Spouse visa

Dear all,

Firstly, please can I ask that no one judge me on my situation.
I would appreciate any help that can be offered.
I would also like to Note I'm British and from the UK.

In February 2017, I joined a Japanese dating site and met a Japanese National.
I decided to Book some flights in May/June to visit her, We got on very very well and also met her parents who were lovely. she said she wanted to come and visit me in October 2017, but she discovered at the end of June that she was pregnant. ( Yes I am the father )
We soon after decided that we should get married and prepared the necessary documents, for getting married.
On the 18th august 2017, I Went back to Japan and stayed with her family for 2 weeks, they were lovely and extremely supportive, we got married and all the documents were fine, ( Thank god ) We both have a marriage certificate.

Her parents also organised for us to visit a shrine to bless the child, it was all very official, all of the family gave us there blessing.

The next step is for me to get a spouse visa.

The question I have is that my partner is giving birth to our child around end of February 2018.
so time is of the essence.

can someone please confirm that the Spouse visa is the correct visa for me to apply for? does the fact I'm the biological partner of a Japanese National also mean I have to apply for another visa?

Any help would be appreciated, My partner has already started to complete the spouse visa application, but I was just wondering if that is anything else We should do in our situation?

thanks again,

First off: Congratulations!

To the best of my knowledge, you should be looking to obtain the 'Spouse or Child of Japanese Nationals'-visa.

I would recommend you (or your wife) to contact the immigration authorities if you have any questions or if you are unsure of anything, to make everything go as smoothly as possible.

What's there to judge? You got married, have a child on the way, and you both seem happy about it.

Spouse visa is what you'll want indeed. Good luck!

Thank you both very much for your help.

Sorry I had some bad experience on here before, that's why I was concerned I would be judged.

Appreciate your kind comments,

I have messaged my partner who will contact the authorities in Fukuoka next week.

Can I ask another question, sorry a little of topic.. but would you know how I go about getting a driving license in Japan? I have been driving in the UK for over 15 years and My partner told me I need to apply for a internal national driving license in the UK.. but some sites say I need to exchange my license in Japan for a Japanese license?

would you know?

thanks again

If you live in Japan you need to get a Japanese driving license. For some countries it is simply "exchanging" it. However "exchanging" isn't the right word, as you maintain your British driving license as well, and just get issued an additional Japanese one.
It depends on the country you are from, if you can simply "exchange" or need to do a test including driving test.

For a German driving license I could simply "exchange" it, as described on this page for an UK license. You need to make sure that you can proof that you have been residing in the UK for x months since you got the driving license. If you cannot proof this from your passport, get already now in the UK some official document from your city administration.

https://blog.ryanstenhouse.jp/swapping-your-uk-driving-license-for-a-j...

Enjoy your new life in Japan!

Congratulations.

Just so you know,

Yes, you need to apply for spouse visa @ 'Spouse or Child of Japanese Nationals'

There are two ways of applying :

1. http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/01.html
If you are outside Japan, via COE route.
Your partner/sponsor will need to apply for COE for Spouse Visa in Japan, and send the COE to you
once approved in order for you to apply for Spouse Visa at Japanese Embassy in UK.


2. http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/02.html
If you are /residing in Japan with temporary/visitor visa or others, you can apply for
Change of Status of Residence. To change whatever status/visa you have to Spouse Visa.
You get to stay in Japan while the application in process.

'tis also possible to apply for a visa directly, without having to obtain a CoE first.

First off congratulations, i hope you will have a pleasant future.

As for the driver's license :

If your license was issued in one of these countries;

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, or USA (only Maryland or Washington).

And you can prove residency in that country for a minimum of 3 months after license issuance you are not required to take either the written test or road test to convert your license.

All you need to do is take an eye exam and fill out some paperwork.

Thank you all so much for your help on this driving licence question.

Going back to the question on the spouse visa, my partner called the immigration office in Kagoshima and they have explained all that is required. She is preparing this now. The only thing I need to do which they require is the marriage certificate from the UK? I'm a little confused as to why they need this since we got married in Japan and Japan issued this to me.
Any ideas?

You need to proof you are married by law also in your country. Standard rule many countries apply.
You need to go to your city hall in your place and registered your marriage by law.

this to prevent double marriage

The City hall in the UK came back to me and told me they cannot issue a marriage certificate to me as the wedding took place in Japan, so not sure what I'm meant to be asking for? any ideas of the form that I need to ask for?

thanks for your help

"City hall in the UK came back to me and told me ...."
In this case your Embassy Located in Tokyo can help you.It is better if you talk with them Directly.However
congratulations on your New Life.But never give any pain to your J spouse.Only for her,you get a new Life.
I wish:Only Death can apart you From your love one.If your bonding is solid,then never think twice for Spouse visa.In this earth,nobody can apart you From your love one.

Forget about the CoE and apply for a visa directly at the Japanese Embassy in London. Note in particular that they do not require a UK-issued marriage certificate.

http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/index_000074.html

this to prevent double marriage

That is the purpose of the certificate of no impediment you need to submit during the marriage registration procedure.

The City hall in the UK came back to me and told me they cannot issue a marriage certificate to me as the wedding took place in Japan, so not sure what I'm meant to be asking for? any ideas of the form that I need to ask for?

thanks for your help

Thanks guys and sorry for the double post.

the CNI was already used during the marriage process and was accepted.

That's why it doesn't make any sense that they are asking for a UK certificate. Either your wife misunderstood, or they just don't know what they're doing. Don't waste your time talking with them, just go through the embassy directly.

Thank you so much, Ill do that.

I think my wife is going to call them again tomorrow, to clarify.

I spoke with her just now and she has one concern, it says she needs to be a sponsor for me, but as she is pregnant she has had some time of work due to morning sickness ect.

if she was to quit her job, she cannot prove that she works, this might cause problems for the visa

I think some countries have that certificate though? I know that as a US citizen who got married in Japan to a Japanese, I don't have any form of marriage certificate or even acceptance certificate from the US, but the immigration form for applying for the spouse status asked for it. We just told them "we don't have one because the US doesn't issue one" and it wasn't a problem. I remember reading that some countries require an overseas marriage to also be registered in the home country to be valid, which is probably what this is referring to. It shouldn't be a problem to just tell them you don't have it because your Japanese certificate IS your marriage certificate.

Good luck and congrats!

Thank you so much, my wife is going to bed now but she will call them tomorrow and start getting all documents together.