Remarriage of a foreigner with a Japanese spouse visa
If a foreigner on a spouse visa or a child of a Japanese citizen/permanent resident is divorced or widowed, he or she must notify the Regional Immigration Office or the Tokyo Immigration Office by mail within 14 days or notify the Minister of Justice through the Immigration Office’s electronic notification system.
Failure to do so may result in a fine of up to 200,000 yen under Article 19-16-3 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
In addition, if you do not update your status for 6 months, your visa may be canceled.
When a foreigner marries another Japanese citizen
If a foreigner remarries to a Japanese partner in Japan after a divorce, he or she must apply for a permit to extend residence status.
You do not need to change your visa. Therefore, the procedure is the same as for a new application.
However, if you wish to marry a Japanese partner, you cannot remarry until 100 days have passed since your previous divorce.
On the other hand, if you already have permanent residency status, you do not need to apply for permission to extend your residency status.
Application for Extension of Residence Status Due to Remarriage
You can apply for the extension of your residence status at the counter of the regional immigration office that has jurisdiction over your place of residence. When applying, your original passport and the original residence card will be examined.
The standard processing time for verification is approximately 2 weeks to 1 month.
When applying, you must explain the circumstances that led to the divorce, the course of residence after the divorce, how you met the new spouse, marital status, etc.
If there are no problems with the application, you will receive a postcard from the regional immigration office. After that, you will receive a residence card at the same immigration office.
On the other hand, if you are in Japan on a work visa, such as an engineer, humanities scholar, international businessman, CEO, etc., you do not need to change your residency status.
Summary
If a foreigner marries a Japanese partner in Japan after a divorce, he or she must apply for an extension of residence status. If you already have a permanent status of residence, you do not need to apply for a “residence status extension".
You can apply for the extension of at the counter of the regional immigration office that has jurisdiction over your place of residence.