RetireJapan

In principle, applicants should submit an application with a Certificate of Eligibility.
However, in cases where it is difficult to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility, such as cases where the Japanese spouse, parent or any other relative is not living in Japan, please contact the visa desk in advance to check whether it may be possible to apply without a Certificate of Eligibility.

captainspoke wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2024 10:08 pm Did you get married here--registering the marriage at a city office as would normally happen? I've heard that simplifies/streamlines the spouse visa.

That's the only bit that I can offer--good luck!

kuma wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2024 10:51 pm I applied for a spouse visa at the Japanese Embassy in London (UK) in 2017.

At that time there was the option to apply without a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE). It seemed that applicants were being steered towards the CoE route but in my circumstances it was less burdensome to meet the embassy’s documentation requirements for the non-CoE route.

Looking at the London embassy’s website now the wording has changed to make the non-CoE route an exception requiring dialogue with the embassy:

In principle, applicants should submit an application with a Certificate of Eligibility.
However, in cases where it is difficult to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility, such as cases where the Japanese spouse, parent or any other relative is not living in Japan, please contact the visa desk in advance to check whether it may be possible to apply without a Certificate of Eligibility.

https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/ ... 00074.html

Should similar rules/processes apply in your location, having dialogue with the Japanese Consulate in your location about the non-CoE route may be worthwhile, as it sounds like you meet the (London, March 2024) criteria for consideration for the non-CoE route since both you and your spouse currently reside outside Japan.

(I appreciate you mention they haven’t given definitive answers to date, but with a specific question about the possibility of applying without a CoE, they may yet provide a specific answer, unless it is on this specific point they have already failed you!)

Hopefully there are others on the forum who have been through the process more recently who can reply on this thread.

Yatsushiro2 wrote: ↑[/color]8 user_id=3768]

We will ask about the non-CoE route for sure. It really does feel more and more like it is not possible for us to apply for a CoE when we are both living in Canada. I should note that our local Consolate's default response to everything is to call Immigration in Japan. The local staff really have no interest in being helpful. They've truly embraced the Canadian work ethic and exemplify the typical level of service in Canada.

Tsumitate Wrestler wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 12:59 am

Yatsushiro2 wrote: ↑[/color]8 user_id=3768]

We will ask about the non-CoE route for sure. It really does feel more and more like it is not possible for us to apply for a CoE when we are both living in Canada. I should note that our local Consolate's default response to everything is to call Immigration in Japan. The local staff really have no interest in being helpful. They've truly embraced the Canadian work ethic and exemplify the typical level of service in Canada.

This seems like the most logical course of action. Did you follow their advice? They are not equipped to give this level of immigration advice any more than the Canadian consulate in Tokyo is to perspective immigrants. It is not their main function.

Tkydon wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 2:19 am You don't need to go the Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) route for a Spouse Visa, though you can if you want to...
https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/vis ... isa10.html

"A visa application for this type of visa could be made without COE. However, the applicant will be required to submit a large amount of verification documents and it could take a long time (several months) to process."

(Like, they are not the same docs as you have to submit and duration for the CoE ??? but you won't be able to officially work until you get your Spouse Visa.)

The CoE is required for other types of visa applications, such as Student Visa, Highly Skilled Worker Visa and Working Visa applications, etc..

As a Spouse of a Japanese National and eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, you can travel to Japan on the Visa Waiver and get permission to stay for 90 Days (3 months).

You can then go to immigration, and submit your application for the Spouse Visa.

Make sure you bring all the necessary docs and then some, so that you have everything you need to submit the application.

Once you have a place to live, you can Register Moving-In at the local City Hall, and start paying Health Insurance and Pension Premiums.

https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/vis ... ovisa.html
Canadians are not entitled to extend their Permission to Stay in country (no Note #8), but can do so by leaving Japan and re-entering Japan on a new Visa Waiver for another 90 Days (another 3 months, total 6 months), without issue. (and probably again, if necesssary...)
Your Passport should be stamped with 'Application in Process', but if you need to, you can go on a quick trip and come back...

If all the paperwork is in order, your Spouse Visa should be granted within 90 days ("several months" above), and you can just go to the local Immigration Office to collect the Zairu Card, without having to leave the country.

You can register for the Automated Gates at the same time.
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/publications/ ... html?hl=en