Even if you hold permanent residence (永住者), you need a re-entry permit (再入国許可, valid for up to 5 years) before you leave Japan if you will be away for more than one year. This concerns people who will be away for a long time for family reasons or work in their home country, families considering sending their children to school in their home country, and company staff whose employees or their families return home for a long period. Apply before you leave, at the regional immigration office that covers your place of residence. The fee is 4,000 yen for a single re-entry permit and 7,000 yen for a multiple re-entry permit, and the permit is issued on the day you apply.
Permanent residents often ask us whether they are free to leave and return whenever they like. Permanent residence, however, is a status built on living in Japan. If the deadline passes while you are outside the country, the status is lost.
Up to one year, a deemed re-entry permit is enough
If you hold a valid passport and a residence card (在留カード) and you leave Japan temporarily intending to return, it is enough to state that intention at the airport when you depart. This is called a deemed re-entry permit (みなし再入国許可). According to the Immigration Services Agency, you tick the box on the embarkation and disembarkation card for re-entry (再入国EDカード) that shows you intend to return after a temporary departure, present it to the immigration inspector, and state that you wish to depart with a deemed re-entry permit.
The period of validity is one year from the date of departure (two years for special permanent residents). If your period of stay expires before one year has passed from the date of departure, you must re-enter by that expiry date. Permanent residents have no expiry date for their period of stay, so in practice the deadline is one year from the date of departure.
The following persons cannot use a deemed re-entry permit:
- Persons granted a period of stay of "3 months" or less, and persons with the "Temporary Visitor" status
- Persons subject to procedures for revocation of residence status
- Persons subject to withholding of departure confirmation
- Persons who have been issued a written detention order
- Persons with the "Designated Activities" status whose application for recognition of refugee status is pending
- Persons whom the Minister of Justice finds to require a re-entry permit, for example because of a risk of harm to the interests or public security of Japan
For more than one year, obtain a re-entry permit before you leave
If you plan to be away for more than one year, apply for a re-entry permit before you leave. The period of validity is decided within the range of your current period of stay, up to a maximum of 5 years (6 years for special permanent residents). Permanent residents have no expiry date for their period of stay, so the period is decided within the 5-year maximum.
There are two types: a permit valid for a single re-entry, and a permit valid for multiple re-entries. If you expect to travel in and out several times, choose the multiple re-entry permit.
| Deemed re-entry permit | Re-entry permit | |
|---|---|---|
| Procedure | State your intention at the airport on departure | Apply at the immigration office before departure |
| Validity | 1 year from departure (2 years for special permanent residents) | Up to 5 years (6 years for special permanent residents) |
| Fee | None | 4,000 yen (single) / 7,000 yen (multiple) |
| Extension from abroad | Not possible | May be discussed at a Japanese embassy or consulate |
In practice:
- Where to apply: the regional immigration office (地方出入国在留管理官署) that covers your place of residence
- Documents: application form for a re-entry permit, residence card or special permanent resident certificate, passport
- Fee: 4,000 yen (single) or 7,000 yen (multiple), paid with revenue stamps. Online application is possible only together with an application to change your status, extend your period of stay, or acquire a status; in that case the fee is 3,500 yen (single) or 6,500 yen (multiple)
- Standard processing time: the same day
- Who may apply: the applicant, an authorised agent such as a notified gyoseishoshi lawyer (行政書士), or a relative for a person under 16
Being busy at work, or commuting to work or school, is not accepted as a reason for being "unable to appear in person for other reasons". If you cannot go yourself, the application must be filed by someone who is allowed to act as an agent.
What happens if you do not return in time
A residence card becomes invalid when the holder departed with a re-entry permit and did not re-enter within its period of validity. The card must be returned to the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency within 14 days from the date it became invalid. The same applies to a special permanent resident certificate.
In other words, once the deadline passes, your status as a permanent resident does not remain. The years you lived in Japan and the taxes and social insurance you paid cannot simply be carried over. To live in Japan again, you would have to start from the immigration procedures once more. Treat the one-year or five-year deadline not as "fine as long as I return by then", but as "after this, I cannot return".
