Name Mismatch between passport and other docs

Hey everyone. I’m about to begin the process of moving to Japan for a job, and I’d appreciate some advice from people who’ve been through the visa/immigration process.

I recently got a job offer from a Japanese company. We haven’t started the CoE process yet, but they said they’ll handle it.

Here’s the situation:

  • My passport lists my full legal name as: Jane Smith Doe Doe (yes, the last name appears twice due to a clerical issue).

  • My supporting documents like my degree cert, previous employment letters and bank statements (and even my ID) only use: Jane Smith Doe.

I’m debating whether I should:

  1. Proceed using my current passport name (with the repeated last name), and explain the discrepancy when submitting documents if it arises.

  2. Try to get my passport corrected first, which may take weeks and could delay everything :(.

I understand the Japanese immigration are strict on consistency, and the name on the visa/CoE must match the passport exactly.

My questions:

  • Has anyone had experience submitting a Japanese CoE or visa application where supporting documents had a slightly different name from the passport?

  • And if so will a simple name discrepancy explanation/declaration be enough?

  • Are there any long-term downsides to keeping the "Jane Smith Doe Doe" setup in Japan (e.g., banking, zairyuu registration, MyNumber)?

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by Budget-Lunch7561

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