Essential Requirements for Spouse Visa Renewal
- Conduct, Marriage & Finances
Comprehensive Assessment in Renewal Review
Immigration comprehensively evaluates your "residence status" and "necessity/appropriateness of stay" before granting permission.
The following three points are particularly important.
Have you been following the rules?
Is it a genuine married life?
Has your financial situation deteriorated?
For details, please also refer to Immigration's "Guidelines for Change of Residence Status and Extension of Period of Stay."
For general notes on residence status renewal procedures, please check the guidelines posted on Immigration's website.
Here, we will explain the points particularly important for spouse visa renewal.
No Criminal Record or Obligation Violations
Whether you have been following the rules as a member of society will be assessed.
- No criminal behavior or misconduct
- No failure to report changes such as address changes
- No failure to pay taxes (resident tax, etc.)
Marriage Must Still Be in Effect
This is the foundation of the spouse visa. A "genuine marriage" is the basis for eligibility for this residence status.
Checkpoints
- Is the marriage that was verified at the initial application still genuinely continuing?
- Are you naturally continuing to live together?
[Caution] If You Are Not in Japan
If you frequently leave Japan without a compelling reason and are hardly present in Japan, this can raise doubts about the "necessity of your residence" as a spouse.Financial Stability
Your financial situation must not have deteriorated.
Summary
The renewal process is also an evaluation of your track record of living in Japan. Complying with the law on a daily basis and maintaining a stable married life is the best path to a smooth renewal.