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.

How it works:

1. You need a valid passport and a valid residence card.
2. At the airport, when you present these documents to the immigration officer, you fill out the Embarkation/Disembarkation (ED) card for re-entrants and tick the box indicating you intend to return under the special re-entry permission.
3. No advance application, no visit to an immigration bureau, and no fee.
4. You must re-enter Japan within 1 year of your departure date — or before your current period of stay expires, whichever comes sooner.

That last point trips people up constantly. If your work visa has only 8 months left when you leave, your special re-entry window is 8 months, not 12 — always "1 year or your remaining period of stay, whichever is shorter."

The catch that causes real damage: once you're outside Japan on a special re-entry permit, you cannot extend it. There is no process to request more time from abroad. If your window is about to close and you can't physically get back in time — a medical emergency, a natural disaster, a visa problem overseas — your status of residence simply lapses on the deadline. Plan your return with a real safety margin, not a same-day flight.

Because the special re-entry permit can be used every time you leave — no limit on how many separate trips, as long as each is 1 year or under — most residents never formally apply for a re-entry permit at all. You only need the regular permit below if a single continuous absence will run longer than 1 year, or longer than your remaining period of stay if that's shorter.

The regular re-entry permit — for longer absences

If you know a single trip abroad will last more than 1 year (a secondment, an extended sabbatical, caring for family overseas, or anything similar), you must apply for and receive a formal re-entry permit — sainyukoku kyoka (再入国許可) — before you leave Japan. You cannot apply for this from overseas once you've already departed.

Key facts:

• Two types: a single re-entry permit (valid for one round trip) and a multiple re-entry permit (valid for unlimited departures and returns within the validity period — useful if you expect to travel in and out repeatedly over a period longer than a year, such as frequent business travel tied to an overseas assignment).
• Maximum validity: up to 5 years for most residents, and up to 6 years for special permanent residents (zainichi tokubetsu eijusha), but the permit can never run longer than your remaining period of stay. If your visa has 2 years left, your re-entry permit is capped at 2 years regardless of the type you choose.
• Where to apply: at a regional immigration bureau, generally in person, before departure. Limited exceptions exist for applicants under 16, those unable to appear due to illness, and applications made through a registered attorney or administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi) acting as an authorized representative.
• Payment: by revenue stamp (shunyu inshi, 収入印紙), purchased at the immigration bureau or nearby, not by cash directly for the fee itself.
• Fee (current, since April 1, 2025): single re-entry permit — ¥4,000 at the counter or ¥3,500 applied online; multiple re-entry permit — ¥7,000 at the counter or ¥6,500 applied online. Before this April 2025 revision, the fees were ¥3,000 (single) and ¥6,000 (multiple).

Permanent residents (see our permanent residency guide) use the same regular re-entry permit system for any trip over 1 year, and the same 5-year cap applies to them as well.

Special vs Regular re-entry permit — at a glance

	Special (deemed) re-entry permit	Regular re-entry permit
Legal basis	Immigration Control Act Article 26 (special provision)	Immigration Control Act Article 26
When you use it	Any trip abroad of 1 year or less (and within your remaining period of stay)	Any single trip that will exceed 1 year, or exceed your remaining period of stay if shorter
How you apply	Tick a box on the ED card at departure — no advance application	Apply in person at a regional immigration bureau before you leave
Fee	None	¥4,000 window / ¥3,500 online (single); ¥7,000 window / ¥6,500 online (multiple)
Maximum length abroad	1 year, or your remaining period of stay if shorter	Up to 5 years (6 for special permanent residents), capped to your period of stay
Can it be extended from abroad?	No	Not a routine option — the permit is already issued for its full intended validity before you depart
Documents needed	Valid passport + valid residence card, presented at departure	Passport, residence card, application form, revenue stamp for the fee
Typical user	Anyone taking a home visit, holiday, or work trip under a year	Long secondments, extended overseas study or caregiving, frequent long-cycle business travel

What happens if you exceed the limit

This is not a fine or a paperwork delay — it is the loss of your status of residence. If you leave Japan without any re-entry permission, or fail to return within the window your permission allows (1 year for the special permit, up to 5–6 years for a regular permit), your status of residence and remaining period of stay lapse automatically once the deadline passes. Returning after that means applying for a brand-new visa and going through landing examination procedures as a first-time entrant — even after a decade in Japan.

Permanent residents face a second, separate risk. Losing PR status because a re-entry permit expired is one path. PR status can also be revoked under a different provision, Article 22-4 of the Immigration Control Act, if immigration authorities determine a person has lost their "base of living" in Japan — de facto living abroad rather than temporarily traveling, even within a valid permit's window. A 2024 amendment also added grounds for revoking PR status tied to willful non-payment of tax or social insurance, with detailed guidelines expected around 2027. A valid re-entry permit protects against an automatic status lapse, but it's not a guarantee against PR revocation if your actual residency has become questionable — worth professional advice, not just the permit paperwork, before an extended absence.

