COE processing times

@yuzu

Spouse of a Japanese (Dependent Visa)
1 year


@Mrs

I'm praying for you and the rest who are waiting 🙇‍♀️

I have applied for my COE (SSW) in the Mid of Jan and Still waiting

can you guys let me know anyone Who have received their COE who have applied in December or January this year 2024 ? How long will it take?

Hi all,

Submitted: January 9th
Additional Documents: NA
COE issued: March 22 2024
Days : 73 days.
Where : Tokyo
Type: Spouse of Japanese National

Firstly, to every single one of you waiting, thank you for your support. I will include you all in my thoughts everyday and hope that you all can get your COE without anymore dread than necessary!

I’m happy to include the details of my application to help others.

We have tried to get a COE for 15 months- first time there were complications.

My wife (48 years old) applied for my (34 years old) COE in January 2024. We married October 2023 (3 months before applying). I am a kiwi male, lived in Japan from 2014-2020, returned to NZ at the onset of covid and have been trying to return since January 2023. She has been to New Zealand twice, and has met my family and it was here we married.

Her application included

-many photographs of us together, dating back to 2014.
- photographs of her with me and my family
- photographs of her with me and her family
- many screenshots from our phone call history, chat messages with dates visible.
- photos of the house where we will live
- handwritten letter from herself about the length of our relationship, places we went, things we enjoy together.
- handwritten letters from her mother and her brother acknowledging me as her husband, confirming I have met them in numerous occasions.
- annual salary report for her income in Japan to show she can support me while I look for a job.
- marriage licence and marriage certificate, both original English and government issued translations from my country.

We used a specialist to apply for us. He said with all the above it should be no problem- and he was right! He expects me to receive a 1 year visa first, then a 2 year visa on first renewal, 3 year visa on second renewal and then we can apply for residency.

To all of you who have helped ease my mind by answering some of my (sometimes annoying and silly) questions, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your responses helped me to justify and accept those helpless feelings.

Thank you!

@ahhhhimmigration congrats to you

My husband went to the immigration office today and I was on a call with him throughout .....they told us that they sent a mail 💌 to our lawyer on 6th of this month but they didn't tell us what it was..... they just told us to contact our lawyer.

I pray it's what am thinking 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Final Update

Visa: Spouse of Japanese National
Applied: October 17th, 2023
Had to send additional documentation: October 20th, 2023
Bureau : Tokyo immigration
Status: Finally approved! - 145 days.
Approved: March 7th Issued: March 10th
Sent COE with documents to local embassy in America on March 12th via express usps and it arrived on March 13th.
Received Visa in my passport today March 22nd. It was mailed back to me via prepaid express usps March 20th. I leave for Japan on March 26th. :)
I hope everyone finally gets theirs soon too!

Hello guys, or should I add my experience here with the Tokyo Immigration Office, firstly, I am married to a Japanese woman for more than 13 years, and we have children. We lived in Japan for a while, and then we decided to return to my country to reside there, and after few of years of residing in My country. We decided to return to Japan, but as you know, I lost the residence permit that I had due to my stay abroad for a long time. My wife, through her family, submitted an application to obtain a a certificate, and they did. After 3 months had passed, we did not receive any response. I called them and it seemed that they were... They do not want anyone to contact them, and I told them that you are taking too long. Some people, depending on nationality they get it more faster and we already marry and have kids so they get angry quickly and rejected my COE . Now what can I do? Does he have the right to reject me and reason says we not sure marry it’s truth hhhhhh no joke. he talked with my wife when she called him. and she ask him to hurry up cuz kids must inter school over there. ( my kids also Japanese. nationality)

Does Japan Embassy check if the applicant has government or credit card loans in his home country?

Would it be a ground of visa denial if there's still a balance?

I'm just wondering. Still waiting for my COE.

Thanks!

@Curious

I don’t know about all visa/COE types, but for the COE I’m applying for (engineer/humanities), the subject of loans was never brought up when gathering my documents with my sponsor’s lawyer.

