RetireJapan

Went to the Tokyo Immigration center in Shinagawa today around 3pm, to renew Zairyu card. Massive queues out the door, one of the staff informed me it would be a 1-hour wait to get to 受付... According to that staff member, Wednesdays and Thursdays tend to be less busy, and the afternoon is a better time to go. But this is busy season so don't expect to just breeze in and out.

UPDATE 3.16 Went on Wednesday afternoon, 3pm. Wasn't any better. Queue for 20 mins to get inside, grab a ticket and wait 25 mins to be called, submit paperwork and wait another 40mins to pick up the new card which is exactly the same as the old one, and 10 mins scratching head wondering what the point of all that was.

RetireJapan wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2022 3:48 am

northSaver wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2022 3:46 am Probably a silly question, but is it possible to renew online or by post? Our "local" immigration office is not so near.

Believe it or not, this now seems to be possible! Assuming you have a MyNumber card and a smartphone smart enough to read it. It seems you could have done it from March. Why didn't they tell me in the renewal document they sent? Or on their website which I just checked before I made the trip? Would've saved me a five-hour round trip and an hour wait when I got there

Not sure if this is temporary due to the pandemic, because when I asked the staff about it they said it might not be available seven years from now when it's time to renew again. WTF?

More details here:

https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/ ... insei.html

northSaver wrote: ↑Mon Apr 04, 2022 5:40 am Believe it or not, this now seems to be possible! Assuming you have a MyNumber card and a smartphone smart enough to read it. It seems you could have done it from March. Why didn't they tell me in the renewal document they sent? Or on their website which I just checked before I made the trip? Would've saved me a five-hour round trip and an hour wait when I got there

Not sure if this is temporary due to the pandemic, because when I asked the staff about it they said it might not be available seven years from now when it's time to renew again. WTF?

More details here:

https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/ ... insei.html

Fantastic. My card expires in a couple of months, so I will try this. Going into the office is a 15m trip and 10m wait for me though

RetireJapan wrote: ↑Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:05 am Fantastic. My card expires in a couple of months, so I will try this. Going into the office is a 15m trip and 10m wait for me though

I see your Sendai card and play my Fukuoka one. 5 min trip.

Also: Unfortunately I don't think renewing just the card is one of the supported procedures - at least according to the official PR site - although applying for a renewal of residency status is.

adamu wrote: ↑Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:11 am
Also: Unfortunately I don't think renewing just the card is one of the supported procedures - at least according to the official PR site - although applying for a renewal of residency status is.

I finally got the card a few days ago. Primarily because the vaccination proof app in Japan requires it, and being served beer recently required vaccination proof (which I was not carrying).
Juminhyou from the convenience store is also useful, I guess.
Not sure what other delightful benefits are available.

There's the free 5000 points from the government. Starting June (July?) there's also an extra 7500 for using the MyNumberCard as your insurance card + receiving your pension through it.

(MyNaPoints is fake point earning. You just link it to your favorite point vendor like Rakuten or Paypay or whatever your CC uses and you get the points through absurdly low hurdles like a 25% earning rate)

adamu wrote: ↑Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:11 am Also: Unfortunately I don't think renewing just the card is one of the supported procedures - at least according to the official PR site - although applying for a renewal of residency status is.

Yeah, it is awfully vague. I agree that renewing the card might not be one of the options right now. We need someone to try it and report back!

I guess this explains the lady's confusing reply about it being available in seven years. Maybe she meant "Well, you can't do it right now, but in seven years... who knows?". I was a bit too frazzled to seek clarification at the time.

anybody knows if the Tokyo Immigration Center in Shinagawa has parking space for motorbikes or if there is one nearby ?

mikele3 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 07, 2022 3:46 am anybody knows if the Tokyo Immigration Center in Shinagawa has parking space for motorbikes or if there is one nearby ?

You can search bike parking lots here: https://www.jmpsa.or.jp/society/parking/

But I used to just park my scooter on the sidewalk around the corner from the immigration building and never had issues (though technically you could get ticketed). It is a pretty empty part of Tokyo so there is a lot of space.

beanhead wrote: ↑Mon Apr 04, 2022 9:20 am and being served beer recently required vaccination proof (which I was not carrying).

Don't mean to derail this thread, but whaaaa? Are you in Japan?