Re-entry Permission is a permit that allows a foreign national residing in Japan with a status of residence to temporarily leave Japan and return within the period of their stay. This means that you cannot simply leave and return to Japan as you please without it.
The Principle of Departure
To better understand Re-entry Permission, let’s first look at the “Principle of Departure.” This principle states that “once you depart, your residency ends.” In other words, a status of residence or landing permission is not a multi-entry ticket that allows you to come and go freely during the period. Simply put, it is a single-use entry/exit ticket.
The Essence of Re-entry Permission
However, life is full of various circumstances. It is easy to imagine situations where a foreign national residing in Japan must leave the country for work, family matters, ceremonial occasions, sightseeing, private trips, and so on. In such cases, Re-entry Permission acts as a “temporary entry/exit permit” that is temporarily inserted into the status of residence or landing permission, which would otherwise be a “single-use ticket.” In short, it is a permit that allows you to “leave Japan for a short while and then come back.”
Conditions Upon Re-entry
If Re-entry Permission is granted, your status of residence will be maintained when you re-enter—meaning when you return to Japan after temporarily going abroad—under the following conditions:
- New visa: Not required
- Name of status of residence: Unchanged
- Period of stay: Unchanged (The period of stay does not stop and continues to progress even while you are outside the country.)
How to Apply for Re-entry Permission
The following is the application method for Re-entry Permission.
- Application deadline: Apply in advance before departure. You cannot apply after you have already left.
- Validity period of re-entry permission: Within a range not exceeding 5 years and until the expiration date of the period of stay.
- Location: Regional Bureau of the Immigration Services Agency
- Required documents: Application for re-entry permission, passport, residence card, fee payment form + revenue stamps, (Permission to Engage in Activity other than that Permitted under the Status of Residence previously granted, if applicable)
- Fee: Single (one-time use): 3,000 yen (revenue stamps), Multiple (valid several times): 6,000 yen (revenue stamps)
Application for Extension of the Validity Period
If there are reasonable grounds for not being able to re-enter Japan within the validity period while you are abroad with a re-entry permission, you can apply for an extension of the validity period. You apply at a Japanese diplomatic mission abroad (consulate or embassy). If the application is approved, an extension of up to one year will be granted.
What is Special Re-entry Permission?
Here, we introduce another type of re-entry permission: the “Special Re-entry Permission” (Minashi Sai-nyukoku Kyoka). Simply put, Special Re-entry Permission is a simplified version of the regular re-entry permission. The application method and location are easier, and the required documents are reduced, but in return, the re-entry validity period is shorter.
Application for Special Re-entry Permission
- Application deadline: On the day of departure
- Validity period: Within 1 year and until the expiration date of your status of residence
- Location: At the departure inspection area of the airport or seaport you are departing from
- Required documents: Passport, residence card, and the ED card for re-entry/departure
- Fee: Free of charge
Extension of Special Re-entry Permission
Unlike regular re-entry permission, there is no system to apply for an extension of the validity period for Special Re-entry Permission. Therefore, if the period expires (which is within one year and before the expiration of your status of residence), your status of residence will lapse.
Procedures When Returning to Japan for Re-entry
When you return to Japan from abroad with your re-entry permission, the landing examination—the same process you went through upon your initial arrival—is performed in a slightly simplified form for re-entrants. Since your information was already registered during your first landing, the process is streamlined accordingly.
Automated Gates
Additionally, there is an even more streamlined system for re-entry landing examinations using machines called “Automated Gates.” If you prefer to avoid waiting in long lines for landing examinations at airports or seaports, using this system allows for a smoother and faster re-entry with minimal waiting time.