If you hold a residence card and you are leaving Japan for a holiday, a work trip or a family emergency, there is one thing standing between you and losing your status: a checkbox on a card at the airport.
It takes ten seconds and it is free. People still get it wrong, usually because nobody told them it existed.
What the Special Re-entry Permit is
A mid-to-long-term resident who intends to return within a year is granted a Special Re-entry Permit (みなし再入国許可, minashi sainyūkoku kyoka) automatically. There is no application, no immigration bureau visit and no fee. It exists precisely so ordinary travel does not require paperwork.
What it is not is automatic in the sense of requiring nothing from you. You have to declare it on departure.
At the airport
- Go to the departure immigration counter with your passport and your residence card. Carry the card — do not pack it.
- Complete the Embarkation and Disembarkation Card for Re-entrant (the ED card). These sit in racks near the counters.
- Tick the box declaring you are departing under the Special Re-entry Permit system. This is the step that matters. An unticked box means you have left as a departing resident, not a returning one.
- Hand over the card with your passport and residence card. The officer processes the departure record.
The one-year limit, and why it is unforgiving
The permit runs for one year from your departure date, or until your period of stay expires, whichever comes first. The second half is the one people miss. If your residence card expires in four months, you have four months, not twelve.
It cannot be extended while you are outside Japan. There is no consulate that can help, no form to file from abroad, no discretion available. If you do not re-enter in time, your status of residence ends — and with it your job contract position, your resident registration, your national health insurance and your bank account status.
The scenario that actually catches people is not a forgotten holiday. It is a family illness abroad that turns into a long stay, or a medical problem that stops them flying. If you are abroad and it is becoming clear you might not make it back, act while you still have weeks in hand.
When you need the paid permit instead
Planning to be away for more than a year — an overseas posting, a degree, a long sabbatical — means applying for a Re-entry Permit (再入国許可) at a regional immigration bureau before you leave. Unlike the special permit, this one costs money: ¥3,000 single-entry, ¥6,000 multiple-entry, and it can run up to five years, though never beyond your period of stay.
Apply for it in Japan, in person, before departure. It cannot be obtained afterwards.
Before you go
- Check the expiry date on your residence card, not just the calendar.
- Carry the residence card in hand luggage.
- If you have moved recently, make sure your address is registered — you re-enter as a resident of somewhere.
- If you are away over a billing cycle, arrange residence tax and insurance payments. Neither pauses because you are abroad, and unpaid statutory charges surface at your next visa renewal.
The phrases
- みなし再入国許可でお願いします。 — Minashi sainyūkoku kyoka de onegai shimasu. — I am departing under the Special Re-entry Permit.
- 一年以内に戻ります。 — Ichinen inai ni modorimasu. — I will return within a year.
- 再入国許可の申請をしたいです。 — Sainyūkoku kyoka no shinsei o shitai desu. — I would like to apply for a re-entry permit.
Where to confirm this
- Immigration Services Agency: Special Re-entry Permit system
- Our guide to renewing a residence card
- Our guide to ward office procedures on arrival
Guides are dated rather than undated: last reviewed 21 August 2026. This is an organisational aid, not legal or immigration advice — always confirm anything consequential with your ward office, the Immigration Services Agency, or a qualified professional.