If you do not have your residence card (在留カード) with you, you cannot leave Japan with a “Special Re-entry Permit” (みなし再入国許可). If you are going home temporarily, get a re-entry permit (再入国許可) before you leave, at the counter of the Regional Immigration Services Bureau (地方出入国在留管理官署; “regional immigration office”) that covers the area where you live. The fee is paid with revenue stamps (収入印紙) when the permit is granted: 4,000 yen for a single re-entry permit and 7,000 yen for a multiple re-entry permit.
A common situation is when the examination of your extension or change application, submitted as an online application, has finished and you are waiting to receive your new residence card by mail. This article explains, step by step, how to get a re-entry permit and what happens from before departure until you return and receive your card.
The official information was checked on the pages of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁; ISA) on October 19, 2026.
Can you leave Japan without your residence card? You cannot use the Special Re-entry Permit
In short, without your residence card you can still leave Japan itself, but you cannot leave with a Special Re-entry Permit.
The Special Re-entry Permit is a system that lets you leave without getting a re-entry permit if you depart with a valid passport and residence card and return within 1 year from the day of departure (or by the expiration date of your period of stay, if that comes first). The ISA explains that the law requires you to carry a valid residence card to leave with a Special Re-entry Permit.
If you leave without a re-entry permit (including a Special Re-entry Permit), your status of residence and period of stay are lost. To come to Japan again, you would have to obtain a visa (査証) or a Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書; COE) again and go through the landing procedures from the beginning.
A typical situation in which you no longer have your card is receiving the new card by mail after an online application. After the examination completion email arrives, you send a return Letter Pack and the original of your current residence card (and, for Specified Skilled Worker and some others, the designation document) to the Odaiba Branch Office of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau. Until the new card arrives, you do not have a card with you. During this time, you are advised to carry a copy of your current card and your passport. The mail-receipt process is explained in detail in How to specify the issue date (permission date) of your card when receiving your residence card by mail.
The ISA’s examination completion email states that if you suddenly need to leave Japan while you do not have your card, you must get a re-entry permit at the regional immigration office that has jurisdiction over your place of residence. For the procedures if you have lost your card, see What is a residence card?.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Notice on completion of examination”, Immigration Services Agency, “Online residence procedures: FAQ” Q5-8, Q6-3, Q6-5, Immigration Services Agency, “Special Re-entry Permit”, Immigration Services Agency, “Re-entry Permit”)
The overall flow before and after departure
When you do not have your card, a temporary trip home goes in the following 4 steps. The numbers in the figure match the numbers in the headings below.
Sources: Created by the editorial team (Immigration Services Agency, “Application for Re-entry Permit” (https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/immigration/procedures/16-5.html), “Notice on completion of examination” (https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/11_00108.html), “Online residence procedures: FAQ” (https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/online/online-QA.html))
Step 1 Preparation before departure: plan your dates and gather what to bring
First, check by when you need to return to Japan. If you have applied for an extension or change, you must re-enter Japan and receive the permission by the day on which 2 months have passed from the expiration date of your period of stay. If 2 months pass from the expiration date without your having received the residence card, you can no longer stay in Japan. Plan your schedule including the days needed to receive the card after you return.
The counter accepts applications on weekdays only. If you leave on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, decide in advance which weekday before that you will go.
Bring the following:
- Application for Re-entry Permit (you can print it from the ISA website)
- Passport
- Residence card (to be shown)
- Fee payment form and revenue stamps (paid when the permit is granted)
If you are in the middle of receiving your card by mail and have sent the original, you cannot show your card. The ISA website does not say what to bring in this case. Prepare a copy of your card, the examination completion email (showing your application reception number), and your passport, and before you go, check with the regional immigration office for your place of residence or the Immigration Information Center (外国人在留総合インフォメーションセンター; 0570-013904).
There are two types of re-entry permit: “single” and “multiple” (can be used any number of times). If you are going home only once, choose single; if you plan to leave and return several times, choose multiple. The validity period is up to 5 years, within your current period of stay.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Application for Re-entry Permit”, Immigration Services Agency, “Notice on completion of examination”, Immigration Services Agency, “Online residence procedures: FAQ” Q4-18)
Step 2 Apply for a re-entry permit at the counter of the regional immigration office for your place of residence
Apply before you leave Japan, at the counter of the regional immigration office that has jurisdiction over your place of residence. The key points are in the table below.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | The Regional Immigration Services Bureau that has jurisdiction over your place of residence |
| When to apply | Before leaving Japan |
| Reception hours | Weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (some procedures have set days and times) |
| Standard processing period | Same day |
| Fee | Paid with revenue stamps when the permit is granted: 4,000 yen for single, 7,000 yen for multiple |
“Same day” is the standard processing period. Go with plenty of time to spare.
If you cannot go yourself, an employee of a company or support organization approved as an application agent, a gyoseishoshi lawyer or attorney qualified as an application agent, or your legal representative can apply for you. For application agents, see How to get the Application Agent Certificate. If you are under 16 years old or cannot go because of illness or similar reasons, a relative or a person living with you can also apply. Being busy at work, or commuting to work or school, is not accepted as a reason for not going yourself.
The immigration bureau’s internal standards (Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines; 入国・在留審査要領) state that if you have to leave suddenly and do not have time to apply at the office with jurisdiction, an office outside your jurisdiction may accept the application. If this may apply to you, first consult them by phone.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Application for Re-entry Permit”, Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines, Part 10 (documents disclosed through an information disclosure request))
Key points for filling out the Application for Re-entry Permit
On the first page of the application, items 8 to 13 relate to your departure plans. See A to D in the image.
Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Application for Re-entry Permit”
- A Residence card number (8): Fill this in even if you do not have the card with you. Check the number on the copy of your card.
- B Purpose of travel and intended destination country (9, 10): For a temporary trip home, mark the option that applies, such as “visiting relatives.”
- C Intended date of departure and intended date of re-entry (11, 12): Set the intended re-entry date within the deadline you checked in Step 1.
- D Single or multiple (13): Mark only one of them.
Fill in items 14 and 15 (whether you have received any disposition for a crime or have a criminal trial) truthfully as well.
(Source: Immigration Services Agency, “Application for Re-entry Permit”)
Step 3 Depart from the airport
Leave Japan with the passport on which you received the re-entry permit in Step 2.
The examination guidelines explain that a person who leaves with a re-entry permit without carrying a valid residence card may find it hard to prove their status of residence outside Japan, and state that such persons are to be guided to receive their card. Carry a copy of your card and the examination completion email as well.
(Sources: Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines, Part 6 (documents disclosed through an information disclosure request), Immigration Services Agency, “Online residence procedures: FAQ” Q5-8)
Step 4 While abroad, re-entry, and receiving your residence card
While you are abroad, as a rule you cannot receive the new residence card. Also, while you are abroad on a re-entry permit, you cannot make an online application.
You can leave Japan even while your online application is in progress. However, you must re-enter Japan and receive the permission or other decision by the day on which 2 months have passed from the expiration date of your period of stay. The examination guidelines state that when a person who has applied for an extension or change newly receives a re-entry permit, its validity period runs until the day on which 2 months have passed from the expiration date of the period of stay. They explain that if you do not return within that period, your current status of residence may be lost. The period after your period of stay expires (the special period) is explained in When can you apply to extend your period of stay?.
After you return, receive your new residence card. If you receive it by mail, the permission takes effect when the card arrives. The ISA website does not say how a card is handled if it is sent while you are abroad. Before you leave, consult the Odaiba Branch Office or the regional immigration office.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Online residence procedures: FAQ” Q4-17, Q4-18, Q6-3, Q6-8, Immigration Services Agency, “Notice on completion of examination”, Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines, Part 10 (documents disclosed through an information disclosure request))
If you plan a trip home, prepare when you apply
If you already plan a temporary trip home at the time of your application, you can avoid a period without a card in the following ways.
- Choose to receive the card at the counter: You can choose to receive your residence card either by mail or at the counter of the regional immigration office. Even after applying, you can change the receiving method while the processing status is “Application completed” or “Under examination.” Once it becomes “Returning,” “Waiting for issuance,” or “Completed,” you can no longer change it.
- Apply for a re-entry permit at the same time: In an online application, you can apply for a re-entry permit only at the same time as an application such as an extension or change. In this case, you cannot choose to receive your card by mail. For online applications accepted on or after October 1, 2026, the amount paid, including the 220 yen transaction fee, is 3,720 yen for single and 6,720 yen for multiple. This is different from the 4,000 yen and 7,000 yen at the counter.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Online residence procedures: FAQ” Q5-1, Q5-2, Q5-3, Immigration Services Agency, “Application for Re-entry Permit”, Immigration Services Agency, “Fees for online applications”)
Frequently asked questions
Q. If I have a copy of my residence card, can I leave with a Special Re-entry Permit? A. No. The ISA explains that if you do not have your card because you are in the middle of receiving it by mail, you cannot leave with a Special Re-entry Permit.
Q. I am leaving on a Saturday. Will I make it if I go to immigration on Friday? A. The standard processing period is “same day,” but applications are accepted only during set hours on weekdays. Go early with time to spare, and check the reception hours with the regional immigration office for your place of residence.
Q. If I cannot go myself, can someone from my company apply for me? A. An employee of a company approved as an application agent can apply. A family member can apply only in cases such as when you are under 16 years old or ill.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Notice on completion of examination”, Immigration Services Agency, “Application for Re-entry Permit”)
Summary
- If you do not have your residence card with you, you cannot leave Japan with a Special Re-entry Permit.
- If you are going home temporarily, get a re-entry permit at the counter of the regional immigration office for your place of residence before you leave. Applications are accepted on weekdays, the standard processing period is the same day, and the fee is 4,000 yen for single and 7,000 yen for multiple.
- While you are abroad, as a rule you cannot receive the new card. Check the deadline for returning, and receive your card after you come back.
- If you know your plans in advance, you can be at ease by choosing to receive the card at the counter when you apply, or by applying for a re-entry permit at the same time.
What you need to do may differ depending on your situation, such as when your period of stay is about to expire or you have lost your card. If you are unsure, consult the regional immigration office or a specialist such as a gyoseishoshi lawyer who handles application agency services.
Primary Sources Referenced in Article Creation
- Immigration Services Agency, “Application for Re-entry Permit”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Special Re-entry Permit”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Re-entry Permit”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Notice on completion of examination”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Online residence procedures: FAQ”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Fees for online applications”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Application for Re-entry Permit” (form)
- Immigration and Residence Examination Guidelines, Parts 6 and 10 (documents disclosed through an information disclosure request)
This article is a translation of the original Japanese version.
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