of residence called Spouse or Child of Japanese National (日本人の配偶者等, nihonjin no haigūsha tō). If you are married to a Japanese citizen and want to live in Japan with them, this is almost always the status you need. It has no limits on the kind of work you can do.

This guide covers the whole path: getting married in Japan as a foreigner, which marriage documents immigration wants, applying from abroad or from inside Japan, the full spouse visa Japan requirements, processing time and the new fees from October 2026, and what happens if the marriage ends. Everything below was checked against Immigration Services Agency (ISA) and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) pages on 31 October 2026.

Which status do you actually need?

ISA's list of statuses of residence puts three family situations in different boxes:

Spouse or Child of Japanese National: the spouse of a Japanese citizen, a special adopted child of a Japanese citizen, or someone born as the child of a Japanese citizen.
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident: the spouse of a permanent resident or special permanent resident, and their child born and living in Japan since birth.
Dependent (Family Stay): the spouse or child of someone in Japan on a work or student status. This one has work limits. Our dependent visa guide covers it.

This guide is about the first one. For spouses of permanent residents, check that status's own page on the ISA site.

Who qualifies

The basic test: you must be legally married to a Japanese national, and the marriage must be real. ISA asks for evidence of an actual relationship, which is why the document list below includes photos of the two of you, a questionnaire and records of contact.

In practice, ISA wants to see the marriage on your Japanese partner's family register (koseki), as explained below.

Getting married in Japan as a foreigner

MOJ's family register Q&A explains how it works. When a Japanese national and a foreign national marry in Japan, they submit a marriage registration (婚姻届, kon'in todoke) at the family register counter of a city, ward, town or village office. Once the office checks that both people meet the conditions to marry and accepts the form, the marriage is legally valid. The marriage is then recorded on the Japanese partner's koseki.

Because the office must check that you meet the marriage rules of your own country (for example, that you are old enough and single), you also need:

A certificate of legal capacity to marry (婚姻要件具備証明書, kon'in yōken gubi shōmeisho), issued by your country's ambassador, minister or consul, showing that you meet your home country's conditions for this marriage.
A Japanese translation of it, with the name of the translator written on it. MOJ says the translator can be you.

Some countries do not issue this certificate. MOJ's Q&A says that in that case another document may be accepted, for example a sworn statement signed in front of your country's consul in Japan saying that you have reached the legal age to marry and there is no legal barrier to the marriage. Ask the municipal office before you go, because it decides what it will accept.

What counts as a "marriage certificate" in Japan

Japan does not hand you a single marriage certificate. For the visa, ISA asks for two kinds of proof:

Your Japanese spouse's family register (戸籍謄本, koseki tōhon, also called the 全部事項証明書) showing the marriage. If the marriage is not on it yet, you add a certificate of acceptance of the marriage registration (婚姻届出受理証明書, kon'in todokede juri shōmeisho) from the office where you registered.
A marriage certificate from your own country, issued by an authority of your nationality. ISA notes that if your country issues family registers (for example, Korea), a foreign family register that shows the marriage is fine instead.

Applying from abroad, or changing status in Japan

If you live outside Japan, the usual route is a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). ISA's Q&A says that when you are coming to Japan after marrying a Japanese national, your Japanese spouse can act as your proxy and apply for you, at the regional immigration office covering the relative's address. Once the COE is issued, you take it to a Japanese embassy or consulate to get the visa itself. A COE does not let you enter on its own, and it is valid for 3 months, so you must apply to land within that time. Our COE guide explains the system in detail.

If you are already in Japan on another status (for example a work visa), you apply for a change of status of residence instead. ISA says that if you have stopped doing the activity of your old status and your family situation has already changed, you should apply promptly. Staying on a status whose activity you no longer do can lead to that status being cancelled.

Spouse visa Japan requirements: the document list

These are the documents ISA lists for the spouse of a Japanese national. The COE list and the change of status list are almost the same.

The application form (COE or change of status) and 1 photo that meets ISA's photo rules.
Your Japanese spouse's koseki tōhon showing the marriage (plus the acceptance certificate if needed).
A marriage certificate issued by your home country.
Proof that you can pay for life in Japan: the latest year's resident tax certificate (課税証明書, or a non-taxation certificate) and tax payment certificate of the person who will support you. These come from the office of the municipality where that person lived on 1 January. If they cannot show this, for example because they have just moved to Japan, ISA accepts other proof such as a copy of a bank book or a job offer from a Japanese company.
A letter of guarantee (身元保証書, mimoto hoshōsho) signed by your Japanese spouse, who must live in Japan. ISA has an English version of the form.
Your spouse's residence record (住民票, jūminhyō) showing everyone in the household, with the My Number left off but nothing else removed.
ISA's questionnaire (質問書, shitsumonsho). It is available in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian.
2 to 3 snapshots of the two of you where both faces are clear. Photos edited with apps are not accepted. You can add other proof of contact such as social media records or call records.
For a COE sent on paper, a return envelope with stamps for simplified registered mail. For a change of status, you show your passport and residence card.

