CoE for Spouse visa, while in Japan?

Hello all, hopefully someone has had a similar experience, I would be happy to hear your advide.

My husband and I applied for my CoE at the beginning of June. We could choose between the Change of Status and the proper CoE procedure, the latter being recommended by Immigration, so we went for that hoping the procedure would last less then three months, so I could then recieve it here, without going back to my home country and applying to the embassy.

Looks like my "tourist visa" will likely expire before the CoE is ready and I understand I have a couple of options, one being making the change of status now.

I understand that if I do this my CoE application will be cancelled. My question is, would I need to wait another 3 months, and file the complete change of residence documentation, even though it is the same with the CoE application? Or would they consider "replacing it"?

The other options are:

1. Going back to my country and waiting for CoE there, going to the embassy. (very pricey)

2. Leaving Japan once, for a short trip, entering again on tourist visa and waiting for CoE. (My country has the tourist visa waiver with Japan, so perhaps this is a little less pricier option than going back to my home country)

When you mentioned Spouse Visa, it mean your husband is Japanese?

As I understood COE is only applicable if you plan to do the Visa from abroad/not in Japan, as you will need to bring your COE to nearest Japanese embassy in your country and make Spouse Visa application. Once Visa approved, you will fly into Japan and show your visa & COE to the immigration at airport, where they will give you the actual Spouse Visa with Resident card.

For Visa application inside Japan, it should be Change of Status (from Temporary/Tourist Visa to Spouse Visa).

It is normal for Immigration to advise to through COE process, especially to those who enter Japan using temporary/tourist visa. This is because they/Immigration think that you will go back to your country. But Change of Status will be more economically and faster?(if you don't plan to go back to your country anytime soon).

Be advise that COE process can take from 1-3 months, 3 months being standard period.

Thanx for your reply.

Yes, my husband is Japanese.

Exactly, what you describe is the proper procedure, I think until 2 years ago it was the only way to get your CoE -outside, in an Embassy. I made sure to ask, the person in Immigration said: if you are in Japan when your CoE is approved, please come here. Then, you apply for change of residence and they process your "visa" on the spot. This is what they told us, so we decided to go this way. They also recommended it as the more regular way to go, compared to the change of status, so I thought it may as well be faster to do it the regular way.

Also, even though I came with an idea not to leave, I have elderly parents so, I also wanted to have the possibility to travel in case of emergency.

Later, I asked once more, the woman who accepted my documents what would it mean if I didnt recieve the CoE by the time my tourist visa expired, she said herself, you can go to Korea and come back.

Eather way, I am now thinking a change of status would have been less troublesome.

Do you know are the processing times for a change of status of residence?

I was in the same situation too. I got married with Japanese husband and apply my COE there in Tokyo, now my tourist visa has expired, I'm back to my country living separately with my husband.
it has been almost 2 weeks waiting for my COE I guess it really takes 3 months..

so what I do is going there again as tourist visa.. just to be with my husband and it is very costly for travel ..

I wish I can share some good news but yes I haven't got any result yet, not even able to apply for my Spuse visa.

be patient I guess

For change of status they give you the same 1-3 month spiel, but mine was processed within a week. But I'm an American, I've lived in Japan for a long time on a valid work visa, and my husband and I have been together for a long time and could prove it. I think each situation is treated individually, so even if mine only took a week, yours could take more or less time.

They also recommended it as the more regular way to go, compared to the change of status, so I thought it may as well be faster to do it the regular way.

That's the boiler plate response, but generally it is better if you apply for a change of status instead. The process and timeframe are almost exactly the same or faster than applying for a COE plus you can stay in country until you get an answer. If you really do not have the budget to leave and come back then you may want to reconsider your COE and apply for a change of status instead. In all likelihood this will cause the clock to reset to zero, but you can stay in Japan even if your current visa expires.

I got the CoE in a little less than two months in busy Shinagawa. I may be wrong, but I had the feeling that the officers took in consideration the fact that I was already in Japan. I guess it also helped that our application was complete and well prepared from start without any returns. The change of residence would have been less stressful, and would have spared me from planning unnecessary trips just in case, but this ended up being completely fine too.

I was in the same situation too. I got married with Japanese husband and apply my COE there in Tokyo, now my tourist visa has expired, I'm back to my country living separately with my husband.
it has been almost 2 weeks waiting for my COE I guess it really takes 3 months..

so what I do is going there again as tourist visa.. just to be with my husband and it is very costly for travel ..

I wish I can share some good news but yes I haven't got any result yet, not even able to apply for my Spuse visa.

be patient I guess

If you're already in Japan, you should really apply for a change of status, not for a CoE. If you go to Immigration after your CoE is issued, what they will do is change your status, exactly as if you had applief for it in the first place.

My wife is an assistant Language Teacher and it is now one month and two days since she applied for the COE. I know that the standard time is one to three months that's what they told her. I wish I could get it withing another week because I really miss my wife. It is very expensive to travel to Japan from Jamaica therefore it makes no sense to get the visitor visa.

Persons are saying that once you are in Japan you can change your status when you receive your COE but I was told otherwise by the Japan Embassy in Jamaica. They told me that if I take the visitor visa I will still have to return to Jamaica and apply for the long term stay visa with the COE. Since it is almost us$3000 for the round trip we decided to just wait.

Surprisingly the Japanese Embassies often give incorrect advice regarding the differences between visas and change of status of residence. When I enquired with an embassy about it I was told that it's because they prefer you do things the "proper" way by going through them, presumably as opposed to going around their offices to immigration in Japan.

Anyway, take their advice with a grain of salt, they are likely trying to steer you into their system even if there are better options out there for you.

If I know that I would go there already. So sad. It is best if I wait on it because one month past already. The were asking when I am coming but they did not tell her that I could change my status when I get the COE when I get it. The reason why I would just wait on it is because without it I cannot buy a one way ticket which is cheaper.

That's a good point about the cost of tickets, and it shows that there are definitely other issues to consider beyond where to do the visa processing.

Surprisingly the Japanese Embassies often give incorrect advice regarding the differences between visas and change of status of residence. When I enquired with an embassy about it I was told that it's because they prefer you do things the "proper" way by going through them, presumably as opposed to going around their offices to immigration in Japan.

The Japanese embassies have very little leeway, they just do as they are instructed by the Japanese government. And since the official policy of the Japanese government is that you can change your status from Temporary Visitor some something else only under "extenuating circumstances", they probably instruct the embassies to flat out say it's impossible.

Yes, that is part of the point I was trying to make. Basically be aware that the "official advice" is not necessarily correct.

Thanks for the information. I got my COE yesterday thats exactly one month and one week. Thank God.I really miss my wife and now I am happy.