Married a Japanese national while living in Japan? Whether to switch to the spouse visa, and how

Questions about your own situation? Written Answer →
Applying on your own? Document Check →

Which describes you?

• I am on a work visa and wonder whether to switch → section 2
• I have decided to switch and want to know the steps → sections 3 and 4
• I am a student → section 5
• I got married while visiting Japan as a tourist → section 6

This article is for foreign nationals who married a Japanese national while living in Japan on another status. If your spouse lives abroad and you are applying from outside Japan, see bringing your foreign spouse to Japan with a COE instead.

1. Marriage alone does not change your visa

Your status of residence is based on the activities you do in Japan, such as working or studying. When you marry a Japanese national, your current status stays valid until its expiry date, as long as you continue the activities it covers.

You also do not need to notify the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) of the marriage itself. Whether to change to Spouse or Child of Japanese National (日本人の配偶者等, nihonjin no haigusha-to) is your choice. Some people switch soon after marrying; others keep their work visa for years. (If your name changes, for example under your country’s law, the change of name on your residence card must be reported within 14 days.)

2. Switch or stay? What changes

• Work: the spouse visa has no restriction on the type of work. You can change jobs, work part-time in any field, or run your own business. On a work visa such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, your work must match your status.
• Employer or school: on the spouse visa, your status no longer depends on your employer or school, and the notifications about your employer or school are no longer required (see section 5).
• Period of stay: the spouse visa is granted for 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 6 months. In practice, a 5-year period is considered only when, among other things, you have lived together for more than 3 years since marrying. Newly married couples usually receive 1 year first, so your period of stay may become shorter than your current one.
• If the marriage ends: on the spouse visa, you must notify the ISA within 14 days of a divorce or your spouse’s death, and your status can be revoked if you do not engage in activities as a spouse for 6 months without a valid reason. On a work visa, a divorce does not affect your status. See divorced or widowed on a spouse visa.
• Each renewal: Immigration checks that your marriage is genuine and that your household can support itself, not your job.

In short, the spouse visa gives you more freedom in work, while your work visa may give you a longer period of stay and does not depend on your marriage. Which suits you depends on your work plans, your current period of stay and your family situation. For how the period of stay is decided at renewal, see what decides 1, 3 or 5 years.

3. The order of steps

1. Register the marriage. File the marriage notification (婚姻届) at a municipal office in Japan. If you married abroad first, your spouse must report the marriage to a Japanese embassy or consulate, or to a municipal office, within three months. See how international marriage is recorded in the koseki.
2. Check the koseki. The ISA asks for your spouse’s koseki showing the marriage. If the marriage does not appear yet, you also submit a certificate of acceptance of the marriage notification (婚姻届受理証明書). A report through an embassy or consulate usually takes about one to two months to appear in the koseki.
3. Apply for a change of status. You can apply as soon as you are married, at any time before your current period of stay expires. You do not have to wait until your renewal.
4. Receive the result. If the change is approved, you receive a new residence card. A fee is paid at this stage. For the current amount, see our article on paying the new visa fees.

While your application is pending

Until the change is approved, you still hold your current status. Keep working or studying as before, within its limits. If your current period of stay expires while the application is still under review, you can remain in Japan until the decision is made, but no longer than two months after the original expiry date (the “special period”).

If the change is refused while your current period of stay is still valid, you keep your current status. This is another reason not to give up your job or school before the result.

4. Documents for the change of status

The ISA’s document list for a spouse of a Japanese national includes:

• Application form and one photo
• Your spouse’s koseki (koseki tohon) showing the marriage, and the certificate of acceptance if the marriage is not yet recorded
• A marriage certificate issued by your country of nationality
• The latest resident tax certificates (taxation and tax payment) of the person who supports the household. If these cannot show your situation, for example because you recently moved or changed jobs, bank statements or a job offer letter can be added
• A letter of guarantee (身元保証書) signed by your Japanese spouse
• Your spouse’s juminhyo (resident record) showing all household members
• The questionnaire (質問書) on how you met and your relationship
• Two or three photos of the two of you, and other records of your relationship such as messages or call logs
• Your passport and residence card (shown at the time of application)

Certificates issued in Japan must be issued within the last three months, and documents in other languages need a Japanese translation. Immigration may ask for more documents during the review. The questionnaire is especially important: it must be detailed and match your other documents. Our COE article explains what Immigration looks for in a marriage, and the same points apply to a change of status.

From March 19, 2027, change of status applications, including those to the spouse visa, must also include income, tax and social insurance records. See tax and social insurance records required from March 2027.

5. Points for students and work visa holders

Students

• Until the change is approved, part-time work is still limited to the hours in your permission to engage in activity other than that permitted (usually 28 hours a week). Working more before the approval is unauthorized work.
• Keep attending school until the result. If you stop studying without a valid reason, your Student status can be revoked.
• While you are a Student, you must notify the ISA within 14 days if you leave your school. Once you hold the spouse visa, this notification is no longer required.

Work visa holders

• If you leave your job before the change is approved, you must still notify the ISA within 14 days, because you still hold the work visa. A work status can also be revoked if you do not work for 3 months without a valid reason.
• Once you hold the spouse visa, the notification about your employer is no longer required. The only notification specific to the spouse visa is the one about divorce or the death of your spouse.

For the employer notification on a work visa, see changing jobs on a work visa.

6. Married while visiting Japan as a tourist?

A change from Temporary Visitor (短期滞在) is different. Under the Immigration Control Act, it is permitted only when there are special, unavoidable circumstances. The reason is that visitors enter Japan after a simple check, while people who plan to live in Japan are expected to go through the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) review before they come.

In practice, the following can be accepted as such circumstances:

• A marriage that has been concluded. You can apply for a change of status based on the marriage. However, approval is not guaranteed, and Immigration may tell you to leave Japan and apply for a COE.
• A COE issued during your stay. Your Japanese spouse can apply for a COE for you while you are in Japan. If it is issued before your period of stay ends, you can apply for a change of status with the COE attached.

Your period of stay as a visitor is short, at most 90 days, and the review of a COE can take longer than that. If your stay is running out, plan for the possibility of leaving Japan and returning with a spouse visa issued on the basis of the COE.

7. Frequently asked questions

Can I keep working while my application is pending?

Yes, within the limits of your current status. Work outside those limits becomes possible only after the change is approved and you receive your new residence card.

Do I have to switch when my current visa expires?

No. If you continue the activities of your current status, you can renew it as before. If you will no longer do those activities, for example because you are leaving your job or graduating, apply for the change before your period of stay expires.

Does the spouse visa help with permanent residence?

The permanent residence guidelines have special residence requirements for spouses of Japanese nationals, which become stricter for applications on or after April 1, 2027 (5 years of genuine married life and 3 years of continuous residence in Japan). See what changed in the permanent residence guidelines.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information only and is not legal advice on any individual case. The information is based on sources available as of November 12, 2026. Laws, guidelines and their application may change without notice. Each application is decided on its overall circumstances. TKG Immigration Consulting Office accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of this information. In case of any difference between our English descriptions and the original Japanese texts, the Japanese texts prevail.