A foreign spouse of a Japanese citizen and a spouse joining a foreign worker do not normally apply under the same family residence category. The first should examine Spouse or Child of Japanese National; the second should examine Dependent, provided the worker's status and the family relationship qualify. Their work rights differ substantially.
Start with the exact nationality or residence status of the person you are joining, then assess each spouse and child separately. A marriage certificate establishes a relationship; it is not permission to live or work in Japan.
Choose the route before collecting forms
| Your situation | Route to examine | Main distinction |
|---|---|---|
| You are the foreign legal spouse of a Japanese citizen | Spouse or Child of Japanese National — 日本人の配偶者等 | Once granted, this status has no immigration restriction on the type of work |
| You are a foreign-national child born as the child of a Japanese citizen, or qualify through special adoption | The child category within Spouse or Child of Japanese National | Child eligibility and evidence differ from a spouse's application |
| You are the supported spouse or child of a foreign resident with an eligible status | Dependent — 家族滞在 | Paid work needs separate permission |
| You are joining a permanent-resident spouse | Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident — 永住者の配偶者等 | A separate residence category; marriage does not itself give you permanent residence |
| You have a different family relationship or a child from an earlier relationship | A case-specific route, potentially Long-Term Resident or Designated Activities | Do not assume either of the first two categories fits |
MOFA separates these routes in its long-stay visa directory. “Family visa” and “spouse visa” are convenient descriptions, not sufficiently precise application categories.
When your spouse or parent is Japanese
The Japanese Embassy in the UK's category definition covers a legal spouse, a person born as the child of a Japanese national, and a child adopted under the special-adoption provisions of Civil Code Article 817-2. It also distinguishes a foreign-national child applying for residence from a child who already holds Japanese nationality.
For children, check nationality first. Then establish the legal parent-child relationship and the relevant family history. A parent's later marriage to a Japanese citizen does not, by itself, turn that parent's child from a previous relationship into a child born to the Japanese citizen.
Ordinary adoption and special adoption are not interchangeable. The Japan Legal Support Center's adoption guidance distinguishes special adoption from ordinary adoption, for which a Long-Term Resident route can apply in specified circumstances. Stepchildren, ordinary adoptees and children whose parent's nationality changed need an individual category check; do not submit the spouse's paperwork as the child's whole application.
There is no automatic residence grant on the wedding day. If you are already in Japan under another status, a switch requires an immigration application and approval. Until then, use the work rights of the status you actually hold.
When your spouse or parent is a foreign resident
Dependent status is for a supported spouse or child of a qualifying resident. It is not a general invitation route for any relative. A university student's family can use it in eligible circumstances; Kyoto University's family guidance expressly excludes parents and siblings from this category.
For an employed sponsor, begin with the exact status on their residence documentation, not their job title. JETRO explains the family route for foreign workers, including the possibility of submitting family COE applications alongside the worker's application or after the worker has obtained their status.
Two exceptions matter when planning a move:
- Specified Skilled Worker (i) and (ii) differ. ISA's SSW explanation says category (i) does not allow family accompaniment, while category (ii) does. Do not promise a Dependent application solely because the sponsor has a Japanese employment contract. This does not decide whether a relative independently qualifies for another status.
- Highly Skilled Professional families have additional options. JETRO's HSP guidance describes preferential arrangements for a spouse's employment and, under conditions, accompanying parents. These are specific arrangements to check with ISA, not unrestricted work rights automatically attached to every Dependent card.
If the sponsor holds Designated Activities, obtain the details of the actual designation. MOFA lists separate designated routes, including digital-nomad family arrangements; the words “Designated Activities” alone do not establish ordinary Dependent eligibility.
Support must be evidenced. Budget the move on resources you can document, rather than assuming an accompanying spouse will immediately find full-time work. A tax or health-insurance definition of “dependent” is not a substitute for the immigration assessment.
What work can the spouse or child do?
The Japan Legal Support Center identifies Spouse or Child of Japanese National, Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident, Permanent Resident and Long-Term Resident as statuses without restrictions on work activities. That immigration position does not waive professional licensing or other employment law.
Dependent status alone does not permit paid work. A holder must first obtain permission to engage in activity outside their residence status, known as 資格外活動許可 (shikakugai katsudō kyoka).
Under the ordinary comprehensive permission, the ceiling is 28 hours per week. Treat that as the person's combined weekly limit, not a fresh allowance from each employer. For example, 18 hours at one job plus 12 at another totals 30; splitting employers does not make that a 28-hour schedule.
Permission has activity conditions as well as an hours limit. Do not assume a general permission covers every venue or business: entertainment/amusement-related employment and work whose hours are difficult to establish need a specific ISA check before acceptance. Nor should a Dependent holder borrow a university student's holiday allowance.
