Might be a dumb question! Long story short, leaving japan for good and planning to travel to Okinawa first before permanently exiting Japan to Korea. My understanding is, I am able to travel to Okinawa with my current unexpired working visa but prior leaving to Korea, I will need to inform Okinawa immigration that I will leaving for good, and pass my residence card for hole punching.
Can this exit strategy works? Or I need to inform Tokyo immigration about my status while leaving to Okinawa? Anything I need to know in regards of procedure?
Other background: Resigned from company, working visa until year 2027. Will inform city hall about my departure from Okinawa.
Thanks for the help!
5 comments
Didn’t make it very long did we
Youre not going through immigration at tokyo to go to okinawa… its a domestic flight.
Okinawa was under U.S. Military Government administration until the prefecture was returned to Japan in 1972
Prior to this you did indeed need a passport and visa to travel to mainland Japan, as immigration control systems were completely separate.
But I’m pleased to inform you that that was approximately 51 years ago – and now Okinawa belongs to Japan, and thus has the same Immigration agency.
So I’m again pleased to inform you that anything you tell the immigration authorities in Okinawa will indeed be known to immigration authorities in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan.
If you’re asking about how they’ll know you’re leaving for good?
That happens at the airport.
You show up, go to the immigration departures area, DO NOT fill out the re-entry card, head to the immigration officer counter.
You will either inform them you’re leaving Japan permanently or they may ask you.
You will surrender your residence card, and at that point they probably won’t hand it back.
(They didn’t hand back mine, but that was several years ago now may have changed – and we had “Certificate of Alien Registration” cards back then…)
That’s it.
Immigration now knows you’ve departed permanently.
I guess your question was answered but I want to let you know that thousands dream of a residence with that length
Do you want to get your retirement money that you put into the system back before leaving Japan?
If so you need to go to the Nenkin office and your local city office. To request forms and give your bank information so that you receive some reimbursement.