Everything a couple may have to supply, grouped by the circumstance that calls for it. Showing every circumstance.
More on this: Who is who on these forms · The identity documents, and whose they are
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| The foreign spouse's full name, nationality, date and place of birth, and sex | information
applicant |
Passport, copied character for character | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal, Acquisition, Letter of Guarantee (Japanese), Questionnaire (Japanese) |
| The foreign spouse's passport — number and expiry (the passport itself is shown at the counter) | document
applicant |
Renew first if it expires within about six months | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal, Acquisition |
| The foreign spouse's identity photograph, 40mm × 30mm, taken within 3 months | document
applicant |
Plain background, no hat, full face. Affixed to part 1 of the form. | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal, Acquisition |
| The Japanese spouse's name, date of birth, address and registered domicile | information
spouse |
住民票 (certificate of residence) and 戸籍謄本 (family register) | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal, Acquisition, Letter of Guarantee (Japanese) |
| The Japanese spouse's family register, full copy (戸籍謄本 / 全部事項証明書 (full certificate of all recorded matters)) | document
spouse |
The municipality holding the 本籍 (registered domicile). Must be issued AFTER the marriage was registered, and within 3 months of filing. | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal, Acquisition |
| The household's certificate of residence (住民票), whole household, showing 続柄 (relationship to the head of household) and 本籍 (registered domicile) | document
spouse |
City office. Ask explicitly for 続柄 (relationship to the head of household) and 本籍 (registered domicile) — by law they are omitted unless requested, and a single-person copy does not evidence cohabitation. | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal |
| The date and place the marriage was registered in Japan | information
spouse |
The 戸籍謄本 (family register). This is the registration date, not the wedding date — they are often months apart. | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Acquisition, Questionnaire (Japanese) |
| The Japanese spouse's taxable income certificate (課税証明書) and tax payment certificate (納税証明書) | document
spouse |
The municipality where residence tax is paid, for the most recent year. Clear any arrears first — they show on the 納税証明書 (tax payment certificate). | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal |
| The guarantor's name, address, occupation, employer and contact numbers — normally the Japanese spouse | information
spouse |
Normally the Japanese spouse. Signs the 身元保証書 (letter of guarantee) by hand. | Letter of Guarantee (Japanese), Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal, Acquisition |
| How the two of you met, how you communicate, and how the marriage came about | information
both |
Written from memory but checkable — dates, places and names should agree with passport stamps and the family register. | Questionnaire (Japanese) |
More on this: Which application applies to you · The identity documents, and whose they are
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| The marriage certificate issued by the foreign spouse's own country | document
applicant |
Home-country authority, with a Japanese translation naming the translator | Certificate of Eligibility |
| A self-addressed return envelope with postage, for the certificate to be posted back | document
spouse |
For the certificate to be posted back | Certificate of Eligibility |
| The foreign spouse's intended date of entry, port of arrival, and where the visa will be collected | information
applicant |
Estimates are acceptable | Certificate of Eligibility |
More on this: Which application applies to you · Who is who on these forms
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| The foreign spouse's residence card (在留カード) — number, status, period and expiry | document
applicant |
The card itself | Change of status, Renewal, Acquisition |
| The foreign spouse must attend the immigration office in person | information
applicant |
There is no representative on these routes. A spouse may accompany but cannot file. Exceptions: an accredited lawyer or 行政書士 (administrative scrivener), a legal representative, or a relative where the applicant is under 16 or too ill to attend. | — |
More on this: Which application applies to you
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| The children's entries on the Japanese spouse's family register | document
spouse |
Already contained in the 戸籍謄本 (family register) you are submitting | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal |
| Whether each child needs their own status of residence | information
both |
A child born in Japan who will stay beyond 60 days needs an acquisition application, filed within 30 days of birth. | Acquisition |
More on this: The identity documents, and whose they are
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record of how the earlier marriage ended | document
both |
For the Japanese spouse this is on the 戸籍謄本 (family register). For the foreign spouse it is a divorce decree or death certificate from their own country, with translation. | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Questionnaire (Japanese) |
| Whether any waiting period under either country's law has run | information
both |
Some countries impose a waiting period before remarriage. The municipality checks this when accepting the 婚姻届 (marriage registration notification). | — |
More on this: How to write the questionnaire well
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why you live apart, and when you will live together | information
both |
Entirely normal before a Certificate of Eligibility is granted. Say so plainly. Where the couple is already in Japan and living apart, expect the point to be examined. | Questionnaire (Japanese) |
| Records of contact across the period of separation | document
both |
Messages and call logs spread across the period, not a single dense week. | Questionnaire (Japanese) |
More on this: How to write the questionnaire well
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| The agency or introducer's name, and what was paid | information
both |
Disclose it. Using an agency is lawful; concealing one and having it emerge is treated far more seriously than the fact itself. | Questionnaire (Japanese) |
More on this: What the income documents actually prove · Income, and what to do if it is low
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Japanese spouse's bank balance certificate | document
spouse |
The bank. Useful wherever income alone is thin. | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal |
| The Japanese spouse's certificate of employment, or a job offer with a start date | document
spouse |
Essential after a job change, because the tax certificate will still show the old salary. | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal |
| The Japanese spouse's certificate of non-taxation (非課税証明書), where income was below the threshold | document
spouse |
Issued instead of a 納税証明書 (tax payment certificate) when there is no tax to certify. Submit it and show how the household is actually supported. | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal |
| The Japanese spouse's tax return and business accounts, if self-employed | document
spouse |
The filed return with the tax office's receipt stamp | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal |
More on this: Answering the questions about your record
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| The foreign spouse's offence or disposition — what happened, when, and the penalty | information
applicant |
Includes traffic penalties and dispositions imposed outside Japan. Immigration already holds most of this; the question tests whether your account matches. | Certificate of Eligibility, Change of status, Renewal, Acquisition |
| A statement of reasons (理由書) putting the record in context | document
both |
Not an official form. A short, factual letter explaining the circumstances and what has changed since. | — |
More on this: Answering the questions about your record · Mistakes that cost the most time
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| What reason was given, and what has changed since | information
both |
You can ask the immigration office for the reason. Refiling without addressing it usually produces the same result. | Questionnaire (Japanese) |
More on this: After you file
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register the address at the municipal office within 14 days of arriving | information
applicant |
A legal obligation, with a penalty of up to 50,000 yen for failing without good reason. | — |
| Notify the Agency within 14 days if the marriage ends by divorce or death | information
applicant |
Triggered by divorce or death, not by separation. Separate from the six-month revocation rule. | — |
| Diary the renewal window — about three months before expiry | information
both |
Filing late is far harder to repair than filing early. | Renewal |
More on this: What "Spouse or Child of Japanese National" actually is
| Item | Kind | Where to get it | Used on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent residence (永住許可申請) | information
both |
A different application with its own criteria and a 10,000 yen fee. A spouse of a Japanese national faces a shorter residence requirement than most applicants. | — |
| Naturalisation (帰化許可申請) | information
both |
Handled by the Legal Affairs Bureau, not immigration. An entirely separate process and evidence set. | — |
