The visa as in, the full-page visa sticker, or the date on the landing permission sticker?
The former is just the day you need to enter Japan by.
Your visa allows you entrance into the country and is usually one time only.
Your residence card shows your status of residence and is your permission to actually be in Japan. You need to either renew or leave Japan before your status of residence expires
**Unlike most other countries** in the context of Japanese immigration, a visa is glued into your passport and is **only used to enter the country once** (and for a visa that grants residency at which point you are issued a residency card on entering the country). The expiry date on the visa in your passport is the last date it can be used to enter the country and receive a residency card. Once your have received your residency card, the visa dates no longer matter.
You can not “renew” a visa or “change” a visa. Usually when people talk about that what they actually are talking about is extending their period of stay or changing their residency status. **Since the Japanese usage of the word “visa” is contrary to pretty much every other country, most people on this reddit (including articles in the wiki) will use “visa” to refer to the status of residency. This is technically wrong, try not to get confused by it.**
One rare exception is the “Multiple Entry” visa. If you have one of these you can give up your residency card and return and receive a new one until the expiry date.
Residency card (Zairyu card) —– Once you have arrived with a valid visa, or changed your status from tourist (with a landing permit) to a resident status, you will receive a residency card. From now on, this is the only thing that matters, and the visa glued into your passport has been consumed and means nothing anymore.
As others have noted, the Visa allows you to enter Japan while the residency card allows you to live in Japan. You need to renew your residency card within the time frame indicated and you need to extend your visa later when it gets close to expiration. You need to keep both up to date.
4 comments
The visa as in, the full-page visa sticker, or the date on the landing permission sticker?
The former is just the day you need to enter Japan by.
Your visa allows you entrance into the country and is usually one time only.
Your residence card shows your status of residence and is your permission to actually be in Japan.
You need to either renew or leave Japan before your status of residence expires
https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/wiki/immigration-terminology/
Visa
—–
**Unlike most other countries** in the context of Japanese immigration, a visa is glued into your passport and is **only used to enter the country once** (and for a visa that grants residency at which point you are issued a residency card on entering the country). The expiry date on the visa in your passport is the last date it can be used to enter the country and receive a residency card. Once your have received your residency card, the visa dates no longer matter.
You can not “renew” a visa or “change” a visa. Usually when people talk about that what they actually are talking about is extending their period of stay or changing their residency status. **Since the Japanese usage of the word “visa” is contrary to pretty much every other country, most people on this reddit (including articles in the wiki) will use “visa” to refer to the status of residency. This is technically wrong, try not to get confused by it.**
One rare exception is the “Multiple Entry” visa. If you have one of these you can give up your residency card and return and receive a new one until the expiry date.
Residency card (Zairyu card)
—–
Once you have arrived with a valid visa, or changed your status from tourist (with a landing permit) to a resident status, you will receive a residency card. From now on, this is the only thing that matters, and the visa glued into your passport has been consumed and means nothing anymore.
As others have noted, the Visa allows you to enter Japan while the residency card allows you to live in Japan. You need to renew your residency card within the time frame indicated and you need to extend your visa later when it gets close to expiration. You need to keep both up to date.