What visa should I get for my child?

Hi guys!

I am an Australian citizen and hold a Japanese spouse visa. I was reading that a child born in Japan to interracial parents can have the citizenship and passports from both countries at least till the age of 20-22. However, my husband does not want to do this and wants our future child to just have a Japanese passport (which is fine by me).

Once our child is born (in a couple more months) and is about a year old or so, I am hoping to return to Australia for 6 months or more for study before returning home to Japan.

So my question is, has anyone else had experiences travelling to their home countries for longer than 3 months with a child that has a different nationality passport than themselves? I'm doing some early research into what visa I should get for my child to enable them to stay with me in Australia for more than 3 months.

I couldn't find any information directly concerning this on the Australian Immigration/ Visa website, and the only conclusion I could make was that the Long-Stay e600 Visitor Visa (http://www.visabureau.com/australia/tourist-visas.aspx) would be my best bet. I will probably ask the embassy later when I renew my passport next year, but I am just wondering if any others have had the same or similar experiences.

Any advice and shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks :)

Since this question is about Australian visa policies, this is not really the best place to ask...

I understand that, but I am also asking about other people's experiences, if they've experienced something similar regardless of where they're from.

i don't know about australia, but i know in america, if you have a resident passport or green card, you go through a different set of lines at customs/immigration. if your child has a different visa than you, it could make things sticky when you are at the airport and trying to go through, because you would may actually need to be in opposite lines (especially if your husband is not there to take the child in with him, where i would assume they would have the same visa type). to be honest, if you are planning to have your child live with you in australia, it makes a lot more sense to get them a passport than some kind of temporary visa. if you did not plan to live in australia than i suppose only getting one passport is a fine option, but here i can't see what the harm would be to making it easier for yourself and your family by having your child on the same resident/national status as yourself when you are living abroad without your husband (correct me if i read this wrong).

all the people i know with international children here have two passports for their children, simply because it opens up more doors in the future and often makes things easier for traveling internationally (say, home for holidays). if your child in the future decides that they do not wish to stay in japan, it's much, much easier for them to go elsewhere if they have that other passport, and most people don't seem to want to deny their child that option. however, it's obviously up to you, but i would think for practical living purposes while you are abroad, it would be easier to get your child the second passport.

Thanks so much for your input Kay.
I agree with you, but my husband is adamant that our child only have a Japanese passport as he thinks that it might cause issues for me when returning to Japan if I am to use an Australian passport for our child.
If I remember correctly from when I went home last, citizens are allowed to use the 'foreigner entry' line at immigration in Australia, but I'm not sure about Japan when returning. I'll still ask the embassy when I go to renew my passport and I'll ask Japanese passport services about it too anyway, but I am thankful for your answer as your type of answer was what I was looking for! :)

actually, i think having different passports will make a bigger problem for you returning to japan than anything else. my coworker, whose children do not yet have both passports, just told me a story about carrying his two children in with him and waiting for an hour in the "japanese passport" line at narita. he is a permanent resident, and his wife is japanese. his children have japanese passports. but the immigration officials told him that while his CHILDREN could go through that line, HE could not, despite carrying them in the line. he was told to put them down and go into his own line. literally told to put his children down because he had to go in a different line and they were not allowed to be in THAT line with him. he said it was awful, and he argued with the immigration officials, but they wouldn't budge. if you don't want to encounter those issues coming back into japan, i would recommend having the same as your child when it comes to japanese passport status!

With all due respect to your husband's opinion, it is certainly making such an easy process most difficult by not allowing your child an Australian passport.

From personal experience, entering either Japan or Australia with my son who has both passports has been very easy and smooth. The staff have been accommodating given that I don't have a Japanese passport so a different experience to that of the above poster.
Coming into Australia is no problem as families are allowed to stay together regardless of nationality (at the airports I have used anyway).

As for visas for your child to stay longer than three months in Australia, check on the Australian Immigration website - plenty of visa information. Keep in mind there could be costs involved and quite possibly a lot of paperwork.

I agree with you, but my husband is adamant that our child only have a Japanese passport as he thinks that it might cause issues for me when returning to Japan if I am to use an Australian passport for our child.

His fears are unfounded. The only issue will be that he may have to take the child with him through the citizen line at Narita while you will have to go through the resident line. Other than that, he is actually making far more work for you guys in the long run.

if you don't want to encounter those issues coming back into japan, i would recommend having the same as your child when it comes to japanese passport status!

Yes, it is annoying that international families must split up, but the solution is for the mother to naturalize, not for the child to get an australian passport (which does nothing for them when reentering Japan).

