2.8 Re-entry permission

A foreign national residing in Japan who wishes to leave Japan temporarily within his/her permitted period of stay and, after traveling to his/her home country or a third country, to enter and reside in Japan again with the same status of residence as before needs to apply for and receive re-entry permission. Under this system, a foreign national who receives re-entry permission before leaving Japan does not need to apply for an entry visa again at a Japanese diplomatic mission abroad prior to re-entering Japan, and can reside in Japan after re-entry with the same status of residence held prior to leaving Japan. Please note that departing Japan without receiving this re-entry permission will result in forfeiture of the status of residence and the period of stay previously granted.

(This shall not apply, however, to a foreign national who has obtained a Special Re-entry permit.)

There are two types of re-entry permits: valid only once, which allows only one re-entry into Japan during the period of validity, and valid multiple times, with which one can leave and re-enter Japan any number of times during the period of validity. Multiple re-entry permit is especially convenient for those persons who must often travel back and forth between Japan and the parent company or other foreign business locations. It is not possible to obtain re-entry permission beyond the permitted period of stay in Japan. In addition, persons staying in Japan on a temporary visitor’s status of residence are not normally eligible for re-entry permission.

As a general rule, the foreign national must personally appear at the Regional Immigration Bureau having jurisdiction for his/her place of residence to apply for re-entry permission. However, if the foreign national is under the age of 16 or is unable to appear personally due to illness or some other reason, a parent or spouse may apply on his/her behalf. In addition, the applicant does not need to go to the Regional Immigration Bureau if applying through the persons approved by the director of the Regional Immigration Bureau or a registered attorney-at-law or administrative scrivener.

The introduction of the new residency management system from July 9, 2012 was accompanied by the introduction of a new “special re-entry permit” system. Under this system, foreign nationals in possession of a valid passport and a residence card who declare their intention when they leave to re-enter Japan within 1 year of their departure to continue their activities in Japan are no longer, in principle, required to obtain a re-entry permit. However, if the period of stay will expire less than 1 year after departure, they must re-enter Japan before the expiration of this period of stay.