Some visa application documents can only be prepared in the destination country.
In Portugal, this is the NIF (tax identification number).
The NIF was required as one of the application documents for a long-stay visa, and proof of address in the country of current residence was needed to obtain the NIF.
Documentation proving address.
What documents can be used to prove the address?
The documents themselves are simple and apply to the following, which have addresses on them.
・Utility bills
・Bank statements
・Bank balance certificates
∙ Driving licence with photograph
If you are asked for proof of address in your current country of residence for the preparation of your visa application documents, simply scan (or photograph) these and attach them.
The pitfalls of applying for a visa for the first time…
I mentioned earlier that only a photograph is required, but there are conditions for this.
For example, I am Japanese, so my driving licence is in Japanese. Often visa application documents need to be written in English, or in the first language of the country where the document is being applied for.
As it was my first time, I sent the reverse side of my driving licence as it was, but they pushed me back to send it with an ‘official English certificate’. It makes sense now, but at the time I could not hide my surprise.
The ‘official English certificate’ here is an apostille.
Apostille is quite time-consuming and expensive, so I didn’t feel it was realistic and thought of other means.
Conclusion, ask the Japan Post Bank to provide you with a balance certificate in English!
Submit a balance certificate at a Japan Post Bank.
This is the fastest and cheapest way to get a bank balance certificate in English.
Japan Post Bank can provide you with a balance certificate on the same day, in about an hour.
It is best to ask at the counter, ‘Can you send me a balance certificate in English, with your current address on it?’ This is the best way to be sure.
If you live in an apartment building, you will also be asked to write the name of your flat in English, so be prepared to answer in advance.
Incidentally, I had a katakana flat name and no English description, so I told them ‘no flat name’. This may be the easiest way.
If you confirm that your address is written in English on the balance certificate you receive and send the document to them, you should be fine.
SMBC balance certificates take up to two weeks.
As a side note, it takes about two weeks for SMBC to output a balance certificate.
There are a few pitfalls, for example, you can submit an application for an English balance certificate via the web
but there is no address information. You can read the small fine print, but, I missed it and wasted two weeks.
To get an address statement, you have to go to the counter and say, ‘Can you issue me a balance certificate in English with my current address on it?’ You still need to tell them that you want a balance certificate with your current address in English.
SMBC in a hurry at the counter & by phone
Here’s an ingenious story – I was able to have my balance proof produced in less than a week.
That is, you go directly to the branch that created the SMB and negotiate with them over the counter. I feel it depends on the person in charge, but when I met someone who could hurry me up, they took my circumstances into consideration.
In practice, I applied at the counter in Tokyo and called the branch in Hiroshima and asked them to connect me and negotiate.
Summary
I am just in the middle of my visa application too. It’s a lot of work, but if you have a reality you want to achieve, keep pushing!
