Japan Spouse Visa

Last verified June 14, 2026 against official ISA/MOFA sources

Japan spouse visa:
Philippines

Country-specific steps

Country guides cover the parts that depend on your nationality: the documents, legalisations, and consular steps. For some countries this work begins before the COE. For the overall process and the COE itself, start with the main guide.

Processing time at the consulate

The Japanese visa takes about 5 business days after the COE. Budget months for the Philippine documents: the PSA certificates, the DFA apostille, and the Report of Marriage annotation.

Main mission

Marriage documents: the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo or the Consulate General in Osaka. The visa: a Japanese mission with jurisdiction over where you live.

Where to apply

Apply at the mission with jurisdiction over your residential address — official embassy site .

General documents

  • Valid passport (original).
  • Completed and signed Japan Visa Application Form (fill every field; write "N/A" where it does not apply).
  • One recent passport photo to the mission's specification.
  • Certificate of Eligibility (COE): original or printed copy.

Philippines-specific documents

  • DFA-apostilled, PSA-issued birth certificate.
  • DFA-apostilled, PSA-issued CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage), used to obtain the LCCM. It is valid for six months, and its details must match the birth certificate.
  • Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (LCCM) from the Philippine mission. The Japanese city office requires it to register a marriage in Japan.
  • Report of Marriage (ROM), filed with the Philippine mission within one year of the wedding.
  • Applicants aged 18 to 25 also submit an Affidavit of Parental Consent (ages 18 to 20) or Parental Advice (ages 21 to 25).
  • A previously married applicant submits the apostilled PSA marriage record, a Philippine court's Judicial Recognition of the Foreign Divorce with its Certificate of Finality, and the PSA Advisory on Marriages.
  • Pre-entry tuberculosis screening (J-PETS): nationals of the Philippines applying for a status over three months, including the spouse visa, must submit a tuberculosis-clearance certificate at the Certificate of Eligibility stage. It has been mandatory for the Philippines since June 23, 2025, is done at a designated panel clinic, and is valid 180 days from the chest X-ray.

Document authentication

  • PSA civil documents (birth certificate, CENOMAR, marriage record) must be apostilled by the Philippine DFA.
  • Check that names and dates match exactly across every PSA document; a mismatch causes rejection.
  • The Japanese-side documents for the spouse visa need no apostille.

Submitting your application

  • Order the PSA documents and the DFA apostille early; obtaining them from the Philippines takes time.
  • Apply for the LCCM at the Philippine Embassy or Consulate, in person by appointment or by mail. If a party cannot appear, a Japanese notary must notarize the forms.
  • Register the marriage at the Japanese city office using the LCCM. The marriage then appears on the Japanese spouse's koseki.
  • File the Report of Marriage with the Philippine mission within one year.
  • Apply for the COE in Japan, then apply for the visa at the Japanese mission with jurisdiction over your residence.

Expert tips

  • Do not request the CENOMAR too early. It expires after six months, and an expired one means repeating that step.
  • You do not need the PSA-annotated marriage certificate before filing the COE. The koseki and the city office's acceptance certificate prove the marriage in the meantime.
  • Confirm whether the Tokyo Embassy or the Osaka Consulate covers your prefecture before booking an appointment.
  • Keep several copies of the city-hall marriage certificate; the Report of Marriage asks for the original plus copies.
  • Marrying in the Philippines instead is also an option. You then report the foreign marriage to a Japanese authority within three months so it reaches the koseki.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the six-month CENOMAR validity lapse before the LCCM is issued.
  • Skipping the DFA apostille on PSA documents.
  • Missing the one-year deadline to file the Report of Marriage.
  • Waiting for the slow PSA marriage copy before starting the COE, when the koseki already proves the marriage.
  • Going to the wrong Philippine mission for your prefecture.

Translations: Provide a Japanese translation for any Philippine document not already in Japanese. You or your spouse may translate it; no certification is required for the Japanese spouse visa.

Sources