I would suggest you also check the facebook group called Tokyo mothers group, You will find lot of moms who have similar situation

@yllwsmrf: Thanks for your reply, but I'll be travelling with the child alone, so my husband will not be able to carry the child with him, otherwise that's exactly what we'd do.

@TEB: From what you wrote, I'm gathering you used your child's Japanese passport then when travelling back to Australia while you obviously used your Australian one?
Sorry if I've misunderstood. Also, just a quick question, was it difficult to get your child's Aussie passport? I read that you have to apply for citizenship by decent first for the child- which looks costly and again a lot of paperwork. How was the entire process?

I read on the immigration website that if a child has an Australian passport, then that is the one they have to use when entering Australia as they're classified then as an Australian citizen. If that's the case then wouldn't I have to use the Australian passport for leaving and then returning to Japan as you're only supposed to travel on the one passport? I'm asking this as a lot of people have recently told me their kids with 2 passports have used the Japanese passport to leave Japan and return, but used the other passport to enter and leave the parent's home country. I thought this wasn't allowed... This is where I'm now getting confused and was one of my husband's original concerns.

If I have to use my child's Japanese passport to travel to Australia, the visa I linked to in my original post I think would be the best bet to stay longer than 6months. Yes...a lot of paper work xD I will ask the embassy and immigration later on anyway.

Thanks again everyone for your answers!

male from South East Asia, married to japanese (wife) with daughter. we obtained both nationalities passport for daughter.

registered daughter birth at city hall, obtained japanese nationality.

then registered at my birth country embassy, obtained another passport. registered daughter name in spelling that we wanted.
example 'Mary'.

using that passport as reference/proof of spelling to apply japanese passport, to get the name written correctly in romaji in japanese passport. so it's 'Mary' instead of 'Me-a-ri'. the japanese tend to katakanised the nameメアリー hence Meari. they will argue, just use the foreign passport with correct spelling as proof.

had travel overseas twice, with daughter using both japanese and my country passport.

exit and enter japan using japan passport. exit and enter my country using other passport. no problem whatsoever.
make sure you don't mixed up the passports during exit and enter.

having both passport enable your child to stay long period if required without having problem with visa.

I think we use his Australian passport when entering and leaving Australia, and his Japanese for both on the Japan side. I recall once being asked to show both in Japan for confirmation. Anyway, it has not caused any problems whatsoever. I have read countless times online that most countries have laws that state you must use the passport of that country if you have it. I don't know whether this is true or not but I have heard it enough to think there must be some truth in it.

As someone said above, the Tokyo mothers group Facebook page should be a good source of information.

We got his Aussie passport etc. in Australia as he was born here so no hassles at all. Getting his Japanese passport at the local Consulate-General was also no hassles. Just contact the Australian Embassy and they will provide you all the necessary information on how to obtain it.

@yllwsmrf: Thanks for your reply, but I'll be travelling with the child alone, so my husband will not be able to carry the child with him, otherwise that's exactly what we'd do.

Also not a problem. In this case your child just enters with you.

@TEB: From what you wrote, I'm gathering you used your child's Japanese passport then when travelling back to Australia while you obviously used your Australian one?

Yes, you are supposed to use her Australian passport when entering/leaving Australia, the Japanese one when entering/leaving Japan. My daughter has US/JP dual citizenship and we usually hand both passports over so the immigration officer knows what's going on, but they almost always hand back the non-relevant one saying that they don't need to see it.

I read on the immigration website that if a child has an Australian passport, then that is the one they have to use when entering Australia as they're classified then as an Australian citizen.

Yes, that is correct.

If that's the case then wouldn't I have to use the Australian passport for leaving and then returning to Japan as you're only supposed to travel on the one passport?

No, same rule apply for Japan. It may seem unituitive, but you are not supposed to "travel on one passport" if you are a dual citizen. And as TEB states, in many countries you are required to use the passport of the country you are entering/leaving if have citizenship of that country.

I'm asking this as a lot of people have recently told me their kids with 2 passports have used the Japanese passport to leave Japan and return, but used the other passport to enter and leave the parent's home country. I thought this wasn't allowed... This is where I'm now getting confused and was one of my husband's original concerns.

Just to reiterate, what they are telling you is normal procedure.

If I have to use my child's Japanese passport to travel to Australia, the visa I linked to in my original post I think would be the best bet to stay longer than 6months. Yes...a lot of paper work xD I will ask the embassy and immigration later on anyway.

Their most likely response will be to advise you to seek Australian citizenship for your child. Frankly, their is no reason to deprive you child of the opportunity and benefits of dual citizenship. The effort is minimal (and likely less than applying for a long term visa) and the benefits far outweigh the cost.