PR - Successful Application!

[goran]

...Also, completely bypassing the once in 5 year visit to the immigration bureau for new residence card, then to the ward office to renew my number card. but what else?

The visa does not expire, but the residence card does expire and needs renewal.
I don’t know whether you can get your pension payments refunded if you keep your PR. That can be quite an amount, 5 years of pension payments.

Soft benefits are plenty, banks/loans, rental for private and business etc.

Thank you for adding on the positives of the PR.
Yes, the residence card needs a renewal once in 7 years, I think. (and from what I heard, it is only updating with your recent photos. No other submissions required)

For pension payments refund, in my case, I have been here for slightly more than 6 years now, so the only pension I expect is after my actual retirement, when I am over 65 or whatever the limit is at that time) But I see your point, people with under 5 years in Japan and thinking of applying for PR need to consider this too.

[Tkydon]

...Also, completely bypassing the once in 5 year visit to the immigration bureau for new residence card, then to the ward office to renew my number card. but what else?

The visa does not expire, but the residence card does expire and needs renewal.
I don’t know whether you can get your pension payments refunded if you keep your PR. That can be quite an amount, 5 years of pension payments.

Soft benefits are plenty, banks/loans, rental for private and business etc.

If you are outside Japan, you have to visit Immigration in Japan every 5 years to renew your (Multiple) Re-Entry Permit. It is possible to extend for an additional one year whilst overseas, up to a maximum of 4 years, under extenuating circumstances, such as COVID, but you cannot count on being granted an extension. It would be best to renew your Zairyu Card at the same time, which has to be renewed every 7 years.

If your Zairyu Card expires whilst overseas, as a PR it is not such a big deal, and you can come back with a valid Re-Entry Permit and an expired Zairyu Card, and renew it immediately on your return, but if your Re-Entry Permit expires, you PR is cancelled, your Juminhyo is cancelled, and you would have to apply for a new Visa, starting over. This happened to a lot of people during COVID, and it was very difficult to reinstate PR.

You cannot apply for the Lump-Sum Pension Refunded if you keep your PR.
You have to completely surrender your right to remain, complete all Japan Exit Procedures, including taxes, surrender your Zairyu Card, and then, if you have been here for less than 10 years, don't yet qualify for a Japanese Pension, and have never claimed any kind of pension or disability, you can claim the refund of up to 5 years' contributions, either immediately before leaving or after you have left. Any contributions over 5 years become irretrievably forfeited.
The Basic Pension Refund will be paid out in full, Tax Free, but the Employee Pension Part - Kosei Nenkin - will be subject to Withholding Tax, which you or your Tax Representative can then claim back at the next Kakutei Shinkoku, after you have left the country.

https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/ ... iles/A.pdf

[Roger Van Zant]

I have a question to add to all of this.

I'll be visiting the UK this October, and so at my departing airport I'll fill in the little card like always and have immigration staple it in my passport.
I believe this card is a one-year re-entry permit?

Even though I intend to return to Japan after just two weeks in the UK, what's to stop me getting a multiple re-entry permit, valid for five years?

Who knows what could happen during my two weeks in the UK? Another pandemic, escalation of Ukraine war etc., potentially preventing me from returning to Japan. I would hate to lose my PR simply because I opted for a one-year re-entry permit instead of a five-year one.

Is the process to get a five-year re-entry permit arduous or expensive or something?
Can it not be done at airport immigration as you pass through, as with the one year re-entry permit?

Why wouldn't any PR holder exiting Japan, even just for a week or two, play it safe and get a five-year re-entry permit?

[RetireJapan]

Why wouldn't any PR holder exiting Japan, even just for a week or two, play it safe and get a five-year re-entry permit?

Yes: https://www.retirejapan.com/blog/immigration-stuff/

[Roger Van Zant]

Why wouldn't any PR holder exiting Japan, even just for a week or two, play it safe and get a five-year re-entry permit?

Yes: https://www.retirejapan.com/blog/immigration-stuff/

a successful defense of my refusal to fill in the more stupid bits of the form

How did you convince them of this?
I can totally see this being an issue at my local, piss-poor immigration office, staffed entirely by robot-humans!

and remembered that I should maybe get my permanent resident sticker moved into my new passport
When I tried to do the same at my immigration office, nobody knew what I was talking about / trying to do. They just said it wasn't necessary to move the sticker. Huh? I still feel like this might come back to bite me in the ass in the future.

Losing my PR would count as a catastrophic result for me, so weighed against that 6,000 yen is trivial.
100% agree. I was always wondering why every single PR holder wouldn't do this as a matter of course.

[TokyoBoglehead]

Why wouldn't any PR holder exiting Japan, even just for a week or two, play it safe and get a five-year re-entry permit?

Yes: https://www.retirejapan.com/blog/immigration-stuff/

a successful defense of my refusal to fill in the more stupid bits of the form

How did you convince them of this?
I can totally see this being an issue at my local, piss-poor immigration office, staffed entirely by robot-humans!

and remembered that I should maybe get my permanent resident sticker moved into my new passport
When I tried to do the same at my immigration office, nobody knew what I was talking about / trying to do. They just said it wasn't necessary to move the sticker. Huh? I still feel like this might come back to bite me in the ass in the future.

