Divorced or widowed and remarried.
What happens to your visa renewal?
It's called "renewal" but...
In reality, it's treated as a brand new application!
A rigorous review from scratch will be conducted.
Transparency regarding why the previous marriage ended is required.
- Divorce: Detailed statement of reasons
- Bereavement: Death certificate, etc.
Starting from zero. Thorough evidence is required.
- Statement of how you met
- Photos, LINE chat history
- Photos with family members, etc.
Cases where "sham marriage" is strongly suspected
- The previous marriage was extremely short
- Very short interval between divorce and remarriage
- History of repeated divorces and remarriages
*If any of these apply, a well-reasoned explanation prepared by a professional is essential.
Hello, everyone. I am Shizuka Wakabayashi, a certified Immigration Specialist.
Last time, we explained the renewal procedure when the marriage with the same spouse continues. This time, we will address the more complex case of "renewal after remarriage."
Introduction: What happens to your residence status after divorce?
First, as a basic premise, even if you divorce or are widowed from your Japanese spouse, your residence status is not immediately revoked. You may remain in Japan until your current period of stay expires.
However, if you have not been engaging in activities as a spouse for 6 months or more without legitimate reason, you become subject to revocation.
Options during the grace period:
- Remarry another Japanese national and apply for renewal (this article's topic)
- Change to "Long-Term Resident" or a work visa category
- Depart from Japan
[Important: In reality, this is a new application]
Although this procedure is nominally a "renewal," since the relationship with the previous spouse has ended, the "marriage with the new spouse" must be reviewed from scratch.
Point 1: Carefully explain the circumstances of the previous marriage dissolution
The first thing the examiner will check is "why the previous marriage ended."
Point 2: Thoroughly prove the credibility of the new marriage
The most important aspect is proving that "the marriage with the new spouse is genuine." A higher level of evidence than the initial application is required.
- Statement of how you met and marriedPrepare a detailed "relationship history" describing when, where, and how you met and came to marry.
- Objective evidence
- Photos: Candid photos of the couple and with family members
- Records: Screenshots of LINE and other message exchanges
- Family understanding: Letters from parents and siblings, etc.
[Caution] Cases where sham marriage is strongly suspected
- The previous marriage was very short
- Extremely short period between divorce registration and new marriage registration
- History of repeated divorces and remarriages with Japanese nationals
Summary
Renewing the "Spouse or Child of Japanese National" visa while changing spouses is a procedure on a completely different level from a standard renewal. The risk of denial from a careless application is extremely high, so we strongly recommend consulting a specialist and preparing thoroughly before filing.