Spouse Visa Renewal Japan 2026: 7 Documents, No Questionnaire, Fees

Checked on 21 September 2026 against the Immigration Services Agency’s document list for “Spouse or Child of Japanese National”, its page on extension of period of stay, and its Guidelines for Change of Status and Extension of Period of Stay (revised June 2026).

What changes: the worry about “do I write the questionnaire again?” and “is my income enough?” goes away, and renewal becomes a trip to the city office for three certificates, three months before the deadline. You also find out today whether you are on the right side of the October fee rise.

Your residence card expires in January. You ask your husband how renewal works. “You did it before, didn’t you? Same thing, surely.” Last time you paid a scrivener. You handed over stacks of photos of the two of you and wrote pages about how you met. The thought of doing that again is exhausting. Your Japanese spouse cannot help for a simple reason: they have never renewed a visa in their life.

What is spouse visa renewal? A different, lighter procedure than the one you did when you married

Spouse visa renewal is the procedure by which someone holding the status “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” gets their period of stay extended while keeping that status. At immigration it is called “application for extension of period of stay”, and that is the name you will hear at the counter.

What you did when you married was something else. If you came from abroad, it was an application for a Certificate of Eligibility. If you switched from a student or work status, it was a change of status. Renewal is the third procedure, and the lightest of the three. Mix them up and you will collect documents you do not need.

This article is about people married to a Japanese national. If your spouse is a permanent resident (“Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident”), the document list is slightly different; check the separate ISA page.

When can you renew? From three months before expiry. File late and the safety margin disappears

If your period of stay is six months or longer, you can apply from roughly three months before the expiry date. Standard processing is two weeks to one month. As long as you have applied by the expiry date, you may stay in Japan until the result comes, for up to two months (the special period).

Put the other way: what has to be in time is the application, not the approval. And on the expiry date itself, online filing is closed; that day the only route is the immigration counter. The timeline of three months, the last day and the special period is drawn in the basic visa renewal guide.

Spouse visa renewal documents: seven. No questionnaire, no couple photos

The ISA lists seven items for renewal of “Spouse or Child of Japanese National”.

Most people notice it here. There is no questionnaire. No photos of the two of you. No marriage certificate from your home country. Those three are on the lists for the Certificate of Eligibility and for change of status. They are not on the renewal list. You do not write the story of how you met a second time.

In practice you visit two offices. Your spouse’s honseki city office for the family register, and your own city office for the residence record and the tax certificates. If the honseki is far away, the family register can be ordered by post. Every certificate must be within three months of issue, so get them just before you file. A copy from six months ago is useless.

One important thing about proving income. The ISA guidelines say the ability to make an independent living is “sufficient if recognised at the household level”. If your own income is small but the household lives on your spouse’s income, that is fine. The reverse also holds: if you are the earner, you submit your own tax certificates.

There is also something not on the list that you show at the counter: proof of health insurance (now the Myna Portal eligibility screen or the eligibility certificate). The guidelines state that failing to show it does not lead to refusal. But it is where unpaid National Health Insurance becomes visible.

How much does spouse visa renewal cost? 6,000 yen now. From 1 October it depends on the years granted

6,000 yen when the extension is granted, or 5,500 yen if you file online. Nothing is paid at filing. Nothing is paid if refused.

But the amount changes on 1 October 2026. Until now it depended only on the type of procedure. From October it depends on the period of stay that is granted. For the periods a spouse typically receives:

The more years you get, the more you pay. What counts is the date the application is accepted, not the date of approval. Accepted by 30 September, approved in October: still 6,000 yen.

So who makes it in time? Renewal opens about three months before expiry, so only people whose residence card expires on or before 30 December 2026. If your expiry is later, you cannot file at today’s fee. The full table and the new reduction rules are in the fee increase guide.

How many years do you get? 5, 3, 1 or 6 months. Criteria unpublished, factors published

The periods of stay for “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” are 5 years, 3 years, 1 year and 6 months (Immigration Act enforcement regulations). One year at first, three on renewal, is the pattern you hear about, but the criteria for which period you get are not published. Any article that states “the trick to getting three years” has no basis for it.

What is published is what the examiner looks at. The ISA’s Guidelines for Change of Status and Extension of Period of Stay (revised June 2026) list eight factors. In a reader’s words, the ones that matter for a spouse:

• A real marriage (a required condition). A marriage registration on its own is not enough.
• You have actually been living as a spouse in Japan. There is a note here: a long absence on a re-entry permit counts against you unless there was a good reason. If you spent half a year in your home country, be ready to explain why.
• Good conduct.
• A household that supports itself. Judged per household, not per person.
• If you work, lawful employment conditions. The guidelines add that a violation is usually not the worker’s fault and is weighed accordingly.
• Tax and insurance premiums paid. Large or long-running arrears count against you when serious, and National Health Insurance premiums are treated the same way. The June 2026 revision added that the ISA may decide on the basis of payment records supplied by other agencies. Assume the offices talk to each other.
• Immigration notifications done. Address changes, changes to residence card details, and so on.

