Keeping a visa while temporarily working abroad

3 comments

1. as long as you plan on re-entering around three months before your Visa expires it shouldn’t be an issue. when you leave the country just make sure to have a special re-entry permit which they give you at the airport.

2. Will your husband/wife remain here?

3. Because you intend to be gone >1 year you should remove yourself from the resident register by filing your moving out of Japan paper work (this unfortunately will require you to speak to your banks/brokers about this too. But shouldn’t be a problem as you intend to return) This is theory makes you not eligible for the 1 year special re-entry permit (although currently you can exploit it… although I would not recommend it. Only PRs can really get away with exploiting this (for now) because their residency goes unchecked where as work/spouse/LTR have to renew every 1/3/5 years which means submitting documents to immigration)

   But to do things correctly When does your spouse visa expire?

   Assuming it’s valid for the whole duration you plan to be outside Japan (>1 year but less than <2 years)

   Then just get a multiple re-entry permit from immigration in advance. It will cost ¥6,000 but it will legitimately enable you to come and go from Japan without having to register an address (as long as you don’t intend to return for >3 months). This multiple re-entry permit would be valid for 5 years OR when your spouse visa expires (which ever comes first): https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/procedures/16-5.html

   But if it expires within your intended time out of Japan then you should speak to immigration about that because you’re supposed to have a juminhyo (residing in Japan with your spouse visa supporting spouse) to renew the spouse visa.