# Move to Japan Project

## Overview
- **Goal:**
- **Target city:** Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture)
- **Target move date:** 2030-09-01
- **Status:**
- **Assumptions:**
  - No pet will be brought to Japan

## Family
- **Me:** born 1976-07-02, Belgian national (Belgian passport); age 54 at move
- **Wife:** Japanese national; married since 2001
- **Daughters:**
  - **Eldest (born 2002):** has declared the choice of Japanese nationality and has also kept her Belgian nationality; living in Japan since January 2023
    - Possible help on the ground: as a relative living in Japan, she may be able to file the COE application as proxy (verify)
  - **Youngest (born 2007):** Belgian and Japanese national
    - [ ] Check her status under Japan's nationality-choice rules (dual nationals are required to declare a choice by a deadline set by age)
    - [ ] Decide whether she plans to move too

## Visa & Immigration
- **Visa type:** Spouse or Child of Japanese National (日本人の配偶者等) — likely route via marriage to my wife
  - No job offer or employer sponsor needed; allows any kind of work
  - Long-term path: Permanent Residence (spouses can usually apply after shorter residence than other foreigners — verify current rules)
- **Requirements:**
  - Genuine marriage registered in Japan (wife's koseki / family register shows the marriage)
  - Proof of financial means in Japan (income, savings, or job of either spouse)
  - Guarantor (usually the Japanese spouse)
  - COE application can be filed in Japan by my wife or a relative as proxy (e.g. eldest daughter, who lives in Japan)
- **Documents needed:**
  - [ ] Passport (valid)
  - [ ] Wife's koseki tohon (family register, issued within 3 months)
  - [ ] Wife's juminhyo (residence certificate) once she is registered in Sendai
  - [ ] Belgian marriage certificate (international/multilingual extract)
  - [ ] Proof of income / tax certificates / bank statements
  - [ ] Letter of guarantee (身元保証書) signed by wife
  - [ ] Questionnaire (質問書) about the marriage, photos together

## Finances
- **Budget:**
- **Savings target:**
- **Banking:**
- **Taxes:**

## Housing
- **Neighbourhoods considered:**
- **Renting process notes:**

## Work / Income
- **Job search:**
- **Remote work:**
- **Qualifications:**

## Language
- **Current level:** JLPT N2 (passed)
- **JLPT goal:** N1 before arrival (2030-09-01); ideally by end of 2028 (not required for the spouse visa, but helps with work and daily life)
- **Study plan:**
  - First N1 attempt: December 2027
  - Backup attempts: July 2028, December 2028 (last fallback: July 2029)

## Logistics
- **Moving belongings:**
- **Pets:** None (see Assumptions in Overview)
- **Health insurance:**
- **Registration after arrival:**
  - [ ] Residence registration at city hall
  - [ ] National Health Insurance enrollment
  - [ ] Bank account
  - [ ] Phone plan

## Tasks & Milestones

### 2026 Q4 – Foundation
- [ ] Define goal and reason for moving (fill in Overview)
- [ ] Confirm current Spouse of Japanese National visa requirements (Immigration Services Agency / Japanese Embassy in Brussels)
- [ ] Check that the marriage is recorded in wife's koseki in Japan
- [ ] Set overall budget and savings target
- [ ] Start structured N1 study routine (kanji, vocabulary, grammar, reading)

### 2027 – Preparation
- [ ] Decide family plan: who moves when (together, or wife first to set up residence/income)
- [ ] Assess qualifications/credentials for working in Japan
- [ ] Register for JLPT N1 December 2027 sitting (registration usually opens around August–September)
- [ ] Sit JLPT N1 (December 2027)
- [ ] Set up monthly savings plan
- [ ] Visit Sendai (scouting trip) if possible

### 2028 – Building
- [ ] Pass JLPT N1 (results for December exam arrive ~February; retake in July or December 2028 if needed)
- [ ] Gather/renew key documents (passport, degree certificates, records)
- [ ] Research Sendai neighbourhoods and cost of living
- [ ] Begin networking / exploring Sendai-area employers or remote work options
- [ ] Review tax implications of moving abroad

### 2029 – Securing
- [ ] Plan income in Japan (job, remote work, pension, savings) — needed to show financial stability for the visa; no sponsor required
- [ ] Final N1 fallback: July 2029 sitting, only if not passed yet
- [ ] Gather COE documents (marriage certificate, koseki, financial proofs)
- [ ] Reach savings target
- [ ] Decide what to ship, sell, or store

### 2030 – Moving
- [ ] **Mar–Apr:** Certificate of Eligibility (COE) application submitted in Japan by wife/relative as proxy (processing ~1–3 months)
- [ ] **Jun–Jul:** COE received → apply for visa at Japanese embassy/consulate (COE is valid only 3 months, so it should not be issued before early June)
- [ ] **Jun–Jul:** Book flight; arrange temporary housing in Sendai
- [ ] **Jul–Aug:** Arrange shipping; notify banks, tax authority, close/transfer accounts
- [ ] **2030-09-01:** Arrive in Sendai 🎌
- [ ] **Within 14 days of arrival:** Residence registration at Sendai ward office

## Resources & Links

### Immigration & Visa
- **Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁)**
  - 🇯🇵 [Home](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/)
  - 🇯🇵 [Status of residence "Spouse or Child of Japanese National" (在留資格「日本人の配偶者等」)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/spouseorchildofjapanese.html)
  - 🇯🇵 [List of statuses of residence (在留資格一覧)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/index.html)
  - 🇯🇵 [Foreign Residents Support Center – FRESC (外国人在留支援センター)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/support/fresc/fresc01.html)
  - 🇬🇧 No separate English URL found; check the site's language menu
- **Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Visas (外務省 ビザ)** ⚠️ not verified (site blocked automated check)
  - 🇯🇵 [ビザ](https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/toko/visa/index.html)
  - 🇬🇧 [Visa](https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html)
- **Embassy of Japan in Belgium (在ベルギー日本国大使館)** ⚠️ not verified (site blocked automated check)
  - 🇯🇵 [日本語](https://www.be.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/index.html)
  - 🇬🇧 [English](https://www.be.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html)

### Nationality (daughters)
- **Ministry of Justice – Choice of Nationality (法務省 国籍の選択について)**
  - 🇯🇵 [国籍の選択について](https://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/minji06.html)
  - 🇬🇧 [Choice of Nationality](https://www.moj.go.jp/EN/MINJI/minji06.html)

### Language
- **JLPT – Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験)**
  - 🇯🇵 [日本語](https://www.jlpt.jp/)
  - 🇬🇧 [English](https://www.jlpt.jp/e/)

### Sendai & Miyagi
- **Sendai City (仙台市)**
  - 🇯🇵 [仙台市公式ホームページ](https://www.city.sendai.jp/)
- **Sendai Tourism, Convention and International Association – SenTIA (仙台観光国際協会)**: help and services for foreign residents
  - 🇯🇵 [日本語](https://int.sentia-sendai.jp/)
  - 🇬🇧 [English](https://int.sentia-sendai.jp/e/)
- **Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県)**
  - 🇯🇵 [宮城県公式ホームページ](https://www.pref.miyagi.jp/)