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Bringing Your Family Members to Japan

I. If you bring your family to Japan with a dependent visa to stay in Japan more than 90 days: 

If international researcher already in Japan wishes to bring his/her family members to Japan, he/she must gather all required documents and apply for a Certificate of Eligibility.
 
Required Documents:
  1. Application for Certificate of Eligibility  [To download the application form, go to http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/01-format.html
  2. Documentation (any of family register, marriage certificate, or birth certificate) showing the relationship of the family member(s) to the researcher (must attach a translation in English or Japanese)
  3. Copy of the researcher's Residence card and passport
  4. Researcher’s employment certificate
  5. Documentation showing the researcher’s ability to support a family   
  6. A photograph of researcher’s family (4 cm × 3 cm; taken within six months of the application date)
  7. Return envelope (with ¥392-postage affixed)
 
These required documents may be changed or added by Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice. Please make sure to confirm all required document at the following URL before you apply. 
 
Reference: Immigration Bureau of Japan,” Application for Certificate of Eligibility”
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/01.html
 
Important: Family member(s) who are going to live in Japan more than 3 months has to join health insurance and pension. If you join national health insurance and national pension, these procedures must be completed at municipal office where you reside within 14 days after the family member(s) arrives in Japan.
 

II. If you bring your family to Japan with a short-term stay visa (visiting relatives or acquaintances) to stay in Japan less than 90 days:

 
Apart from nationals and citizen of those countries or regions which have the Visa Exemption Arrangement with Japan, the short-term stay visa (visiting relatives or acquaintances) is required for your family to stay in Japan even it is less than 90 days. A visa applicant (it means your family) has to apply for the short-term stay visa (visiting relatives or acquaintances) *with all necessary documents at Japanese embassy or consulate where you reside. As a guarantor, you need to prepare necessary document as well and send them to the visa applicant by post. 
*Short-term stay visa (Visiting relatives or acquaintances) is a visa for an applicant who has a purpose to come to Japan to visit his/her relatives or acquaintances for short-term. (If a visa applicant comes to Japan for sightseeing, but stay at the relative’s or friend’s house, he/she can apply for this visa type.) In this visa category, “relative” indicates a spouse who is in Japan and in the degree of consanguinity and affinity 3, as well as the relative in-law.  
 
Required documents for short-term stay differ depending on the visa applicant’s nationality. Also, these documents may be changed or added by Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
Please make sure to check the following URL to confirm the information before you apply. 
 
Reference: Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Short-Term Stay”
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
 
Note: A maximum period of short-term stay visa is 90 days. There are some cases that actual granted period of stay is less than 90 days. 
 

Created: March 30, 2010 / Last modified:December 21, 2016