| My wife is Indonesian. We've
been married for six years now and have one child, a
girl. Before our daughter enters school, my wife says
she wants to take on Japanese citizenship. In order
to apply for naturalization, we obtained a copy of her
birth certificate from Indonesia, however the date of
birth written on her passport is different from what
is written on her birth certificate. Although the date
on her birth certificate is her correct birth date,
which document should be corrected? My wife is currently
here on an espousal visa. |
First off, you should have the date of birth on
the passport corrected at the Indonesian embassy in
Tokyo. As the date of birth on a passport is usually
based on the date shown on one's birth certificate,
you will need to explain your situation and why the
date referred to on the passport is incorrect. You
will need to get an updated passport with the correct
birth date on it. Depending on the country, making
this new passport can take quite some time, so please
make sure to ask about all the procedures necessary
at the embassy.
Next, you'll need to follow the procedures for correcting
the birth date on your wife's alien registration by
presenting her birth certificate and new passport
at your local city, ward or town municipal office.
This can be done relatively easily.
The final step will unfortunately be the most difficult,
so please look at your family register (koseki touhon).
Your wife's date of birth should be written near the
area where it says you are married to her. Because
this date is incorrect, it must be corrected. The
procedure for correcting it is to file a motion in
the family court. When the motion is admitted, it
will then be possible to correct your wife's date
of birth on your family register. Finally, the next
time your wife renews her visa at your local Immigration
office, please explain that her date of birth has
been corrected. |
