Check before applying – What documents are required to apply for a visa for a spouse living abroad?
It is possible to apply for a spouse visa to bring your spouse living abroad to Japan and live with them.
In order to apply for a spouse visa, you will need to present various documents such as your passport and family register in addition to the prescribed application form.
Applying for a spouse visa can be time-consuming, but if you know the required documents in advance, the visa process will be much easier.
In this article you will find a list of documents required for a visa application for a spouse living abroad.
Documents required to apply for a spouse visa
The following documents are generally required to apply for a spouse visa:
- Application for Certificate of Eligibility
This certificate is required to apply for a spouse visa, as it is used by foreigners currently living abroad to obtain a visa to stay in Japan.
- Questionnaire
A document containing questions from the Immigration Bureau that must be answered in order to apply for a spouse visa.
The questions relate to how the couple got married, whether they used a marriage broker (marriage agency), and what language the couple uses in their daily conversations.
- Letter of Guarantee
This is a document in which the details of the person who will vouch for the foreign spouse are entered.
A guarantor is a person who helps a foreigner who has obtained a visa to comply with the laws of Japan and to pay for the cost of returning home in case of financial difficulties.
- Additional documents required of the foreign spouse
Documents required of a foreign spouse applying for a spouse visa generally include:
- Passport
- Residence card
- Resume
- Documents proving their educational background (certificate of graduation from a college, etc.)
- Documents proving their Japanese language proficiency (certificate of Japanese language proficiency, etc.)
- Marriage certificate and translation (to prove that the marriage is registered in their home country)
- Certificate of residence tax, Certificate of tax payment
Additional documents required of the foreign spouse
Documents relating to the husband or wife of a foreign spouse applying for a spouse visa generally include:
- Certificate of residence
- Certificate of the family register (indicating the marriage)
- Certificate of residence tax, certificate of tax payment
- Certificate of employment (if the Japanese spouse works)
- Documents describing the place of work (copy of the website of the place of work, etc.)
- Property rental agreement (if the couple lives in a rental property)
- Property registration certificate (if the couple owns a residential property)
- Photos of the property they live in (to prove that they actually live there)
- Photos of their parents, wedding, travel destinations, etc. (as proof that they are actually a couple)