Of these eight, only three can be moved by you in the three months before renewal. Clear residence tax and National Health Insurance arrears (if you cannot pay, arrange instalments and keep the record). Be able to explain any long absence in one sentence. Complete any outstanding address notification. All three can be done today.

Can you renew a spouse visa online? Yes. The dividing line is the My Number Card

Yes. You can file online yourself. You need a My Number Card and a smartphone with the Myna Portal app. Without the card, online filing does not exist for you.

The fee is only 500 yen lower. The real difference is not going to the immigration office. Documents are scanned and uploaded, so the order is: get the family register and tax certificates on paper, then scan them. How to register for online filing, and what cannot be done online (permanent residence, residence card validity renewal, and the expiry date itself), is covered in the basic visa renewal guide.

Can you renew while living apart or during divorce talks? You can apply. You need a written explanation

This part is written plainly. You can apply. But the required condition for renewal is that you are living as the spouse of a Japanese national. The Supreme Court ruled on 17 October 2002 that a marriage which legally continues but has lost its substance does not count as that activity. A registration alone is not enough.

So if you live apart, attach a document explaining why. A work posting, caring for a parent, a child’s school: all are reasons. If divorce talks or mediation are under way, say so rather than hide it. Being found out later is far heavier than saying it now.

If a divorce or death of the spouse occurs, separately from renewal you must notify immigration within 14 days. And six months or more without the activity of a spouse makes the status revocable, unless there is a good reason such as ongoing mediation or fleeing domestic violence. How the six months are counted, and the four accepted reasons, are in the spouse visa and divorce guide.

What do you write as the “reason for extension”? One sentence

The form has a field for the reason for extension. It is not a long field. “To continue living in Japan with my Japanese spouse” is enough. Add “and to raise our child” if you have one. How you met is not asked at renewal. That belongs in the questionnaire, and the questionnaire is not part of renewal.

For the form itself, the ISA publishes an official filled-in sample as a PDF. Open that before any “how to fill in” article.

If it is refused: no fee, and you can ask why

No fee is charged on refusal. After the notice, you can ask the immigration office for the reason. Most are missing documents or one of the eight factors above. You are given a departure preparation period, during which you decide whether to reapply or change to another status. How to ask, and the order of what follows, is in the guide to a refused renewal.

Where do you stand?

1. Your card expires on or before 30 December 2026: get the family register, residence record and tax certificates this week. Accepted by 30 September, it is 6,000 yen; in October, three years costs 56,000 yen or more.
2. Your expiry is later: rushing does not help; today’s fee is closed to you. Plan to file three months before expiry, and clear any arrears before that month.
3. Living apart or in divorce talks: apply anyway. Attach a one-page explanation. If the divorce is finalised, notify immigration within 14 days.
4. You spent a long time in your home country last year: have the reason ready in one sentence – care, childbirth, illness. If there was none, say so honestly.

FAQ

Q. Is the questionnaire needed for spouse visa renewal?

No. The questionnaire and couple snapshots are on the lists for the Certificate of Eligibility and change of status, not on the renewal list.

Q. When can I apply to renew my spouse visa?

From about three months before expiry, if your period of stay is six months or longer. Once you have applied, you can stay up to two months past expiry while waiting.

Q. How much does spouse visa renewal cost?

6,000 yen when granted, 5,500 online. From 1 October 2026 it depends on the years granted: 27,000 to 33,000 yen for one year, 56,000 to 64,000 for three. Accepted by 30 September, today’s fee applies.

Q. What are the conditions for getting three years?

Not published. The periods are 5 years, 3, 1 and 6 months; only the eight factors the examiner considers (a real marriage, household livelihood, tax and premium payment, notifications) are public.

Q. Who writes the letter of guarantee?

Your Japanese spouse living in Japan. There is an official form, with an English version.

Q. Can I renew if my own income is low?

Livelihood is judged per household. If the household lives on your spouse’s income, submit your spouse’s tax certificates.

Q. Can I renew while separated from my spouse?

You can apply. A real marriage is a required condition, so attach a written explanation of why you live apart, and mention any divorce proceedings.

Summary

Spouse visa renewal is lighter than the procedure you did when you married. Seven documents; no questionnaire, no couple photos. Two office visits: the family register, then the residence record and tax certificates. Everything within three months of issue.

6,000 yen now; from 1 October it depends on the years granted. If your card expires by 30 December, filing in September keeps today’s fee. The criteria for how many years are unpublished; of the eight published factors, the three in your hands are arrears, the reason for any long absence, and notifications. Finish those three before the three-month window opens.

Sources (official): ISA, documents for “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” (applicant is the spouse) / ISA, application for extension of period of stay / ISA, Guidelines for Change of Status of Residence and Extension of Period of Stay. Fees and procedures checked on 21 September 2026. Confirm on the official pages before you file.

Related guides

• If you want to know when you can file your renewal and how online filing works→Visa Renewal in Japan: Timing, Documents and the 1 October Fee Rise
• If you want to know what happens to your status after a divorce→Spouse Visa and Divorce Japan 2026: Within 14 Days, Stay 6 Months
• If you want the October fee table for every status→Japan Visa Fee Increase 2026: Permanent Residence Now 200,000 Yen