UK Spouse Visa checklist for UK Sponsor and Japanese national applicant written by UK Immigration Lawyer Mr Saleh Begh
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1. Your nationality and residence : British (United Kingdom)2. Your partner nationality and residence : Japanese (Japan) 日本
The information below is for you, if you are
a British citizen (or holding UK permanent residence) and your partner is a Japanese national.
You currently reside in United Kingdom whereas your partner resides in Japan 日本.
Full UK Spouse Visa Guide - Japan 日本 .
UK Spouse Visa Japan 日本 Checklist Contents 
UK Spouse Visa Key Considerations for Family Visa from Japan 日本
利用条件および資格 | 在留資格の条件 | 滞在期間 UK Partner Visa from Tokyo, Japan 日本 Checklist for UK Family Visa (British and Japanese) UK Home Office Approved English Tests Centres in Japan 日本 UK spouse visa where to apply Tokyo, Japan 日本 UK spouse visa grant letter update Tokyo, Japan 日本 UK spouse visa supporting documents bundle Tokyo, Japan 日本UK Spouse Visa Key requirements
Lets have a chat ✉ | ☎ 00442071935178 | Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm UK time. The Immigration Rules state that :
利用条件および資格 | 在留資格の条件 | 滞在期間イギリスの配偶者ビザにより、イギリス国民の 夫か妻、又は永住権の保有者(つまり、永住者或いは定住者)は自分の配偶者・伴侶と共にイギリスで滞在することが。イギリス滞在の配偶者という部類には、法律上婚姻関係にある者のみならず、事実上の結婚をしている者又は市民パートナーシップを結んでいる者も含まれます。ス政府の補助金に依存せずに自給自足で暮らせる程度の財政能力の証明、居住地の確保、そして申請者の英語力証明が必要となります。 イギリス永住者や市民権者と同じ医療保険給付が受けられ、就職や学業などの活動に制約が伴いません。 配偶者ビザは、イギリス国内外において取得できます。初期ビザは２.５年の有効期間で発給されます(イギリス国外において申請する場合は２年９ヵ月の有効期間になります)。 (イギリスに入国した日付から)２．５年が経過した後、申請者はビザの延長を申請する必要があり、申請完了後２．５年の延長となります。 イギリス国民・市民である配偶者と共にイギリスにおいて５年間滞在した後、申請者は永住権(Indefinite Leave to Remain)を申請することができます。 ✉ saleh@wafi.co.uk | ☎ 02071935178 | |
UK family Visa
Now let's look into the various aspects of the requirements listed above when you are British and your partner is Japanese and you reside in United Kingdom and your partner resides in Japan. Since your partner is a Japanese national, they would need UK immigration status documents to live and work in the UK. If you are not yet British but have Indefinite leave to remain (ILR), Permanent Residency (EEA PR) or Refugee status, then your partner can join you on the Partner route and enter or remain in the UK legally.Your partner is not on the list of countries that need visa before arriving at the UK Border, however they may apply and secure their family visa first. Please note that only a visitor from certain countries can start their journey without prior visa approval and may need to provide evidence of funds and genuine visit at the port of entry such as at the airport or point of entry. Applicants are not normally allowed to switch from visitor to family visa category from within the UK.