Losing my PR would count as a catastrophic result for me, so weighed against that 6,000 yen is trivial.
100% agree. I was always wondering why every single PR holder wouldn't do this as a matter of course.

Is that sticker still a thing? There was Zero mention of it when I applied, and upon receiving PR.... no mention of it.

[Tkydon]

I have a question to add to all of this.

I'll be visiting the UK this October, and so at my departing airport I'll fill in the little card like always and have immigration staple it in my passport.
I believe this card is a one-year re-entry permit?

Only if you tick the box. If you don't have a Re-Entry Permit, and you don't tick the box, they will assume you are leaving Japan for good and take your Zaryu Card.

Even though I intend to return to Japan after just two weeks in the UK, what's to stop me getting a multiple re-entry permit, valid for five years?

Nothing. A Multiple Re-Entry Permit is highly recommended, as you never know what might happen... Like COVID...

Who knows what could happen during my two weeks in the UK? Another pandemic, escalation of Ukraine war etc., potentially preventing me from returning to Japan. I would hate to lose my PR simply because I opted for a one-year re-entry permit instead of a five-year one.

This is exactly what happened to many when the country was closed for COVID and they all lost their PR. It was then quite arduous to get their PR reinstated...

Is the process to get a five-year re-entry permit arduous or expensive or something?
Can it not be done at airport immigration as you pass through, as with the one year re-entry permit?

A visit to Imigration and Y6,000... At the same time you can register to be able to use the Automated Gates... Also highly recommended...
https://www.hk.emb-japan.go.jp/files/000136554.pdf

Why wouldn't any PR holder exiting Japan, even just for a week or two, play it safe and get a five-year re-entry permit?

Absolutely agree.

and remembered that I should maybe get my permanent resident sticker moved into my new passport
When I tried to do the same at my immigration office, nobody knew what I was talking about / trying to do. They just said it wasn't necessary to move the sticker. Huh? I still feel like this might come back to bite me in the ass in the future.

This is not actually necessary. The PR Stamp in the Passport is only temporary until you get registered at an address and have your Zairyu Card issued, and from that point on, your PR Status is expressed by your Zairyu Card. This is not the case for the (Multiple) Re-Entry Permit, for which you will have a stamp in your passport.

Losing my PR would count as a catastrophic result for me, so weighed against that 6,000 yen is trivial.
100% agree. I was always wondering why every single PR holder wouldn't do this as a matter of course.

Absolutely agree. One of my friends actually did lose his PR due to expiry of his Special Re-Entry Permit, and getting PR reinstated was very arduous.

Is that sticker still a thing? There was Zero mention of it when I applied, and upon receiving PR.... no mention of it.

You have to apply separately than PR.
Either you tick the Special Re-Entry Permit Box on the Departure Card, valid for up to 1 year (cannot be extended), or you apply at Immigration for a Single Re-Entry Permit, Y3,000, or Multiple Re-Entry Permit, Y6,000, both valid for 5 years (and can be extended overseas for an additional year in special extenuating circumstances), and get the Re-Entry Permit Sticker in your passport. You do have to have a planned (first) departure date for them to issue the Re-Entry Permit...

[Roger Van Zant]

Thank you for the above reply.

Only if you tick the box. If you don't have a Re-Entry Permit, and you don't tick the box, they will assume you are leaving Japan for good and take your Zaryu Card.

This confuses me. I thought the card you pick up when you go through immigration was the re-entry permit?
But it's actually a "departure card" which only becomes a one-year re-entry permit when you tick the box?

I have a departure date already fixed in October, so I'm planning a visit to the immigration office some time before then to try and get a 5-year multiple re-entry permit. I hope they let me without any silliness, like Ben encountered.

[Roger Van Zant]

Can someone tell me what the correct Japanese is for "five-year mulitple re-entry permit"?

[Tkydon]

Thank you for the above reply.

Only if you tick the box. If you don't have a Re-Entry Permit, and you don't tick the box, they will assume you are leaving Japan for good and take your Zaryu Card.

This confuses me. I thought the card you pick up when you go through immigration was the re-entry permit?
But it's actually a "departure card" which only becomes a one-year re-entry permit when you tick the box?

I have a departure date already fixed in October, so I'm planning a visit to the immigration office some time before then to try and get a 5-year multiple re-entry permit. I hope they let me without any silliness, like Ben encountered.

Ah, I see they changed the wording on the Departure Card. It used to say "Special Re-Entry Permit"...
Now it says, "I am leaving Japan temporarily and will return", and "Intended Period out of Japan - Within 1 year, Over 1 year, but within 2 years, or Over 2 years." It is only valid for the "Special Re-Entry Permit" if you select "Within 1 year".
If you select "Over 1 year, but within 2 years", or "Over 2 years", then you must have a Re-Entry Permit issued by Immigration.

No problem. Just go up to the Uketsuke Counter on the way in, get the Re-Entry Permit Application Form, Sai-Nyukoku Kyoka Shinseisho - 再入国許可申請書, purchase the Y6,000 Revenue Stamp from the Convenience Store, or where ever they sell the Revenue Stamps, tick the 'Multiple' Tick Box on the form, and go to the relevant counter with your Passport and Zairyu Card...

https://www.sf.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ ... 01_08.html

And then go to the next counter to apply for the Automated Gates...
https://www.hk.emb-japan.go.jp/files/000136554.pdf