Hello,
I moved to Japan in 2021 and didn’t get a job until 2022.
I’m renewing my visa and through the mail I was asked for a residence tax certificate from myself and my wife. Since 2022’s Taxes are not ready until this June, the residence tax cert I received said I paid **0 yen**.
I’ve already asked my local city hall if I should write anything on the cert, like “didn’t work in 2021 and before”, but they said don’t write anything on the cert.
I have already mailed my 0 yen Residence Tax Cert and my wife’s Tax Cert (thankfully showing taxes paid). Still, **Should I worry?**
Edit: I am on a spouse visa
4 comments
Tax cert showing 0 yen when there is no income is totally normal (what should they show otherwise?).
Immigration officials are generally familiar with tax law, and they can put two and two together. No doubt they deal with thousands of people in this exact position every year.
If you’re on a spouse visa or dependent visa. Then this should not be so much of a problem because they will use household income.
If you’re single and on a work visa then it may raise some eyebrows, because then you’re supposed to be working and earning (unless one moved to Japan later side of 2021, and one had a low paying job and thus 6 to 1 months of low paying job salary, thus likely had a resident tax bill for 2021…. Billed June 2022 to May 2023 of ¥0)
I think more than anything else, they want to know you are registered for and paying any tax you should be paying.
In this case, zero…