So you can live in Japan
with your family.
We handle immigration procedures for people married to a Japanese national — in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Easy Japanese. Our founder is in an international marriage too. You talk; we write the paperwork.
* As of 31 July 2026, based on our own records (sample figures). The approval rate covers cases we accepted and filed.
“Our case is probably too difficult.”
Almost everyone who comes to us with a spouse visa question arrives with the same worries. Let's start by naming them.
Will we be suspected of a sham marriage?
A large age gap, a short time from meeting to marriage, few languages in common — any of these will bring detailed questions from Immigration. Being questioned is not the same as being denied. Facts, presented in order and backed by evidence, get through.
Our income is low. Is that a problem?
There is no published income threshold for a spouse visa. What matters is showing how the household will actually support itself — savings, family support and planned employment all count.
I can't write the documents in Japanese.
Every form and statement must be submitted in Japanese. We interview you in your own language and write the Japanese documents ourselves. Not being able to write Japanese is not a reason to give up.
One of us has been divorced before.
A previous divorce, or a remarriage shortly after arriving in Japan, makes the explanation of the timeline especially important. Disclosing it clearly produces better outcomes than leaving it out.
I overstayed, or was denied before.
If you have overstayed your period of stay, or been denied under another status, there may still be a route — including special permission to stay. We start by establishing the facts.
I applied myself and was denied.
After a denial, the first step is to go back to Immigration and ask why. Resubmitting the same documents will produce the same result. We identify what was missing and rebuild the application.
A spouse visa decision comes down to two things: that the marriage is genuine, and that you can support yourselves in Japan — proven on paper alone.
Our job is to translate your circumstances into a form Immigration can read.
Every status your family may need
From the first spouse visa to permanent residence or naturalization. When your situation changes, the same person keeps handling your case.
Spouse visa — bringing your partner to Japan
在留資格認定証明書交付申請 — Certificate of EligibilityFor a spouse currently living abroad. The questionnaire and the statement explaining how you met carry most of the weight in this application.
Spouse visa — changing status in Japan
在留資格変更許可申請 — Change of Status of ResidenceFor people already in Japan on a student or work status who have married and want to switch. Your record under the previous status also affects the review.
Extending a spouse visa
在留期間更新許可申請 — Extension of Period of StayIf you keep receiving one-year periods, each renewal requires fresh proof that the marriage is ongoing. Ask us about building toward a 3- or 5-year period.
Permanent residence
永住許可申請 — Permanent ResidenceSpouses of Japanese nationals can often apply after 3 years of marriage and 1 year of residence. Tax, pension and insurance payment records are examined closely.
Naturalization
帰化許可申請 — Naturalization (Legal Affairs Bureau)Acquiring Japanese nationality. This has the largest document set of all, including civil records from your home country and their translations. We attend the Bureau interviews with you.
Staying after divorce or bereavement
定住者への変更 — Long-Term ResidentTo remain in Japan after a marriage ends. We build the case around your children's upbringing and your established life here to change status to Long-Term Resident.
The Japanese terms you will see on the forms
Immigration paperwork is issued only in Japanese. These are the terms you will meet most often, so you can recognise them on a letter or a form.
| English | Japanese | Read as |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse or Child of Japanese National | 日本人の配偶者等 | nihonjin no haigūsha tō |
| Certificate of Eligibility (COE) | 在留資格認定証明書 | zairyū shikaku nintei shōmeisho |
| Change of Status of Residence | 在留資格変更許可申請 | zairyū shikaku henkō kyoka shinsei |
| Extension of Period of Stay | 在留期間更新許可申請 | zairyū kikan kōshin kyoka shinsei |
| Questionnaire on the marriage | 質問書 | shitsumonsho |
| Letter of Guarantee | 身元保証書 | mimoto hoshōsho |
| Residence card | 在留カード | zairyū kādo |
| Immigration Services Agency | 出入国在留管理庁 | shutsunyūkoku zairyū kanri chō |
Every price is on this page
We do not write “please contact us for pricing”. All amounts include consumption tax. If anything extra becomes necessary, we tell you the amount before we start.
| Procedure | Our fee (incl. tax) | Government fee |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse visa — from abroadCertificate of Eligibility | ¥132,000 | ¥0No fee for the certificate itself |
| Spouse visa — change of statusAlready in Japan | ¥121,000 | ¥6,000¥5,500 if filed online |
| Spouse visa — extension | ¥44,000 | ¥6,000¥5,500 if filed online |
| Permanent residence | ¥165,000 | ¥10,000Only if granted |
| Naturalization | ¥220,000 | ¥0Home-country records and translations charged at cost |
| Long-Term ResidentAfter divorce or bereavement | ¥154,000 | ¥6,000 |
| Dependent visaBringing your children | ¥88,000 | ¥0–6,000 |
Included in the fee
- Unlimited consultations, before and after you hire us
- Interviews in your own language (5 languages)
- Drafting the application, questionnaire and statement of reasons
- Guidance on which documents to collect, and checking them
- Filing at Immigration on your behalf — you normally do not need to attend
- Responding to any request for additional documents during the review
- Re-application if you are denied (no additional fee; costs only)
Charged separately
- Government fees, as listed above
- Municipal certificates (residence record, tax certificates)
- Obtaining and translating home-country records — substantial for naturalization
- Travel costs if we must accompany you to Immigration
- A cancellation charge if you withdraw the application yourself
* Fees are current as of 31 July 2026. * Payment can be split 50% on engagement and 50% on approval. * Government fees change from time to time; we confirm the current amount at your consultation.
