RResidents in Japan

Going through airport immigration as a family – which line should we stand in?

My wife, child, and I will be going out of the country and then returning to Japan about two weeks later. When we come back, which line should we stand in at immigration in the airport? None of us are Japanese, but my wife and son have permanent residency in Japan, while I’m still on a work visa. Do we need to split up into separate lines when going through immigration, or can we go through one of the lines together as a family? I would appreciate any advice you can provide. Thank you!

7 comments

  2. There are staff there at the entrance to the maze who can tell you.

    Last time I went through there were only two lines: Japanese and Non-Japanese.

  3. I’ve used the citizen lane with my Japanese wife. I’ve also used diplomatic lane in Malaysia and Vietnam when I was travelling for work. It’s a coin toss whether anyone cares and depends how cocky you are

  4. I just came through NRT over the weekend. There were several lines: SOFA/Permanent Residents, Japanese Citizens, Foreigners, and the special Face ID fast entry thing.

    There were staff there helping to point people in the right direction, so you can just ask if it’s alright for you to go into the PR line together.

    My other recommendation is just to switch to ‘robot mode’ in the airport. You’re going to get herded around like cattle a bit, so just disengage mentally and just go with the flow. Maybe even have an extra iphone battery so you’ve got entertainment while waiting for your covid test results, etc.

  5. Register for the automatic gates on the way out (~15 min process), and on the way back in enjoy empty lines.

  6. Unless they are special permanent residents then you should all queue at the re-entry visa holder queue. 再入国 I think..
    It’s always a quick queue.

  7. I always take my Japanese family through the re-entry line. It is (was? -in the before times) often quicker than the Japanese line.

    PR and work visa will go through the same re-entry line anyway…

Leave a Reply
— Previous article

Trip ideas?
Next article —

Interview at High school

You May Also Like