I don’t know if they check, but assuming they do, loans shouldn’t be an issue as long as you or your sponsor are earning enough to cover it (I hope for your sake that you’re not trying to move to Japan with unmanageable debt haha)

Maybe this a question you should ask an immigration lawyer if this detail of your personal circumstances is really worrying you.

(In any case, good luck with the wait! I hope you get the results soon)

How many (engineer/humanities) visa people currently waiting?

I submitted in December 2nd week from SEA. Yet its still not here. But two who submitted along with me from the UK and the US got their ones within 3 weeks for uk and around 2 months for the US person. They already left for japan too

T.T

@ Luftha

I'm from western europe and I've been waiting for an engineer/humanities COE for around 2 months. There's another person in my company (also from western europe and same COE) who has been waiting for 4 months. No news and no additional documents have been requested as of now for both of us.

I've heard that Immigration is pretty packed right now because April is the busiest month for new hires in Japan

If at least Immigration could give us a definite timeline for when to expect a response, it'd make the wait so much easier...

@Enha

Thank you. I'm applying for Spouse of a Japanese/Dependent visa.

I was just wondering if they will run a credit check on me. My loan is manageable tho. Nobody has asked a question about this nor experienced being asked about it.

I just want to be extra careful. :)

@ curious I think what they ask are your annual income, taxes ....and about the loan I think they will know. ..this people really dig into someone's life in their country 😃

My updates:
Visa: spouse of Japanese national
Status: 140 days still waiting
Tokyo immigration

So the immigration sent a letter to our lawyer requesting for some clarification on our paper work regarding my husband's annual income of which was provided to them.
The lawyer assured us that we shall get our results by this Friday from the Immigration. I hope we get the feedback as they have promised us. Wish you guys all the best

Seems like this week will also pass by with no COE like last week. Tomorrow will be 90 days …. anyone on the same timeline as me? It’s getting exhausting.

Applied date: 28th December 2023

Additional documents: NIL

Waiting days: 88 days …..

Applied office: Tokyo Immigration (Chiba Office)

Hoping for it to come at least before the golden week holidays. Very anxious everyday. Those who are waiting, let’s all hang in there!

Finally I have got CoE for my family

Application date for newborn: Oct 26th 2023 (supposed to receive physical copy)
Approved newborn's CoE: Feb 22nd 2024 (took 4 months)

Application date for spouse: Dec 22nd 2023 (supposed to receive digital copy on email)
Approved wife's CoE: Mar 27th 2024 (took 3 months)

@5yrsjp congratulations finally you can bring your family to jp...all the best ...

@ Nezuko19

Do you get your coe now?

Hello,

I have been waiting for my COE since early January (3 year visa to be an english teacher and I am from the US.) My fiancé is currently living here in Japan and I have been here on a tourist visa to stay with him. I was wondering if anyone had experience going to a Japanese consulate outside of your home country for their visa? Because I knew I would be here on a tourist visa to travel around for a bit I wrote on my COE I would be getting my visa in South Korea since it’s a shorter flight compared to the US. I checked with the consulate in South Korea and they said it would be okay but wanted to ask on here to see if anyone had done it or knew if it delayed the process of your COE.

CoE Update

COE Type: Engineer/Humanities/International services

Application date: 09 February 2024
Issue date: 28 march 2024
Duration: 48 days
Office: Tokyo

Idk why it went that fast but I guess I got lucky…
Hope everyone gonna get it asap too

Anybody who applied for ssw in 2024 and received ?? Please share your approved dates so that everyone could get an idea.

I’ve applied in Jan and still waiting. How long will it take for my coe?

Applied: Nov/7/2023
Visa : spouse
Status: still waiting
Duration: 5 months.

Yesterday the lawyer didn't call us ..I guess he didn't get any response from the Immigration. We are patiently waiting but all hope is lost.
It's now two years since my husband went back to Japan and it's our second time applying within that two years ...it's so frustrating 😫😫