Kyoto University's permit guidance distinguishes comprehensive and individual permissions and explains applying through the regional immigration bureau with the form, passport and residence card. Confirm the actual approval and its conditions before starting.
If your real plan is a full-time career, examine an independently qualifying work status or another applicable route. Filing a change application is not permission to start the new activity. Remote work and freelance work should also be disclosed when checking permitted activities; payment from abroad does not answer the immigration question by itself.
Prepare evidence for the correct application
The applicant is the spouse or child seeking residence. The supporting spouse or parent is a different person, even when they submit paperwork on the applicant's behalf. Create a separate document checklist for each applicant.
| Evidence question | Documents to prepare for checking against the relevant checklist |
|---|---|
| Who is applying? | Passport details; the application form for the procedure; any required photograph |
| What is the relationship? | Marriage, birth or adoption records; relevant Japanese family-register records for a Japanese-national family case |
| Who is the supporter? | Their identity and, for a foreign resident, residence documentation |
| How will living costs be paid? | Employment/income and tax evidence, or appropriate savings/scholarship evidence |
| Are the names and records consistent? | Explanations and supporting records for different spellings, name changes or incomplete civil records |
For Dependent cases, Kyoto University's checklist supports relationship, sponsor-status and financial evidence. Its instructions serve its students and researchers; obtain the current ISA checklist for your own case.
For a Japanese-national family case, the Japanese Embassy in the US gives separate spouse and child document lists, including family-register and relationship evidence, financial records and, in the applicable spouse cases, a guarantee. That page concerns its own no-COE procedure. It illustrates the evidence categories; it is not a universal COE checklist. Its use of “dependent” in the page title does not rename the legal residence status.
Use ISA's separate pages for Dependent, Japanese-national spouses and Japanese-national children. Select COE, change, extension or acquisition as appropriate. Check translations, document issue dates, originals/copies and any questionnaire against that exact checklist; additional evidence may be requested.
Applying from outside Japan: COE, visa, then landing
- Confirm the category and submission arrangements. Agree who will prepare the relationship and support documents and who can submit in Japan.
- Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) through the regional immigration authority, normally with an eligible proxy in Japan.
- Apply for the visa through the Japanese mission responsible for your place of residence. Start with its checklist and MOFA's Japanese-national family or Dependent guidance.
- Travel and undergo landing examination. Check the status, period of stay and work restrictions actually granted.
MOFA lists a passport, visa form, photograph and COE as the basic visa package, with nationality-specific additions. An electronic COE can be presented or printed as instructed. A COE does not guarantee a visa, and a visa does not guarantee landing.
A COE is not an absolute prerequisite in every case. MOFA allows applications without one but warns of substantially more evidence and potentially several months of processing. If the Japanese spouse lives abroad and cannot arrange a COE application, consult the responsible mission first.
Before collecting medical documents, check whether Japan's pre-entry TB screening applies to your nationality, residence location and route. Implementation and exemptions require checking; family status should not be assumed to settle this.
Keep bookings flexible. Avoid treating a processing estimate as a guaranteed family reunion date. For short visits instead of relocation, use the entry and visa guide.
If you are already in Japan
A change of status, an extension, and a COE application solve different problems. JETRO's change-and-extension guidance confirms that a change requires permission and that Temporary Visitors ordinarily cannot change status unless special and unavoidable circumstances justify it. Do not build a relocation plan around entering as a tourist and switching after marriage.
For continued residence under the same status, apply for an extension before the permitted stay expires. Check each family member's expiry separately. Neither marriage nor a sponsor's renewal automatically renews another person's permission.
For a foreign-national baby born in Japan who will remain beyond 60 days, apply to acquire a residence status within 30 days of birth. This is separate from municipal birth registration, normally due within 14 days. Kyoto University's newborn procedure explains the distinction for its Dependent families. Confirm the correct category for your baby; do not wait for an overseas-entry COE process.
After approval: three checks to keep on your calendar
- Address: Mid- to long-term residents report their address within 14 days of establishing their residence, according to JETRO's residence-management guidance. Use our first-month checklist for the related municipal tasks.
- Work: Check the residence record and any separate permission before accepting a job or changing its hours. An employer's offer does not amend immigration permission.
- Family changes: Divorce or a spouse's death can require a separate immigration notification and reassessment of your residence basis. JETRO confirms a 14-day notification deadline for a Dependent spouse; Ota City's guidance confirms the divorce deadline for Japanese-national spouse cases. Contact ISA promptly for the applicable procedure rather than waiting for renewal.
Before choosing a form, match each family member to the correct residence status, relationship evidence, proof of support and actual permission to work. Take any unresolved status or document question to the responsible Immigration office with the family's records; the relationship alone does not settle work rights.