Switching to a Spousal VISA
April 2, 2025
Dealing with anything VISA related and going to the Immigration office has always been a stressful experience for me. I recently made the switch for a work VISA to a dependent VISA here in Japan. For anyone else who is wondering what the process is like, take a look at my checklist and tips below. Keep in mind that many of these steps should be done with your Japanese spouse, so make sure to set aside time to complete these tasks together.
Preparing the documents and making sure you have everything will take some time so I recommend starting as early as you can if you are in a rush to change over. The things that take the most time are obtaining the Japanese spouse’s koseki tohon and certificate of residence because you have to go to City Hall, so be sure to set aside a day they can go and pick that up.
1. Application for change of status of residence
You can download the forms from the links below.
2. Picture
Prepare pictures that follow the guidelines in this link.
-3cm x 4cm size
-taken within 6 months (I recommend bringing the sheet of pictures if you took the picture at a machine; they sometimes ask when the photo was taken and the sheet provides the date)
3. Spouse’s (Japanese) Koseki Tohon
You will need to obtain this form from your city hall or municipal office.
*Sometimes you will also need this form for other processes like name changes, so I recommend getting an extra copy while you’re there.
4. Marriage certificate issued by your local government
As an American citizen I did not need this form because the US government doesn’t issue marriage certificates for marriages performed overseas. However, I printed out the embassy page which states this, along with a Japanese translation just in case. I brought it with me but they didn’t need it. Sometimes it depends on the person that’s helping you so it’s always helpful to over prepare.
5. Documents proving cost of stay in Japan
You will need to obtain a ‘kazei shoumeishou’ (or ‘hi-kazeishoumeishou’) which is a certificate of taxation (or non-taxation) from the city hall. This certificate should be for the person who will pay the applicant’s accommodation expenses.
6. Japanese spouse’s letter of guarantee
You can download the document from the links below.
7. Japanese spouse’s certificate of residence
You can print this at the convenience store as long as you have a MyNumber card.
8. Questionnaire
You can find the questionnaire at this link.
The questionnaire will ask about your relationship, how you communicate, your respective families, etc. You can type the form but it must be filled out in Japanese. It will take about 30 minutes to fill out completely. The longest part for me was filling out the periods I was in Japan and my spouse was in my home country. I recommend having your passports handy and checking the dates on the stamps.
9. Things to prove the legitimacy of your relationship
A few photos, social media records, phone records, etc. to prove that you are in a legitimate relationship. While 2-3 photos is fine be sure that they are not altered in any way. It also might be helpful to provide photos not only of the two of you, but also with mutual friends and family. I also wrote on the back of each photo the context and date.
Others
Don’t forget to bring your passport and residence card with you on the day.
My husband has also prepared this checklist in Japanese for your Japanese spouse to reference.
1. 在留資格変更許可申請書
以下からダウンロード可能です。
2. 写真
指定の規格を満たした写真を用意し、申請書に添付して提出
※ 申請書の写真添付欄に写真を直接印刷したものを提出いただいても差し支えありませんが、指定の規格を満たさない不適当な写真を用いて申請が行われた場合には、写真の撮り直しをお願いすることとなります。
3. 配偶者（日本人）の方の戸籍謄本（全部事項証明書） １通
※ 申請人との婚姻事実の記載があるもの。婚姻事実の記載がない場合には、戸籍謄本に加え婚姻届出受理証明書の提出をしていただきます。
4. 申請人の国籍国（外国）の機関から発行された結婚証明書 １通
※ 申請人が韓国籍等で戸籍謄本が発行される場合には、お二方の婚姻が記載された外国機関発行の戸籍謄本の提出でも差し支えありません。
5. 日本での滞在費用を証明する資料
申請人の滞在費用を支弁する方の直近１年分の住民税の課税（又は非課税）証明書及び納税証明書（１年間の総所得及び納税状況が記載されたもの） 各１通
※ １月１日現在お住まいの市区町村の区役所・市役所・役場から発行されます。
※ １年間の総所得及び納税状況（税金を納めているかどうか）の両方が記載されている証明書であれば、いずれか一方でかまいません。
6.配偶者（日本人の身元保証書）
以下からダウンロード可能です。
※ 身元保証人には、日本に居住する配偶者(日本人)になっていただきます。
7. 配偶者（日本人）の世帯全員の記載のある住民票の写し １通
※ 個人番号（マイナンバー）については省略し、他の事項については省略のないものとするようお願いします。
8. 質問表
9. 夫婦間の交流が確認できる資料
スナップ写真（お二人で写っており、容姿がはっきりと確認できるもの。アプリ加工したものは不可。） ２～３葉
その他（以下で提出できるもの）
・ＳＮＳ記録
・通話記録
その他
パスポートと在留カードを提示する。
Also, if you are submitting your documents at a more populated Immigration office like Shinagawa, keep in mind that the results may not come for months. When I read blogs or watched YouTube videos from years ago I saw that they received their results within a month or two. Recently that is no longer the case and it is possible that you will be waiting for half a year or more. If you want to check on your application status you can try to call the office, but the line is busy and it is hard to reach someone. I recommend going to the Immigration office and asking at the counter directly (don’t forget to bring the paper with your application number that you receive when you initially apply). They cannot tell you how much longer it will take, but they can confirm at which stage in the process your application is at.
I also read that you should bring your Japanese spouse with you to the Immigration office. I brought my husband but in all honesty it was not necessary. I just submitted the documents and they sent me on my way. If you are comfortable enough in your Japanese abilities to do this I think it’s completely fine to go on your own. But it is always nice to have them there for support just in case.
