After you file

Certificate of Eligibility cases commonly take one to three months, and can take longer where the office asks for more documents. Change of Status is usually two weeks to a month or two. Renewals are often quicker.

If a 資料提出通知書 (request for additional documents) arrives, it is not a refusal. It is the office telling you which part of the account it cannot yet verify. Answer it fully and by the stated date; a partial answer invites a second request.

Once a certificate is granted it is posted to the address given, and is valid for three months. The applicant takes it, the passport and a visa application to a Japanese embassy or consulate, which typically issues within a few working days.

After entry, register the address at the city office within 14 days. The residence card is issued at the airport at major ports of entry, or posted later.