Two rules catch people out. Every certificate issued in Japan must be dated within 3 months, and anything in another language needs a Japanese translation. ISA warns that incomplete applications can be delayed a lot or refused.

If you have questions about the forms, ISA's Immigration Services Center answers on 0570-013904 (from abroad or an IP phone: 03-5796-7112).

Japan spouse visa processing time

ISA publishes the average number of days its regional offices take, month by month. For permissions granted in August 2026, the figures for Spouse or Child of Japanese National were:

Certificate of Eligibility: 120.9 days on average.
Change of status: 53.1 days to the day you are told it is approved.
Extension (renewal): 45.0 days to the day you are told it is approved.

These are averages. They include time spent waiting for extra documents ISA asked for, and do not include refusals or withdrawn applications. Plan for a COE to take about 4 months. Our COE processing time guide shows how to track an application.

Period of stay and the new fees

The spouse visa is granted for 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 6 months. ISA decides which.

Fees for a change of status or a renewal went up on 1 October 2026. The fee now depends on the period of stay you are granted:

Period granted	At the counter	Online
6 months	¥18,000	¥15,000
1 year	¥33,000	¥27,000
3 years	¥64,000	¥56,000
5 years	¥75,000	¥65,000

Before the change, the fee was ¥6,000 at the counter and ¥5,500 online. Applications received by 30 September 2026 still pay the old fee, even if permission comes later. At the counter you pay with revenue stamps (shūnyū inshi). Online, you pay at a convenience store or by bank payment only, and a separate transaction fee applies.

Working on a spouse visa

ISA's living and working guidebook lists Spouse or Child of Japanese National among the statuses that are permitted to work without restriction. You can work full time, part time or in any field. ISA's Q&A also says people on status-based statuses like this one do not need to file the notification other visa holders must make when they change employer.

Renewal, divorce and the death of a spouse

You renew before your period of stay ends, with a document set similar to the one above. Our visa renewal checklist covers timing and order. Spouses of Japanese nationals can also apply to naturalise after a shorter time in Japan than other residents; our guide to getting Japanese citizenship explains the rules.

If you divorce, or your Japanese spouse dies, you must notify ISA within 14 days (the "notification regarding a spouse"). You can do it online through ISA's electronic notification system at any time, with no supporting documents needed, or at a regional immigration office by showing your residence card. ISA's Q&A says that missing the 14 days can lead to a fine of up to ¥200,000.

There is also a 6-month rule. If you have not been living as a spouse for 6 months in a row, your status can be cancelled, unless there is a justifiable reason. ISA gives examples of reasons that may count:

You have left temporarily because of domestic violence and need protection.
You live apart for a reason such as raising your children, but still share household finances.
You are abroad for a long time on a re-entry permit because a relative at home is ill.
You are in the middle of divorce mediation or a divorce court case.

If the marriage has ended and you want to stay, talk to the immigration office early about changing to a status that fits your new situation.

A spouse visa comes with dates that are easy to lose track of: the 3-month limit on Japanese certificates, the COE's 3-month validity, your renewal window and the 14-day notification. Daruma keeps those deadlines for your own situation, scans the Japanese letters and certificates you receive into plain English, and tells you which counter to go to and what to bring.

Useful Japanese

日本人の配偶者等 (nihonjin no haigūsha tō): Spouse or Child of Japanese National
婚姻届 (kon'in todoke): marriage registration form
婚姻要件具備証明書 (kon'in yōken gubi shōmeisho): certificate of legal capacity to marry
婚姻届出受理証明書 (kon'in todokede juri shōmeisho): certificate that your marriage registration was accepted
配偶者に関する届出 (haigūsha ni kansuru todokede): notification regarding a spouse

Where to confirm this

Guides are dated rather than undated: last reviewed 31 October 2026. This is an organisational aid, not legal or immigration advice — always confirm anything consequential with your ward office, the Immigration Services Agency, or a qualified professional.