Where to ask a question this app cannot answer

The Agency's own multilingual enquiry service, and when to use a professional.

The Immigration Services Agency runs the Foreign Residents Information Centre, a multilingual telephone enquiry service, for questions about procedure. It is the right place for "which office covers my address" or "is this document still valid".

It is not the right place for judgement calls about a difficult case. If any of the following applies, engage a qualified 行政書士 (administrative scrivener) or a lawyer before filing: a previous refusal, any period of overstay, a criminal penalty including a traffic disposition, a large age gap combined with a short acquaintance, a marriage arranged through an agency, or an income the tax certificate will not support. A prepared bundle makes that consultation cheaper and faster — but it does not replace it.