Four steps from first call to approval
We take the difficult part. What we need from you is your story, and the documents only you can obtain.
Free consultation, in your language
By LINE, Zalo, WeChat, WhatsApp, phone, video call or at our office. Tell us how the two of you met. By the end of this call you will know our assessment and the exact fee. It is fine if you stop there.
Collecting and drafting
You receive a document checklist in your own language. We write the Japanese application, questionnaire and statement, then translate them back so you can check what you are signing.
We file at Immigration for you
Our office is registered to file on behalf of applicants, so you do not need to take a day off work or queue at the Immigration counter.
Review → approval → residence card
Immigration may ask for additional documents mid-review; handling that is included in the fee. Once approved, we explain how and where to collect your card.
I did this procedure for my own family first
It started with one sheet of paper
that we could not read
Ten years ago I tried to handle my then-fiancé's residence application on our own. What we were handed at the Immigration counter was a single sheet of paper, in Japanese, saying that documents were missing. Neither of us knew which ones, or who to ask. We took days off work to queue again and again. It took seven months.
What we needed back then was not a lecture on the law. It was someone who would say, in words we understood, “in your situation, do this and you will be fine.”
That is why this office exists. Two of our staff are native speakers of Chinese and Vietnamese. If Japanese is difficult for you, we can also work in Easy Japanese. Writing the documents is our job. All we ask from you is your story.
Nijiiro International Legal Office
Founder · Gyoseishoshi (certified to file with Immigration)
KOGURE Chinatsu
Languages we work in
- Japanese / Easy JapaneseAll staff
- EnglishKogure, founder
- 中文 — Chinese (simplified)Lin — from China, 12 years in Japan
- Tiếng Việt — VietnameseNguyen — from Vietnam, 8 years in Japan
Documents to start collecting
A typical list for a change of status to spouse visa. Yours may be shorter or longer. If you don't know how to obtain something, we will explain where to go.
Main documents for a spouse visa application
“You” = you obtain it · “Us” = we draft it
- Passport and residence cardYou
- Japanese family register showing the marriageYou
- Home-country marriage certificate + translationYou
- Residence record (full household, unabridged)You
- Tax and tax-payment certificatesYou
- Employment certificate or tax return copyYou
- Copy of bank passbookYou
- Copy of your leaseYou
- 2–3 photos of the two of you togetherYou
- Records of contact (calls, messages)You
- Application for change of statusUs
- Questionnaire — how you met and marriedUs
- Statement of reasonsUs
- Letter of guaranteeUs
* If there is a previous denial, an overstay or a divorce in either party's history, additional explanatory documents will be needed.
* Records from your home country can take 1–2 months to arrive. Start early.
From people we have worked with
* Published with permission (fictional, as this is a sample site).
We applied on our own and were denied, and we never understood why. Ms Nguyen explained everything in Vietnamese and it finally made sense. When the approval came on the second try, we both cried.
There is a 20-year age gap between us and we were sure we would be suspected. Working through the questionnaire together, the decision to answer every likely question before it was asked is what made the difference.
One thing to note: email replies sometimes came the next business day. We later learned LINE is faster when something is urgent.
The volume of paperwork for naturalization shocked me, but having a table of what was due when kept me moving. They came with me to the Legal Affairs Bureau, which helped a lot.
One thing to note: records from my home country took three months, so the whole process ran over a year. I know that wasn't the office's fault — but I wish I had been warned more forcefully at the start.
Use the app you already use
Messaging habits differ by country. Alongside LINE, we take enquiries on Zalo, WeChat and WhatsApp.
LINE
Japanese · Easy Japanese · English
placeholder
Zalo
Tiếng Việt
placeholder
中文
placeholder
English and others
placeholder
Questions we are asked before the first meeting
Are consultations really free? How many can I have?
I barely speak Japanese. Can you still help?
Can you guarantee approval?
What happens to my money if I am denied?
Do I have to go to the Immigration office myself?
I live far from Tokyo. Can you still take my case?
Could my family or employer find out what I discussed?
Should I apply for permanent residence or naturalization?
Tell us where things stand
Partial information is fine. Write in whichever language is easiest for you. We reply within 24 hours on business days.
If you think your case is hopeless,
that is exactly when to talk to us.
The consultation costs nothing. One conversation today can turn into an ordinary life together.
🌐 Available in 日本語 · やさしい にほんご · English · 简体中文 · Tiếng Việt