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Dependent Visa: Spouses and Children of Residents

Dependent visa status lets the spouse and children of a foreign resident live together in Japan, with one hard boundary: daily life yes, paid work no, until a separate permit says otherwise.12 The status derives entirely from the principal, so the principal's fortunes are your fortunes.3

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Immigration Services Agency site. This article is general information, not legal or immigration advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed gyoseishoshi for a sponsor-eligibility or overwork-history read, or an immigration lawyer for a refusal or a violation-record case.

Last verified: 2026-09.

Overview​

The 家族滞在 (kazoku taizai, "dependent (family stay)") covers the daily-life activity of a supported spouse or child of a foreign resident.14 The name states the logic: the holder lives on the 扶養者 (fuyōsha, "supporter," the principal), and compensated work falls outside the status until permission expands it.23

Who can sponsor a Dependent​

Eligible principals hold work statuses such as Professor, Artist, Religious Activities, Journalist, Business Manager, Legal or Accounting Services, Medical Services, Researcher, Instructor, Engineer/Humanities/International Services, Intra-company Transferee, Nursing Care, Entertainer, Skilled Labor, or SSW-2, plus Student and Cultural Activities.3 Short stays and training-program statuses fall outside the sponsor list.3

Only spouses and children qualify; the principal's parents and siblings cannot ride on Dependent status.3 The principal must show capacity to support the household, with students evidencing savings or scholarships instead of salary.3 Edge statuses at the boundary change with ordinance amendments, so confirm unusual principals with a gyoseishoshi before filing.3

The no-work default and the 28-hour permit​

Compensated work needs prior 資格外活動許可 (shikakugai katsudō kyoka, "permission for activity outside the status") under Article 19 of the Act; working without it violates the status.12 The standard comprehensive permit caps work at 28 hours within any consecutive 7 days.3

The 7-day window rolls: it is any consecutive 7 days from any start day, not calendar weeks.3 Two legal-looking Sunday-to-Saturday weeks can still hide a violating Thursday-to-Wednesday stretch, and that counting trap is the most common Dependent violation ISA finds.3 Adult-entertainment work stays banned with or without a permit.3

Count every rolling window, not the calendar week

Add up any 7 consecutive days, starting from each day of your roster in turn. If any window exceeds 28 hours, the schedule is a violation even when each calendar week looks clean.3

Periods that match the principal​

Dependent periods are minister-designated terms of 5 years or less and in practice never exceed the principal's remaining period.43 Renew together with the principal so no validity gap strands the derivative filing.3 In-country permission fees follow the revised schedule effective 2026-10-01 (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with ISA).56

What kills your renewal​

What kills your renewal:

  • Principal job loss, departure, or status change. The derivation basis collapses with the principal, and the Dependent must change status or leave in step.3
  • Documented overwork. Hours beyond the cap, or any adult-entertainment breach, poison renewal and resurface in future PR conduct screens.13
  • Separate lives from the start. The status exists for shared household life; separation needs a defensible reason such as schooling or a job transfer.3
Move with the principal's paperwork, not after it

A principal who changes employer, loses a job, or converts status should trigger a same-week family filing review. Dependent consequences lag the event by exactly as long as you let them.3

Conversion paths off Dependent​

A full-time job offer supports change to a matching work status, and marriage to a Japanese national or PR holder supports change to the matching spouse status.13 Dependent years alone rarely satisfy PR residence-track expectations, so holders planning permanent residence usually convert to a work or spouse status first.3

Good to know​

The 28-hour clock counts every rolling 7-day window​

Rebuild any roster against all seven possible windows before working it. Multi-job holders breach most often because no single employer sees the total.3

Adult-entertainment work is banned even with a permit​

The permit authorizes hours, not venues. Hostess, host, and adult-shop shifts violate the status regardless of the weekly total.3

Renew together with the principal to avoid a validity gap​

A lapsed principal period strands the derivative filing. File as a household on the principal's timetable, not on each person's expiry.3

See also​

References​

Footnotes​

  1. e-Gov法令検索. 「出入国管理及び難民認定法」. https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/326CO0000000319 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. JETRO. "2.9 Family members accompanying working foreign nationals." https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/invest/setting_up/section2/page9.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Administrative scrivener guide. "Dependent Visa." https://immigration-lawyer.co.jp/visa/family?language=eng ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23

  4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. "General visa: Dependent (family stays)." https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/long/visa9.html ↩ ↩2

  5. 出入国在留管理庁. 「外国人の在留手続に関する手数料」リーフレット. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001469200.pdf ↩

  6. 出入国在留管理庁. 「令和8年10月1日付け在留許可手数料の額の改定等について」. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/01_00644.html ↩