# Spouse visa



## solcita (Nov 29, 2014)

Hi!
I'm new in the forum, I've been living in Japan since April 2014. I came as a student and in March I will be changing my student visa to the Nikkei one (as I'm a Japanese descendant).

My husband is still living back home, however we got married here in Japan when he came to visit me this year. It was a long process because of where we are from (Argentina) and we had an entire investigation made on our relationship to prove we were a real couple even when living in different countries. It took almost 2 months but we are officially married.
What I think is a good thing, as we already went through an investigation in Japan, so I think the spouse visa process should be smooth.

So, my questions are:
- Can I get him the spouse visa before he comes? How long does it take? I assume it should be done through the Embassy back home...
- Or is it easier to make him enter with the tourist visa and then change it? 
- In case we do it once he comes, how long does it take to get it?

Thanx in advance for any answer you can give me

Glad I found you guys!

S.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

If he has to apply for a visa and is not able to travel to Japan on a visa waiver, he should (must actually) apply for the proper type of visa, in this case "Spouse, etc. of a permanent resident." The key will be that he has to submit a "Certificate of Eligibility" to the Japanese embassy or consulate where he applies for his visa, but it sounds like you've already navigated the process to make it relatively easy for him to get one.


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