Why a Delayed Marriage Registration Can Raise Red Flags in Japan’s Spouse Visa Applications#

For an international couple to live together in Japan, one partner must obtain a “Spouse or Child of a Japanese National” status of residence, commonly known as a spouse visa. The application process for this visa involves strict scrutiny by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA). The ISA’s primary concerns are whether the marriage is genuine and not a sham, and whether the couple can lead a stable and continuous life in Japan.

Among the many documents submitted to prove the reality of the marital relationship, the timing of the marriage registration can sometimes become a point of contention. Cases where a long time has passed between the start of the relationship and the submission of the marriage notification, or where the registration occurred just before the visa application, can raise doubts about the authenticity of the marriage. This article provides an objective explanation of why this is the case.

The Core of the Immigration Review: “Authenticity of the Marriage”#

One of the main objectives of the ISA’s review process for spouse visas is to prevent marriages of convenience, also known as sham marriages, which are entered into solely for the purpose of obtaining a status of residence. To this end, immigration officers meticulously evaluate whether the couple has a genuine emotional bond and the intention to live a shared life as a married couple according to common societal standards.

The “authenticity of the marriage” cannot be proven by the legal fact of marriage alone. It is assessed comprehensively, taking into account various factors such as the history of the relationship, the content and frequency of communication during their courtship, introductions to each other’s families, and evidence of cohabitation. Officers seek to understand the true nature of the couple’s relationship by piecing together these objective facts.

Specific Reasons Why a Delay Creates Suspicion#

Within this review framework, the fact that a marriage registration was delayed can be perceived as a negative factor when assessing the marriage’s authenticity. The reasons for this can be summarized into the following three points.

There is a general societal expectation that a couple, having decided to marry after a serious relationship, will proceed with the legal formalities—submitting the marriage notification—as promptly as possible, barring any special circumstances. When a couple deviates significantly from this “natural timeline,” and an unusually long period passes between the decision to marry (or the start of cohabitation) and the legal registration, it naturally prompts a simple question from the immigration officer: “Why didn’t they complete the legal process sooner?” This question can be the starting point for doubts about the genuineness of their commitment.

2. Suggestion of an Ulterior Motive (Visa-Driven Marriage)#

The timing of the marriage registration in relation to the visa application is particularly critical. For instance, a situation where a couple hastily submits their marriage registration just as the foreign spouse’s current status of residence is about to expire, followed immediately by a spouse visa application, is a major red flag. This scenario closely resembles the classic pattern of a “visa-purpose marriage,” where the marriage is seen as a means to extend the stay in Japan or to resolve an illegal immigration status. As the ISA is highly vigilant against such fraudulent marriages, any unnatural timing in the application process will lead to intense scrutiny of the couple’s true motives for marrying.

3. Doubts About the Reality and Stability of a Shared Life#

Similar questions arise for couples who have cohabited for a long period without getting legally married. The question becomes, “If you were already living together, why did you not formalize your relationship with its accompanying legal responsibilities?” This carries the risk of being interpreted as a lack of commitment to a stable, continuous future together. The underlying view is that if a couple truly intends to live a permanent life together as spouses, they would naturally seek to stabilize their relationship through legal marriage at an early stage.

The Burden of Proof for a Justifiable Delay#

Of course, a delayed marriage registration does not automatically result in a visa denial. The crucial factor is whether there is a “reasonable and convincing explanation” for the delay and whether the applicants can effectively communicate this explanation.

Examples of justifiable reasons include:

Time was needed to arrange for formal introductions to families in both countries or to prepare for a wedding ceremony.
There were unexpected delays in obtaining necessary documents from the foreign spouse’s home country, such as a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage.
External factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, made travel and administrative procedures physically difficult.
The couple was in a long-distance relationship, and work commitments made it difficult to be in the same place to proceed with the paperwork.

If such reasons exist, they must be explained in detail and chronologically in the “Questionnaire” submitted with the application or in a separate “Statement of Reasons.” To dispel the immigration officer’s doubts, it is essential to provide a thorough explanation of why the delay occurred and how the couple nurtured their relationship during that time, supported by objective evidence such as email exchanges, international call logs, photographs, and records of financial remittances.

Conclusion#

In Japan’s spouse visa application process, a delay in marriage registration is not, in itself, a direct cause for denial. However, it can be a significant trigger for the Immigration Services Agency to question the authenticity of the marriage. Because the review process often uses societal norms as a benchmark, any deviation from the expected timeline places the burden of proof on the applicants to explain why. If there was a significant gap before your marriage registration, providing a sincere, detailed explanation backed by objective evidence is the key to a smooth review process and the successful acquisition of the status of residence.