Hello! Seeking clearer information on whether renewing my passport may or may not invalidate my COE.
I am an American currently waiting for my COE to process, my employer applied for it in Dec. 2025. I just noticed that my current passport will expire in March 2026, and I am worried that
A.) I won’t be able to apply for a visa before it expires
and
B.) If my paperwork comes through may not be able to enter Japan because it’s so close to expiring or will be expired
and
C.) I won’t make it to the America embassy in time to renew my passport after I enter Japan
I emailed my local embassy and they said I need to have a valid passport to apply for a visa at all, but they did not specify if it had to be the same one used to apply for my COE, even when I asked directly. Has anyone had experience with this? I don’t want to accidentally invalidate my COE by applying for an expedited passport renewal and have to start this process all over again 🙁
by Savings-Dish-4867