UK Spouse Visa Documents Checklist - Tokyo - Japan 日本
 | Wafi Solicitors 16 Upper Woburn Pl London WC1H 0AF, UK 00442071935178 saleh@wafi.co.uk Please call or email for FREE initial consultation | ||
UK Spouse Visa Checklist April 2026 | |||
| Key Forms / Documents Online application form ; Online application checklist ; VFS Global Appointment document and QR code ; Statutory Declaration by sponsor ; Identity Japanese Passport (All Pages); Copy of UK Sponsor Passport (Data page) ; Copy of Sponsor (ILR / Refugee status document (if not British) ; | English test centres Approved A1 English test certificate from test centre in Tokyo - Japan  Approved English Test Centres in Japan 日本Tuberculosis Testing Centres TB medical test certificates are not required when you apply from Japan. UK Visa Application Centres in Japan VFS Global Office Japan has application centres in Osaka and Tokyo . | ||
UK Spouse Visa Application Checklist (Sample April 2026 - Yui and Haruto)1. Yui’s Japanese passport (JA12647646) Submitted at VFS Global office in Tokyo, Japan;2. Copy of Yui’s online Application form (UAN 1212-0001-6476-9600); 3. Copy of Sponsor, Haruto’s British Passport (Number: 145009600) or another passport plus Haruto’s UK status documents; 4. Duly Completed Yui's online Application Checklist (GWF0476461600); Financial (Sponsor, Haruto who is British and Employed) 5. Haruto’s Statutory Declaration and Sponsorship undertaking form SU07 ; 6. Letter from Haruto’s employer dated in April 2026; 7. Offer letter and Employment Contract document for Haruto ; 8. Haruto’s Payslips (Monthly – Sept 2025* to April 2026); 9. Haruto’s Bank Statements (1 Sept 2025* to 1 April 2026). * Haruto may need 12 months (From April 2025) instead of 6 where Haruto's monthly gross pay varies and is less than the required monthly amount, currently £2,416.67 (£29,000 / 12) for each and every month during the previous 6 months. Financial (Sponsor, Haruto has Savings or receives exempted State Benefits) If Haruto is not employed but has the required savings or Haruto receives PIP, CA or Disability benefits he would provide (instead of items 6 to 8 above) evidence of benefit award and needs to meet the maintaince route requirements. In the case of savings, Haruto would need to provide evidence of source of savings and minimum balance held during the previous 6 months. Accommodation (Adequate for the British Japanese couple plus any children) 10. Haruto’s Tenancy Agreement or Ownership evidence (if owning) ; 11. Landlord / Estate Agents consent letter or housing report (owning) for Haruto's flat ; 12. Haruto’s Council tax statement and other UK residence evidence. English & TB Certificates (Only A1 English test is required for Japanese nationals.) 13. Approved A1 English test certificate from test centre in Tokyo - Japan Approved English Test Centres in Japan 日本14. TB medical test certificates are not required when you apply from Japan. Relationship (Genuine subsisting and durable between Haruto and Yui) 15. Haruto and Yui's original Marriage Certificate with translation (if married) and joint residence evidence (where unmarried but living together for 2 years plus) ; 16. Copy of Japan / UK visit stamps, entry & exit plus flights bookings for Haruto and Yui; 17. Telephone and Whatsapp chat log records between Haruto and Yui; 18. Screenshots of conversations by Whatsapp between Haruto and Yui; 19. Various Funds Remittance Receipts sent to Yui in Japan by Haruto ; 20. Selection of Japanese wedding and other personal photographs of Haruto and Yui. 21. if Haruto and Yui are not married but only engaged - evidence of Haruto's venue booking and other commitments for marriage in the UK awaiting Yui's arrival ; 22. if Haruto previously married - Haruto's Divorce certificate or Widower - Death certificate (issued in the UK or Japan ). Same for Yui if applciable. Children and other ties (British or Japanese and where applicable) 23. Child, Hina's birth certificate, copy of Hina's passport and other evidence of family ties and Haruto and Yui's parental responsibility for the child. Non-English documents (from Japan) 24. English translation of Haruto and Yui's Marriage / divorce certificate. From Japanese to English will be required. Criminal record and immigration history (In Japan and the UK - Applicant only) 25. Documents relating to Yui's good character and immigration history and mitigation (if Yui's previous visa was refused or was an UK over-stayer). 26. Yui's financial standing and settlement of NHS and other debts. Complicated situation or unsure about what to include? Wafi Solicitors can guide you through the process with ease and get the positive outcome you seek first time. ✉ | ☎ | | |||
Wafi Solicitors – All Rights Reserved. No part of this document may be copied of reproduced without prior written permission.No liability accepted for accuracy, completeness, or reliability of data provided. | |||
A1 level English test required
Your partner is a Japanese national and thus not exempt from the English language requirements for a Spouse / Partner visa, they would need to take the A1 / A2 (extension) or provide other English language evidence.If you are already in the UK (on a different visa or for visa extension application) You can take a SELT with the providers mentioned above or with Trinity College London. Click here for UK Spouse Visa English test centres in the UK
UK Spouse visa Approved English Test Centre address in Japan 日本
Approved English Test Centres in Japan 日本Did you know Tokyo, Japan is 9,600 KM (5,966 miles) from London, England. Flight time to London is 13 Hours. Japan has a population of 126,476,461 (2021) and they use Japanese yen. One British pound is equal to 180.564 Japanese Yen.
