What is a change of Status of Residence?
It is the procedure for changing the status itself when your activities in Japan change, such as a job after graduation, marriage, or a different type of work after changing jobs.
Whether an extension is enough or a change is needed depends on whether your new job or personal status falls within your current Status of Residence. Common situations are set out in What to do when you change jobs, marry or divorce.
- I am a student with a job offer and need a status that allows me to work
- I have married a Japanese national or Permanent Resident
- I changed jobs and my work no longer fits my current status
- I tried myself but do not know which status applies
Common examples
| Before | After | Typical situation |
|---|---|---|
| Student | Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services | Graduating from a university or vocational school and starting work |
| Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services | Spouse or Child of Japanese National | Marrying a Japanese national |
| Dependent | Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services | From being a dependent to working yourself |
| Temporary Visitor | Spouse or Child of Japanese National | Not permitted as a rule (see below) |
A change from Temporary Visitor is not permitted as a rule. It is limited to cases where unavoidable special circumstances are recognised. In such cases above all, how the circumstances are explained decides the outcome.
Requirements and points examined
| Requirements for the new status | Whether your education, work history, job and pay meet the standards of the new status. The requirements differ by category. |
|---|---|
| Residence record | Whether you acted properly under your previous status. Working over the permitted hours outside your status, or unpaid taxes or pension, count against you. |
| Explaining your circumstances | Simply putting the documents together is not enough. You need to show that you meet the requirements, or that an alternative measure can be taken. |
Cost and timing
| ① Our Professional Fee (incl. tax) | From 66,000 yen |
|---|---|
| ② Government fee (Actual Expenses) | 10,000–75,000 yen (depending on the period of stay granted) |
| ③ Cost of obtaining documents, etc. (Actual Expenses) | Issuing fees for residence certificates, tax certificates, etc., and postage |
| What you pay, as a guide | ① + ② = from 76,000 yen (plus ③) |
| Expected examination period | 1–3 months |
The fee is the amount after the revision of 1 October 2026 and varies with the category of period of stay granted. What matters is the date your application is accepted; applications accepted on or before 30 September 2026 are charged the previous fees. Online applications cost 10,000–65,000 yen, plus a payment charge (330 or 550 yen). For the current amounts, please see the Immigration Services Agency announcement.
As a rule, you do not need to go to the Regional Immigration Services Bureau yourself. The process from consultation to the result is set out on the Status of Residence page.
About consultations
If your application was refused
Even if you applied yourself and were refused, we may be able to propose a way to obtain permission if you consult us. Before you give up, please tell us about it.
We check the reasons for the refusal and then consider a new application or other steps.
Knowing the following 3 points speeds up the consultation. Tell us as much as you know.
- Your current Status of Residence and when your period of stay ends
- Your new job, or a change in personal status such as marriage
- Your education and work history
Write a consultation emailOpens with the subject and items filled in
- Consultation and quotations are free. We work in Japanese, Chinese and English by email, and in Japanese and Chinese by telephone and in person.
- We cannot guarantee permission, and there are matters we cannot legally take on (What we can and cannot take on).
- For our telephone number and hours, see How to reach us.