I recently acquired permanent residency and will also be traveling out of the country for a couple of weeks next month.
When checking the travel website it said that a re-entry permit is not necessary if one returns to Japan within a year. Does this mean getting one from the immigration office is no longer necessary?
(I haven’t left the country in some years so sorry if this is a dumb question.)
4 comments
You get a special landing card at the airport before passport inspection at the airport. It’s a landing card for re-enterants and you fill it out and then go to passport inspection.
You don’t need it if you stay out for less than a year. I think i got a 6 years re entry permit when I got my PR to be safe. You never know with Covid and border restrictions. Congrats on your PR.
You don’t need the “normal” re-entry permit for > 1 year (which you still pick up at immigration), but you **DO** need the “special” re-entry permit which you fill out at the airport and stick in your passport on the way out. If you don’t have that, and don’t understand the immigration officer explanation on departure, they’ll punch a hole through your residence card and you’ll leave Japan permanently.
>Does this mean getting one from the immigration office is no longer necessary?
Yep. You only need one of you will be away for more than 1 year.
You’ll just need to check a box on the embarkation card at the airport, which will give you a special re-entry permit.