If your plans change after you have left
This is the point that is most often misunderstood.
If you departed with a deemed re-entry permit, its period of validity cannot be extended abroad. The Immigration Services Agency states this clearly in its Q&A. "I meant to return within a year, but I would like one more year" does not work.
If you departed with a re-entry permit, you may be able to ask a Japanese embassy or consulate general abroad to extend the period of validity. According to the guidance of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, an extension is possible within 7 years from the date the permit was granted for special permanent residents, and within 6 years from that date for other statuses of residence. The permit cannot be extended beyond your period of stay. The documents are your passport, the application form for extension (you must write your reason for requesting it), materials supporting that reason, and a copy of your residence card or special permanent resident certificate.
Whether an extension is granted depends on the reason. It is not something to build your plans around. Think about whether you can return within 5 years at the time you leave, and if you are unsure, it is safer to obtain a multiple re-entry permit for 5 years.
What families often overlook when returning home together
The most common situation we see is a family whose members do not all hold the same status.
- The parents and the older children are permanent residents, but the youngest child is not yet (for example "Dependent" or "Long-Term Resident")
- A permanent residence application is still being prepared
A child who is not a permanent resident risks losing their residence status if they stay outside Japan for a long time. In that case you need to check, for each person rather than for the family as a whole, which permit should be obtained.
In addition, permanent residence requires that you have been living in Japan "continuously". A long absence may be treated as breaking that continuity, so if you are planning to apply for permanent residence, please talk to us before you leave. Simply changing the order of the steps can change the outcome.
What the company should check
When you hear that an employee or their family will return home for a long period, checking these three points before departure prevents the accident of not being able to come back.
- Whether the absence will exceed one year (if so, a re-entry permit is needed before departure)
- Whether a re-entry permit was obtained, and when it expires (keep a copy at the company)
- The residence status and its expiry date for each family member travelling with them
Social insurance, resident registration and payroll also have to be decided, separately from the immigration procedures. Please ask us about those at the same time.
As a permanent resident, do I really need a re-entry permit?
Yes, in some cases. If you will be away for one year or less, a deemed re-entry permit is enough: carry your residence card and passport and state your intention on departure. If you will be away for more than one year, obtain a re-entry permit before you leave.
With a residence card, can I stay outside Japan for as many years as I like?
No. When you leave with a residence card, the validity is one year from the date of departure. If you do not re-enter within that period, the residence card becomes invalid and your status as a permanent resident does not remain.
Can I extend the one year of a deemed re-entry permit from abroad?
No. The Immigration Services Agency Q&A states that a person who departed with a deemed re-entry permit cannot extend its validity overseas. If you may be away for more than a year, obtain a re-entry permit before you leave.
How long does a re-entry permit take?
The standard processing time is the same day. You apply at the regional immigration office that covers your place of residence with the application form, your residence card and your passport. The fee is 4,000 yen (single) or 7,000 yen (multiple).
What should I do if I cannot return before the deadline?
If you departed with a re-entry permit, you may be able to ask the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your area to extend the period of validity. It is not always granted, so ask well before the deadline approaches. If you departed with a deemed re-entry permit, no extension is possible.
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, "Re-entry Permit (Article 26 of the Immigration Control Act)"
- Immigration Services Agency, "Deemed Re-entry Permit (Article 26-2)"
- Immigration Services Agency, "Application for Re-entry Permit" (documents, fees, processing time)
- Immigration Services Agency, "Q&A on immigration and residence examination"
- Immigration Services Agency, "Return of residence cards and special permanent resident certificates"
- Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, "Extension of the validity of a re-entry permit"
This article summarises and explains material published by the Immigration Services Agency and Japanese diplomatic missions as of 21 October 2026, prepared by ANDCEED Gyoseishoshi Office. Details of the system and the fees can change, so please check the latest guidance of the Immigration Services Agency when you file an application.