Change your visa in Japan from V-travel → V-stay long ~🇯🇵
Hello, today I would like to share my visa replacement experience in Japan myself, which is another level that we were most concerned about at first. We changed our visa from tourist visa to spouse tracking visa in Japan.
At first, we didn't even know that we could do this 😂 because usually getting a visa for a long stay of more than 6 months in Japan must be conducted in Japan first. The husband (or school / employer) must take over and transfer the documents at New Kang (Japan Immigration Agency). Then New Kansa sends the Certificate of Eligibility or COE (Certificate of Residence) which usually takes 2-5 months. This document is for foreign nationals to be fully qualified to stay / work / study in Japan. Then we must apply for a COE to the Japanese Embassy in Thailand.
But after we registered the marriage, we prepared the paperwork with our husband to apply for a COE request, and when we got to New Kang, the official said that we could apply for a visa replacement. No need to go back to Thailand for a visa. Yeah, 🥳
🛂 What's the visa we're asking for?
• From: Temporary Visitor (Travel Visa)
• Be: Spouse of Permanent Resident ()
📌 Key conditions:
• The marriage registration is legally required.
• Pending results ❌ out of the country (out = request is null and void)
⭐ The documents we use 👇🏼👇🏼
🔸 1. Main Form of study diploma
(Application for Change of Status of Residence) is a visa type change form. This one we picked up in New Kang. Fill in the general information. He remembered that he would also ask about our relationship. Ask what language we communicated with. Ask how many times we came to Japan and specify the details. It was also asked how much our monthly expenses, how much our husband is responsible for, how much we leave ourselves 2️⃣ 👉🏼 4 × 3 cm photos (taken less than 3 months).
🔸 2. (letter explaining the reason)
• Explain the relationship.
• Explain Timeline
🔸 3.Evidence of relationship (Supporting Evidence)
• Our marriage documents are registered in Japan (Marriage Acceptance Certificate - Japan)
• Photo
• Buttak in-line conversation (randomly from each period)
• Statement of Reason / We wrote in Japanese and English, explaining the relationship and background.
📌 Trick Photo:
We will focus on the timeline. There are years-months taken with a few explanations. Insert photos with family / friends as well. Know that our relationships are open to those around us. Normal.
🔸 4. Husband's papers.
• Residence Card (front-back copy)
• Passport (copy)
• Ju minhyo (
• Working paper
• Job contract / Certificate of Employment
• Proof of income
• / or latest year tax documents
• Bank statement
• Letter of Guarantee as Form
🔸 5.Our papers (wife)
• Birth certificate (birth certificate) We were born in 1992. Can not request in English from the district. Must take Thai birth certificate to translate into English.
• T.14 / 1 household registration. This one can be requested in English from the district.
• Father's name change (Father's name on birth certificate does not match the household register) Translated into English
📌📌. All that came here to certify documents at the country's State Department. 📌📌
• Japanese translation of birth certificate, single certificate, household registration, change your father's name. These can be translated by yourself.
• Passport (real + copy)
• Ju minhyo (
• If already named → Use both named editions
• If not yet → Husband's use
• Our working paper (optional)
• Job Contracts / Employment Certificate, we have 100% remote working and income certification.
⏳ Timelines summary
• 31 October Petition with document submission
• November 20. There's a letter asking for more paperwork. It's not a bad thing for us.
• December 3, send additional documents as requested by New Kang, or write a letter to explain them.
• December 9 Visa issued
• December 12 Visa and Residence Card admission
So our whole process took less than a month and a half. 👍🏼
👉🏼 Our case, Newgang sent me a letter "Request more documents." 🥹
But clearly it's a review document, so it doesn't sound so scary. 🤣 According to the picture 4️⃣, we wrote a letter explaining why there is no Thai and Swedish marriage certificate instead, because there is no real one. The other is a tax document of the last year's husband, which is not a full year, actually secretly wanted to pinch the husband too, because we already knew that we had to use this one, but with laziness to get it, so we sent a copy of the last year instead. In case the fluke passed, but finally got to get the latest year to New Kong anyway. 😂
‼️ seems to end pretty, but we got a visa on condition. ‼️ They signed the recognition papers and promised that next year when the visa will file additional documents as a marriage certificate from our home country or the husband's. According to the picture 7️⃣, we have already signed the condition. Next year, we will have to prepare according to the contract 🙂 ↕️.
นอกจากเอกสารทั่วไปที่ต้องเตรียมแล้ว การมีทะเบียนบ้านญี่ปุ่น (住民票 หรือ Jūminhyō) ถือเป็นสิ่งสำคัญมากสำหรับขั้นตอนการเปลี่ยนวีซ่า เพราะทะเบียนบ้านนี้เป็นหลักฐานยืนยันที่อยู่และสถานะความสัมพันธ์ในญี่ปุ่นซึ่งเจ้าหน้าที่นิวกังให้ความสำคัญอย่างมาก จากประสบการณ์ตรง เราต้องไปขอสำเนาทะเบียนบ้านที่มีชื่อของทั้งสองฝ่ายแสดงพร้อมกัน เพื่อยืนยันว่าคู่สมรสอาศัยอยู่ร่วมกันจริง การมีทะเบียนบ้านที่ถูกต้องและเป็นปัจจุบันช่วยลดข้อสงสัยและเพิ่มโอกาสได้รับอนุมัติวีซ่าติดตามคู่สมรสได้รวดเร็วขึ้น หากยังไม่ได้จดทะเบียนคู่สมรสในญี่ปุ่น การเตรียมเอกสารเกี่ยวกับทะเบียนบ้านไทยพร้อมใบแปลเป็นภาษาญี่ปุ่น และสำเนาใบรับรองการสมรสจากประเทศต้นทางก็จะช่วยเสริมความน่าเชื่อถือได้ดี ในช่วงที่รอผลการพิจารณาวีซ่า ต้องระวังอย่างยิ่งไม่ให้ออกจากประเทศ เพราะจะถือว่าใบคำร้องขอเปลี่ยนวีซ่าเป็นโมฆะทันที สุดท้ายแนะนำให้เตรียมใจรับคำขอเอกสารเพิ่มเติมจากเจ้าหน้าที่ ซึ่งปกติไม่ใช่เรื่องแย่ เพียงแต่ต้องรวบรวมเอกสารที่ถูกต้อง เช่น รายงานสถานะรายได้หรือจดหมายอธิบายเหตุผลประกอบไปให้ครบถ้วน จะช่วยให้กระบวนการขอวีซ่าราบรื่นขึ้นมากค่ะ
