Re-Entry Permit for Japan: Special (Deemed) vs Regular — Full Guide

Quick answer (30 seconds): If you hold a Japanese residence card and will be back within 1 year (and before your current period of stay ends), you almost always qualify for the free special re-entry permit — also called deemed re-entry permission — which just requires ticking a box on the departure card at the airport, no application needed. If your trip will run longer than 1 year, you must apply for a regular re-entry permit before you leave, which costs ¥4,000–¥7,000 depending on single or multiple use and is capped at 5 years (6 for special permanent residents). Leave Japan with neither, and your residence status is void the moment you walk through the departure gate.

Why this one form matters more than almost any other

Every long-term resident of Japan — work visa holders, spouse visa holders, permanent residents, students — eventually has a reason to fly home: a family emergency, a wedding, a job that keeps them overseas for a stretch, or just a long-overdue vacation. What most people don't realize is that under Japanese immigration law, simply leaving the country can, by default, cancel your residence status. Re-entry permission exists to prevent that. Get it right and it's invisible — tick a box and walk through immigration like normal. Get it wrong and you can arrive back in Japan to find your visa, your job authorization, and in the worst case your permanent residency, are gone.

This guide covers both systems: the free, automatic special re-entry permit that covers most trips, and the paid, formally-applied-for regular re-entry permit needed for longer absences.

The legal basis: Article 26

Re-entry permission is granted under Article 26 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. The principle is simple: if a foreign resident leaves Japan without permission to re-enter, their status of residence and remaining period of stay lapse at the moment of departure. To come back, they would need to apply for a fresh visa and go through landing examination procedures again from scratch — the same process as someone who has never lived in Japan.

Re-entry permission, in either of its two forms below, is what keeps your existing status of residence, remaining period of stay, and residence card intact while you're physically outside the country.

The special (deemed) re-entry permit — what almost everyone should use

The special re-entry permit — officially minashi sainyukoku kyoka (再入国許可) — was introduced on July 9, 2012 as part of a revision to the Immigration Control Act, and it is now the default path for the great majority of departures.