I received last than a year ago a Permanent Resident visa. Since then, however, I got a proposal for a job abroad (not for a Japanese company) and therefore I am considering leaving Japan for a while. So my question is the following : Is my visa essentially allowing me to come back to Japan whenever I want and is valid regardless of where I live for several years?
My concern is not really about being able to flight in Japan (there are almost zero chance I stay over the time as a tourist if I do not work and if I do, I will got a sponsorship) but in the case I want to make a loan for buying an apartment if I decide to come back, I know the permanent residency visa will be necessary.
Has anybody ever been in this situation?
6 comments
the permanent resident status of residence (not a visa) is permanent as long as you stay in Japan or show intent to stay in Japan.
you’ll need to get a re entry permit for 5 years if you want to come back on the same status, and make sure your residence card doesn’t expire while you’re abroad. no idea if you would still need to continue paying pension or Insurance while you’re away maybe somebody else can answer that.
Just apply for a reentry permit and it will be ok. You’ll have to renew your card after 7 years, don’t forget it.
Edit: “SPECIAL” re-entry permit, according to the 20 first links of Google.
You need to get a re-entry permit and re-enter Japan at least once every 5 years. Also will have to return in case your resident card is expiring.
So in other words, you can’t leave and never come back but the length of time they give you is long enough to where it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Permanent Residency is meant to let you remain a resident permanently. If you move elsewhere, you’re no longer a resident and you gave up your end of the bargain.
Now, for many situations, that is too harsh, so you can get various kinds of re-entry permits for either short term stays under a year or long-term stays. The long term is meant for e.g. if your Japanese employer needs you to work at an office abroad for a few years, you need to study abroad for a fixed term, or you need to take care of a sick relative. In all cases you’re supposed to have a planned return to Japan in mind.
The intent for Permanent Residency is not that you get it and then move somewhere else and then go “ehh maybe I’d prefer moving back to Japan some time”
That said, in violation of that intent, there are many stories of people who visit once a year to reset the short-term re-entry permit, or people who use the long-term re-entry permit like that. But this is a facade that you need to maintain with immigration if they ask any questions (which, they may not. there are many examples)
Like others said, you will need the 5 years reentry permit if you were to leave Japan and make sure you come back before the reentry permit expired.
But contrary to popular belief, your residence card expiry date doesn’t matter. Your residence card may expired when you’re aboard, but your reentry permit may not.
Source: I have discussed this straight with the immigration helping a PR friend that lives aboard and just came to Japan right before his reentry permit expired. His residence card has been expired earlier but he could arrive back here and went to shinagawa to renew both his residence card and the reentry permit again.
See section 3 https://www.moj.go.jp/content/001291262.pdf