Please remember that all UK Family Visa applications are now done online and your UK Visa Application Centre for Japan, VFS Global Office could be in a different city. You may need to plan ahead and travel for your tests and visa appointments. These are the large cities in Japan Tokyo , Yokohama , Osaka , Nagoya , Sapporo , Fukuoka , Kawasaki , Saitama , Kobe , Kyoto. Only a few cities will have a VFS Global Office UK Spouse Visa Application Centre (Japan)
Procedure and where to apply and provide your biometric details in 日本
The initial application is now done online. You would then be forwarded to VFS Global Office 日本, they are the UK government's Commercial Partner. They handle UK Visa Applications from Japan. This is where you would book your appointment, pay for additional services and provide your passport and fingerprints. You will also have your photos taken and can also submit your supporting documents bundle. Most applicants use the online portal for digital bundles to be uploaded. Go to their website Click VFS Global Japan.
UK spouse visa grant letter update in Japan
UK eVisa grant letters are now issued by the UK Home Office / VFS Global Office via email from the UK visa centre in Japan; physical letters will no longer be issued. Also you will not need to collect your passport or visa from the Japanese UK visa application centre ( VFS Global Office ) as your passport will not be retained and visa is now issued on the online portal (eVisa). You are reminded that you need to ensure that you have provided a valid email address on your online visa application form and may also need to check your spam/junk folder in order to receive this email.
UK Spouse Visa Priority Visa fees and option April 2026
When you complete your UK Spouse Visa application, the option offered is the Standard Service Option and it says it will take 12 weeks (as shown below). If you want the priority service, get a decision in two to six weeks, please contact us for the upgrade!
UK Spouse Visa Fees April 2026
UK spouse Visa Application fees is £1,938You will pay 360,431 Japanese Yen or a little more for your application.
View live fees UK Spouse Visa fees for Japan now !
Supporting Documents Bundle (UK Spouse Visa) Tokyo 日本
UK Spouse visa requires a large set of documents in support (From UK and Japan). Since there are many requirements and specified documents. You may find that your (British / Japanese) documents are in the wrong format, scanned poorly, has too many extra and unrelated pages, needs to be merged or combined to stop you from having 100 plus files and so items can easily be missed by the decision maker.Sometimes your items may be too large in size (6 MB or more), your work letter or bank statement may have password protection, all these oversized, password protected and unreadable documents will simply not be considered. This can cause delays and lead to refusals. Please get in touch ( UK 00442071935178 or email saleh@wafi.co.uk ) for supporting documents help and free consultation. Our fees for bundles start at £50 and can be ready in a matter of hours. We can reduce the number of files from 150 to just 9 to 15 files, one or two covering each category. Reduce and adapt oversized files, remove passwords and help with the whole upload process.
Please get in touch ( UK 00442071935178 or email saleh@wafi.co.uk ) for more specific information, free 5 minute consultation is offered or leave a question or comment below and we will get in touch (dont forget to include your contact number ).
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Saleh Begh is a Solicitor (English Attorney) with 15 years experience in UK Immigration and Family law. He routinely deals with complicated Immigration and family law matters. Read more about Saleh Begh For guidance, options and tips contact us ✉ | ☎ | Heading to the UK, which is your nearest Japanese Airport?
Is it Chitose, (Chitose Aiport [NEW] Airport) , Fukuoka, (Fukuoka Airport) , Hakodate, (Hakodate Airport) , Iwakuni, (Iwakuni Airport) , Kagoshima, (Kagoshima Airport) , Nagasaki, (Nagasaki Airport) , Nagoya, (Nagoya Airport) , Osaka Itami, (Itami Airport) , Osaka Kansai, (Kansai Intl. Airport) , Sendai, (Sendai Airport) , Tokyo Haneda, (Haneda Airport) , Tokyo Narita, (Narita Airport) , Tokyo Yokota, (Yokota Airport) . Which city do you live in, is it? Tokyo , Yokohama , Osaka , Nagoya , Sapporo , Fukuoka , Kawasaki , Saitama , Kobe , Kyoto or somewhere else. We can help you with your UK Spouse Visa from JapanDid you know that the following cities in Japan had large populations - Tokyo ( 37274000 ) , Osaka ( 19059856 ) , Nagoya ( 9571596 ) , Fukuoka ( 5502591 ) , Shizuoka ( 2935436 ) , Sapporo ( 2668982 ) , Sendai ( 2339991 ) , Hiroshima ( 2072344 ) , Niigata ( 799832 ) , Kumamoto ( 740067 ) , Okayama ( 723296 ) , Kagoshima ( 585913 ) , Utsunomiya ( 521011 ) , Matsuyama ( 506632 )