Hi all, thanks in advance for your help.
I'm a foreigner married to a Japanese citizen considering moving back to Japan. The complicated part: My partner and I are both living in the US.
All of my partner's immediate family has died or moved away, so there are no immediate family members in Japan who could support with a COE.
(We do have several close friends who are willing to support in any way they can.)
I reached out to an administrative scrivener, who said that my only choice in this situation was to come on a 90-day tourist visa, immediately apply for a COE, and switch to a spousal visa while in Japan.
It seems like this method (come on 90-day tourist visa > switch visa to spousal visa while in Japan) is not officially recommended but is not unheard of and sometimes recommended with a wink — I noted the comments on this post by @Exciting-Tart8282.
Has anyone been in this situation, or a similar one, and found a solution?
Has anyone successfully arrived on a 90-day tourist visa, applied for a COE while in the country, and switched to a spousal visa?
by OldUnderstanding7828
2 comments
Following. I’m in a similar situation and moving this Fall. Hoping we can do tourist to spouse visa but also if I have to leave and come back with my COE I guess it’s not the end of the world. Good luck with your move!
Have you read this thread? It was posted a month ago.
https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/s/a38geZNtVQ
It’s not that uncommon. I see other people successfully switching. (Someone in Kyoto was able to switch in just 8 days!) It might depend on which immigration office you go to, though.