Inviting Family from Overseas to Japan
If you want to invite your spouse, children, or others living overseas to Japan and live together, please check the residence status and visa required based on your own residence status and your relationship with your family member.
If you want to invite your spouse, children, or others living overseas to Japan and live together, please check the residence status and visa required based on your own residence status and your relationship with your family member.
Who, and for what purpose, are you inviting
Please check based on your own residence status and your relationship with your family member.
Spouse / child
- Under certain residence statuses, you may be able to invite a dependent spouse or child under Dependent status or similar
- Not all residence statuses allow this
Parents and others
- Dependent status is not a general system for having a parent stay long-term
- Some special provisions exist for accompanying parents for certain highly skilled foreign professionals and similar categories
Short-term travel / family visit
- A different procedure, such as Temporary Visitor status
- Whether a visa exemption applies and similar details differ by country or region
Inviting a spouse or child
Foreign nationals living in Japan under certain residence statuses (zairyu shikaku) may be able to invite a dependent spouse or child under a residence status such as "Dependent" (kazoku tairyu).
However, not all residence statuses allow the use of Dependent status.
Who can you invite?
"Dependent" status is basically for a spouse or child who receives support from you.
It is not a general system for having a parent overseas stay long-term.
Some special provisions exist for accompanying parents for certain highly skilled foreign professionals and similar categories.
The main flow until arriving in Japan
Depending on the situation, the flow may be:
- Applying in Japan for a Certificate of Eligibility (zairyu shikaku nintei shomeisho)
- Your family member overseas applying for a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate-general
- Entering Japan
The necessary procedures differ depending on your family member's nationality, residence status, and similar factors.
Required documents
In general, the following may be required:
- Documents proving the family relationship
- Documents regarding the income and occupation of the person providing support
- A Certificate of Residence (juminhyo), and similar
A Japanese translation may also be required for foreign-language documents.
Wanting to invite a relative for a short stay
If you want to invite a parent, sibling, or similar relative for a short stay for travel or a family visit, this becomes a different procedure, such as "Temporary Visitor" (tanki tairyu) status.
Whether a visa exemption applies and similar details differ by country or region.
When you are not sure
If it is difficult to determine who you can invite under your own residence status, please check with a Regional Immigration Services Bureau, the Foreign Residents' General Information Center, or similar.
What you can check next
- The Basics of Residence Status and the Residence Card
- Temporarily Leaving Japan, and Re-entry
- Getting Married in Japan
- When Your Baby Is Born
Main places to check
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Japanese embassies and consulates-general