Long-departure checklist

If you're going to be outside Japan for an extended stretch — especially if you're using a regular re-entry permit — a few things back home need attention before you leave:

• Resident record (juminhyo, 住民票). Keeping your Japanese address and apartment during the trip usually means no deregistration is needed. Giving up your residence entirely means filing a moving-out notification. See our resident record guide for the exact process.
• National health insurance (kokumin kenko hoken, 国民健康保険). Tied to your address registration — keep your registered address and you typically keep paying premiums while away; deregister it and you need to formally cancel coverage. Don't assume a long trip pauses this automatically.
• Pension (nenkin) and the lump-sum withdrawal payment. If you permanently leave Japan, deregister your address, and had pension contributions, you may qualify for a one-time lump-sum withdrawal payment (dattai ichijikin, 脱退一時金) after departure — not while simply traveling temporarily. Full details in our pension refund guide.
• Resident tax (juminzei, 住民税) and exit paperwork. Your resident tax for a given year is fixed based on your registration as of January 1, regardless of when you leave. Our exit-tax and leaving-Japan guide covers the full sequence if you're departing for good rather than temporarily.
• Residence card. Confirm its expiry date lines up with your travel plans — a re-entry permit of either type cannot extend your card or period of stay past its own expiry. See our residence card guide for renewal timing.
• Mail and family members. Japan Post offers a renewable mail-forwarding service, and every family member on their own dependent or spouse visa needs their own re-entry permission — the same rules apply individually per residence card holder. See our spouse visa guide for how dependent status interacts with travel.

A note on 2026 fee changes

Japan's Immigration Services Agency has a large fee increase scheduled for October 1, 2026, covering change-of-status, period-of-stay-extension, and permanent residence applications — some PR fees rising as high as ¥200,000–¥300,000. That package is still in public comment as of this writing, and available reporting on its scope does not list re-entry permit fees as part of it — but fee schedules can change with little notice, so reconfirm the current fee before applying. If you're also due for a status renewal around the same time, our visa renewal and fee guide tracks the broader 2026 fee landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I stay outside Japan longer than one year on a special re-entry permit?

Your status of residence and remaining period of stay lapse automatically once the 1-year window (or your shorter remaining period of stay) closes. To return, you would need to apply for a new visa and go through the landing examination process again, as a first-time entrant rather than a returning resident.

Can I extend a special re-entry permit while I'm already abroad?

No. The special re-entry permit cannot be extended once you have left Japan. If you realize your return will slip past the deadline, your only realistic options are to get back before the deadline or, if that's genuinely impossible, to accept that your status of residence will lapse and plan for a fresh visa application.

Do I need to apply for anything before a short trip home?

If your trip is 1 year or less, and your current period of stay won't expire before you return, you don't need to apply for anything in advance. Just present a valid passport and valid residence card at departure and tick the re-entry box on the ED card.

How much does a regular re-entry permit cost?

As of April 2025, a single re-entry permit costs ¥4,000 at the immigration bureau counter or ¥3,500 if applied for online; a multiple re-entry permit costs ¥7,000 at the counter or ¥6,500 online. Fees are paid by revenue stamp, not cash directly.

Can permanent residents use the special re-entry permit too?

Yes. Permanent residents follow the same 1-year special re-entry rule for shorter trips and can apply for the regular re-entry permit — capped at 6 years rather than 5 — for longer ones. Permanent residents should also be aware that an extended absence can raise separate questions about their "base of living" in Japan under different provisions of the Immigration Control Act, independent of re-entry permit validity.

Does each family member need their own re-entry permission?

Yes. Re-entry permission is tied to an individual's own passport and residence card, so a spouse or child on a dependent or spouse visa each needs to handle their own special or regular re-entry permission separately, even if the family travels together.

What if I don't have a valid passport?

Foreign nationals who cannot obtain a valid passport — stateless individuals or others in comparable situations — can still be issued a regular re-entry permit through the immigration bureau. The passport-plus-residence-card path for the special re-entry permit does not apply in that case, so speak with the immigration bureau directly.

Is there a way to apply for a regular re-entry permit online?

Yes. Online application is available for the regular re-entry permit and carries a slightly lower fee than the counter (¥3,500 vs ¥4,000 single; ¥6,500 vs ¥7,000 multiple) — confirm current eligibility on the Immigration Services Agency's online application portal before relying on it.

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This article covers immigration procedures that directly affect your legal status of residence in Japan. Requirements, fees, and processing details can change, and individual circumstances (visa type, remaining period of stay, prior immigration history) vary. Before making travel plans that depend on re-entry permission, confirm current requirements directly with the Immigration Services Agency (isa.go.jp) or your regional immigration bureau, and consult a qualified immigration professional (gyoseishoshi or immigration attorney) for anything beyond a routine short trip.

Last updated: July 2026