Spouse Visa
 

This was asked of me, but I didn't have a good answer, but maybe someone here does.

Can a person get a spouse visa for Japan if their spouse is a Japanese citizen, but they don't live in Japan on a permanent basis?

What is the process to initiate the spouse visa? Can it be done at a consulate or embassy outside of Japan?

Spouse ("applicant") of a Japanese national:

Documents certifying that the applicant is the spouse of the Japanese national (marriage certificate etc.) and his or her resident card.

Documents certifying the profession and the income of the applicant or his or her spouse.

A letter of guarantee by a person living in Japan.

The application for this visa can be carried out in Japan or abroad although application would generally be from within Japan. It is possible to change to this visa from other visa types (on completion of the standard application process). If the child of a Japanese national, the Japanese parent does not have to be in Japan, but a guarantor in Japan is necessary. In the case of a spousal visa, it is unlikely to be awarded if the Japanese spouse is not resident in Japan. The visa is for a maximum of 3 years. There are no restrictions on activities (i.e. you can legally work on this visa).

So the spouse does not have to be the guarantor in Japan...

Think that's just for a dependent child.

I don't think there is a spouse visa. Just a dependent (of sorts) visa. Could be a spouse or a child, but the visa is the same for either. Calling it a "spouse" visa is just a colloquialism.

Here, this explains it in detail:

Hanami Web - Spouse Visa

The guarantor for my first spouse visa was my husband`s father. All that was required was a Japanese resident with sufficient income.

Aha, it's an dependent visa...and the spouse's parent living in Japan can be the guarantor, even if the spouse cannot.

Thank you for the information.

Does the couple involved plan to live in Japan in the near future? If not, I kind of doubt that the visa would be granted. The purpose of a spouse visa is to allow the spouse of a Japanese national to reside with them in Japan. Japan Immigration tends to be very suspicious of married couples who don't live together, so I think they would probably have a lot of questions for someone applying for a spouse visa in order to go to Japan when the Japanese spouse does not currently live in Japan, or plan to in the near future.

If the person applying could convince Immigration that they were both about to move to Japan it might work I suppose.

The name of the visa, incidentally, is "Spouse or Child of a Japanese national"- that's what it says in my passport! A dependent visa is for the spouse of child of a non-Japanese resident in Japan.

No, but intend on doing extended visits that could be longer than 90 days, and the idea that the husband would have to leave seemed silly if he could get a one-year spouse visa (or dependent visa...or however you want to call it).

They live together, but their permanent residence is in the US. The wife does have an address in Japan (her parents' house), and her parents could be guarantors.

It could be worth a try, but as I said above, the spouse visa is for someone who wishes to reside in Japan with their Japanese spouse, so if it is any way obvious to officials that the person wishes to use it just for extended visits to Japan when the spouse is not there, I would say there is a strong possibility of it not being granted. Can a Japanese person living outside Japan get a juuminhyou, I wonder?

As long as the person has a guarantor, is it really a problem? I know nothing is black and white when it comes to Japanese government bureaucracy, but I am just curious. It is kind of a unique situation, which doesn't make things easier.

I am interested in finding out the result if you try and do this. My wife is a Japanese national and we live in the US. However, as you mentioned, it would be nice to be able to go for extended trips without having to leave.

How long does the spouse visa last? If I remember correctly the Child of a Japanese national can be extended indefinitely but is limited to 1 to 3 years?

If that's the case, I'm thinking that it'd be a case of renewing that visa on a regular basis. Although it could be tough if your records show that you haven't spent close to 90 consecutive days in Japan during the first term.

It starts at 1 year, and then from what I understand, after a couple successful renewals that could move to 3 years.

Whether the person gets 1 or 3 years is at the discretion of the Immigration official. I got 3 years for my first spouse visa, but that was no doubt because I had already lived in Japan for 10 years on working visas.

I don't think it's just a matter of having a guarantor in Japan as you still need to show you are eligible for the visa, and I wonder whether it would be possible to prove that in this case. All the other paperwork has to be in order as well, including the juuminhyou, and to get a juuminhyou I believe you have to be registered as living in a certain city/ward, and therefore be paying into national health insurance etc.

Assuming that the visa was granted, I also wonder what the reaction of Immigration officials would be if it became obvious through the person's entry and exit patterns that they were not in fact living in Japan (i.e. more time outside Japan than in it).

Anyway, let us know how the person gets on, as it would be interesting to know.

This is what I am trying to figure out, as it shouldn't be done if it threatens the chance or re-entry at a later time.

A Japanese citizen outside Japan exists on their parent`s juuminhyou - or rather the same location as their koseki. Moving back to Japan you have to move your documentation from that location to the new one.

As for living outside of Japan and keeping a spouse visa for extended visits... I don`t really think it is possible. It isn`t a matter of having a juuminhyou... It`s a matter of foreigner registration and re-entry policies.
Every time you leave the country, you have to have a re-entry permit (or have the unlimited re-entry thing)... BUT the re-entry has to be done within so long - I believe 90 days. If you do NOT re-enter during that period you apparently forfeit your visa.

This comes up a lot on a mailing list I am a part of for residents in Japan, as it limits the length of vacations or family visits. If you are leaving Japan for more than 90 days, you are supposed to have them cancel your visa and turn in your foreigner card. There isn`t supposed to be any penalty toward getting residence later though.

I think the rules for the PR are a bit different, but I am not sure.

Not really a answer to your question, but...
He could extend his tourist visa, especially if he has a good reason. i have done it once. he will then get another 15 days. the problem with this is that he will not know whether he will really get the extension at the time of entry, or when buying the ticket for that matter.

the most obvious recommendation would of course be to contact the JP embassy in his country, or contact the immigration office in Japan. Unfortunately they do not yet have e-mail service in english (they didn't have it two years ago), but perhaps his partner could take care of that.
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Marriage to a Japanese national
 

Hello,

I think this may be a bit helpful,
Marriage in Japan
This is the website that I found on the subject and it laid out the process for this topic, and was straight forward. At the bottom of the web page there are four choices the first should be "we'd like to get married in Japan" click on the link and read the requirements. That is what I have done.

Tim