I have a questions with regards to re-entering Japan under different nationality.
I am currently holding Zairyuu Card that expires in 2027.
I am planning to leave Japan in order to change my nationality, but my Zairyuu Card is currently tied to current passport’s nationality.
I plan to re-enter Japan using a new passport from my new nationality.
I wonder if anyone here has experienced this before, if so I would love to hear what are the procedures I will need to complete before and after leaving Japan, so that I could re-enter the country.
Thanks a lot in advance for the help!
3 comments
Your zairyu cards has your nationality you came into the country with printed on it…so no this wont work. Japanese immigration are a stickler for the rules.
A rare case: If I were you, I would just go to the immigration office and ask them what they need. And do it as soon as possible before you leave, in case you’d need to order some documents from abroad.
When you say “change of nationality”, do you mean you will lose your first nationality (Nationality A, the one you entered Japan with and is written on your zairyu card) and have only one, different nationality (Nationality B) when you want to enter Japan? Or will you have Nationality B in addition to Nationality A, and therefore be able to hold passports from both nationalities? Also, is there no way to obtain a passport or proof of nationality of Nationality B from within Japan?
If you would still have a valid passport from Nationality A when you come back to Japan, present your Nationality A passport to immigration when coming back, and file a [notification of change](https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00009.html) with immigration to change your nationality to Nationality B.
If you can get a passport (or any other document that proves nationality) of Nationality B without leaving Japan, do the same as above.
Otherwise, if you will no longer have a valid passport from Nationality A by the time you come back to Japan, it would be best to ask your local immigration office for guidance. I took a quick look at [immigration’s web site](https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/procedures/index.html), and I couldn’t find anything talking about re-entering Japan with a different nationality, or changing your zairyu card information outside of Japan.