Hi All!
So, I’m using a throwaway a/c for privacy reasons.
I have lived in Japan under a spousal visa for almost 2 years and left a few months ago. I have recently naturalized as a citizen of another country. My zairyu card, from the look of things, will expire while I am still in said country because of work related projects that are making it hard to leave. I work remotely while living in Japan.
My re-entry permit is in my country of birth’s passport. I can no longer use that passport, because my birth country doesn’t allow dual citizenship. The validity of that passport is now under 6 months, so airline carriers won’t even allow me to use it in any case.
However, my naturalized country’s passport allows me 90 days visa free entry into Japan as a tourist. I hope that gives a bit of background context.
My questions are:
Can I apply for an extension of my zairyu card online? (I saw this mentioned in another post from 2 months back). Then either leave it be till the next renewal or go to my local immigration office and get an updated card with my new citizenship?
OR:
Can I return under the tourist entry route and just go to my local immigration office to get a new zairyu card? My in-laws said they just need my new passport to update the Koseki with my new nationality, I don’t know if that makes it easier?
COE was a huge pain point the last time, so it’s a kinda the last resort, but I am just exploring other what-ifs.
Thank you in advance for your input.
4 comments
You should ask immigration. If you lost your original citizenship then you can apply to change it. They’ll need proof you abandoned your original citizenship. Maybe you can cite your country law, ask immigration to confirm what you need. Otherwise you might need to do it all over again.
If your zairyu card, and therefore status of residence, expires while you’re out of country then I’m fairly sure you’ll have to apply for a new spouse visa and CoE. Your other option is returning to extend it before it expires.
Pretty damn sure you need a new COE.
The change of nationality and passport is not a big deal, but if the zairyu card expires, you will no longer be a resident. You’ll need to start from scratch with a new CoE.