I am Teruyoshi Yoneda, the representative of Yoneda Legal Servives and a certified immigration procedures specialist. My office specializes in international matters such as visa and naturalization applications. Based mainly in Hiroshima Prefecture, we support foreign nationals living in Japan with various immigration procedures, including work visas, spouse visas, permanent residency applications, and naturalization.In this article, I will explain how to obtain Spouse of a Japanese National Visa
1. What is a Spouse of a Japanese National Visa?
A Spouse of a Japanese National visa is a status‑based visa intended for foreign nationals who are married to a Japanese citizen and wish to reside in Japan. In practical terms, this applies to situations such as “I married a Japanese national and want to obtain a visa for my wife,” or the reverse, “I want to obtain a visa for my foreign husband.” While an international marriage can always be completed procedurally, obtaining a Spouse of a Japanese National visa is not guaranteed simply because the couple is legally married. To live together in Japan, the couple must submit sufficient documentation to demonstrate that their marriage is genuine and substantive.
2. Main Requirements for Obtaining a Spouse of a Japanese National Visa
(1) Having the legal status of the spouse of a Japanese national
(A) Being legally married
The term ‘spouse’ refers to a person who is currently in a valid marital relationship. It does not include individuals whose spouse has passed away, those who are divorced, or those in a de facto (common‑law) relationship. In addition, if the marriage is not considered valid under Japanese law, a visa will not be granted. It is also important that the marriage is duly recorded in the Japanese spouse’s family registry (koseki).
(B)The marriage must be substantive in nature.
Even if the marriage is legally valid, a visa will not be granted unless the couple has a genuine marital relationship—such as living together, providing mutual support, and maintaining a shared life as husband and wife in a manner consistent with societal norms. To be considered as maintaining a socially accepted marital life, the couple is generally required to live together unless there is a reasonable and legitimate reason for living apart. To prove the substance of the marriage, applicants must prepare documents explaining matters such as how the relationship developed, the language used in daily communication between the spouses, the foreign spouse’s travel history to Japan, and, if a wedding ceremony was held, the date, location, and attendees.
(2) Stability and Continuity
Having a stable financial foundation to maintain married life is one of the factors used to assess the stability and continuity of the marriage. Whether such a financial basis exists is confirmed through the application documents, as well as documents showing the Japanese spouse’s occupation and income. For the Spouse of a Japanese National visa, it does not matter which spouse is the financial supporter and which spouse is being supported.
3.Evaluation Criteria
・The marriage must be legally valid under Japanese law.
・The marriage must be substantive in nature.
・Having a stable financial foundation to maintain married life.
If you are considering applying for a spouse visa in the Chugoku region (Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori) or in other parts of Japan, we offer free consultations. Please feel free to contact us. We will provide our full support until your spouse visa is approved.
