Traveling Abroad as a resident in Japan: re-entry permission

Have you ever heard of Japan’s re-entry permission? If you’re planning on traveling abroad while living in Japan, you might want to know more about the re-entry permit for Japan.

Traveling through Asia or just going back home to visit family, a holder of a Residence Card might question if they would need any permissions to leave the country (to come back, of course). Rest easy, in various cases, there is no need to apply for a permit before you’re actually at the airport talking to the immigration officer. So let’s get into it!

Re-entry within a year

Let’s say you are a Working Holiday visa holder and want to visit Thailand for a few days to enjoy the summer. Because the period you’ll be out of Japan is within 1 year, and you are a resident, there is no need to apply for a permit. However, at the airport, you’ll receive a slip to fill out with a few information. It is called the Embarkation Card for Foreign Nationals. You must state your intention of coming back to Japan by checking the box on the re-entry permission slip as shown below.

Important: It is mandatory to inform them you’ll be back before you leave the country, since there is no way of applying for the re-entry permission after leaving Japan.

There’ll be a staff member guiding visitors and residents before they go through the Security Screening Checkpoint (those gates where airport staff check your documents before the gates).

That is your moment to get the re-entry permission slip and fill it out with your information. The staff at the checkpoint will stick it in your passport for when you return to the country.

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