A quick question about travel

[BlueMonkE]

So, I've been in J-pan for about a year and a half, and hadn't planned on returning home for anything, but my parents bought me a plane ticket to see them over Christmas.

My question; what sort of preparation do I need to undertake? Do I need any special stamps on my passport or anything like that?

Thanks for the advice in advance!

[GomiGirl]

Question 1: Do you have a visa and what sort?
Question 2: When does it expire?
Question 3: Do you have a single or multiple rentry stamp in passport?

If you have a valid work visa in your passport, you will need to have a re-entry stamp in there as well to allow you back into the country.

A single one will just allow you a single re-entry, but most people get a multiple one so you don't have to keep trucking out to immigration every time you go on holidays or out of the country. If you don't have a valid rentry permit, you will not be allowed back in even if you have a valid visa.

Note that when you come back into the country on a rentry permit, you come in via the yellow line at immigration... ie not the green visitors line or the red Japanese nationals line but a special line just for rentry permit holders. Still have to give over your fingerprint and photo but the line is much faster than the visitor line.

BTW welcome aboard.

[maraboutslim]

If you don't have a valid rentry permit, you will not be allowed back in even if you have a valid visa.

Is this new? It used to be that you'd be allowed in, no problem. You're original visa is toast if you don't have the re-entry permit, but they'd just give you the usual 90 tourist visa they give anyone (from preferred nations) who shows up at Narita.

[FG Lurker]

Is this new? It used to be that you'd be allowed in, no problem. You're original visa is toast if you don't have the re-entry permit, but they'd just give you the usual 90 tourist visa they give anyone (from preferred nations) who shows up at Narita.

I assume they'd let him in with the 90day visa but his life in Japan would be seriously fucked up...

[maraboutslim]

Well, we don't know that because we don't even know what visa (if any) he had in the first place. We don't even know where he will be travelling to.

[omae mona]

Well, we don't know that because we don't even know what visa (if any) he had in the first place. We don't even know where he will be travelling to.

Unless he's in the country illegally, he has SOME visa (he stated he was here for a year and a half). Not sure it matters where he is travelling.

But BlueMonkE, you are not helping us to help you by staying silent.

[BlueMonkE]

[FG Lurker]

(3) No re-entry stamps yet. I guess I just go to the closest immigration office, probably Sendai, and ask for one (multiple) re-entry stamp?

Yes. It costs a few thousand yen and will take a bit of time. Could be as fast as 10 minutes if they are empty or as long as an hour or so if you have to wait forever.

[omae mona]

Yes. It costs a few thousand yen and will take a bit of time. Could be as fast as 10 minutes if they are empty or as long as an hour or so if you have to wait forever.

Also, single entry is 3,000 yen, and multiple re-entry is 6,000 yen. I think both have a 3-year time limit normally. Normally I would recommend getting the multiple-reentry if you plan to leave the country 2 times within 3 years.

But the law has changed, and sometime between 2010 and 2012 (the exact start date has not been decided yet) the new immigration system will go into effect. In the new system, you won't need a re-entry permit. So if you want to take a gamble that you won't be doing any more overseas travel before the new rules begin, save the money and get a single-entry permit.

[canman]

If you live in Iwate you can do it all in Morioka. They have a regional office there. Unless you are closer to Sendai. We used to have a branch here in Hachinohe, but the bastards closed it, so now anytime I need to do anything with immigration I have to trek down to Morioka, which is a real pain in the ass.

[FG Lurker]

I have to make the trek down to get my reentry permit before heading off for the holidays. I just found that you can download the form and fill it out before going to save yourself some time. They have it in Excel and PDF formats on this page.

I grabbed the Excel version and filled out most of it on the PC. Faster and tidier than my handwriting!

[CrankyBastard]

I have to make the trek down to get my reentry permit before heading off for the holidays. I just found that you can download the form and fill it out before going to save yourself some time. They have it in Excel and PDF formats on this page.

I grabbed the Excel version and filled out most of it on the PC. Faster and tidier than my handwriting!

Thanks for the link

[oyajikun]

Nice, thanks for sharing.

[FG Lurker]

Printed out the pre-filled sheet last night, circled the various yes/no options, and took that along with my passport and gaijin card down to Osaka's new immigration office this morning. Wish they hadn't put it way the hell out in the middle of nowhere but at least the parking is free. Close to the station too, if you come by train.

Bought the 6000yen revenue stamp at the Lawson's inside the building and was in and out of immigration within 5 minutes. A couple of hotties in there too, probably Korean JSL students.

Anyway, everything went super smooth, the pre-printed form was great!

[GomiGirl]

This is a new development I think. Thanks for the link FGL!! It is a huge help as there are a heap of other forms on there too for download.

[Yokohammer]

Wait ... this can't be right!

Efficiency in the Japanese bureaucracy?