Renewing or Changing Your Status of Residence
Your residence card shows your status of residence and how long you may stay. Before that date arrives, you need to apply to extend it, or to change it if your activities in Japan change. This guide covers when to apply, where to go, and what happens while you wait for a decision.
The basics
Your status of residence (zairyū shikaku, 在留資格) decides what you may do in Japan, such as work, study, or live with family. Your period of stay (zairyū kikan, 在留期間) decides how long you may stay. Both are printed on your residence card (zairyū kādo, 在留カード).
Applications go to the regional immigration services bureau (chihō shutsunyūkoku zairyū kanri-kyoku, 地方出入国在留管理局) that covers the area where you live. Many applications can also be made online.
Extending your period of stay
To keep doing the same activities after your period of stay ends, file an application for extension of period of stay (zairyū kikan kōshin kyoka shinsei, 在留期間更新許可申請).
- When: before your period of stay ends. If your period of stay is six months or longer, you can apply from three months before the end date.
- Where: the regional immigration services bureau for your address, or online.
- What to bring: the documents depend on your status of residence. The Immigration Services Agency lists them for each status.
Changing your status of residence
If you want to start activities that belong to a different status of residence, file an application for change of status of residence (zairyū shikaku henkō kyoka shinsei, 在留資格変更許可申請). Get permission before you start the new activities. Online applications are accepted for this too.
Permanent residence (eijū, 永住) is a separate application with its own requirements.
While you wait for a decision
If you apply to extend or change your status before your period of stay ends, and no decision has been made by the end date, you can keep staying with your current status and doing the same activities. This is called the special period (tokurei kikan, 特例期間).
The special period lasts until the decision is made or until two months after your original end date, whichever comes first.
Traveling abroad and coming back
If you have a valid passport and a residence card, you can usually leave Japan and come back within one year without applying for a re-entry permit in advance. This is the special re-entry permit (minashi sai-nyūkoku kyoka, みなし再入国許可).
- You must come back within one year of leaving.
- If your period of stay ends sooner than one year after you leave, you must come back before it ends.
- For a longer absence, apply for a regular re-entry permit (sai-nyūkoku kyoka, 再入国許可) before you go.
Reporting changes to immigration
If you leave or join a company, or leave or start at a school, you must notify the Immigration Services Agency within 14 days. This notification is separate from extending or changing your status, and it can also be made online.
Japanese words you'll see
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 在留資格 | zairyū shikaku | Status of residence. What you may do in Japan. |
| 在留期間 | zairyū kikan | Period of stay. How long you may stay. |
| 在留カード | zairyū kādo | Residence card. |
| 更新 | kōshin | Renewal or extension. |
| 変更 | henkō | Change. |
| 申請 | shinsei | Application. |
| 許可 | kyoka | Permission. |
| 特例期間 | tokurei kikan | Special period while your application is pending. |
| 再入国 | sai-nyūkoku | Re-entry into Japan. |
Questions families ask
When can I apply to extend my stay?
Before your period of stay ends. If your period of stay is six months or longer, you can apply from three months before it ends.
My period of stay ends before I get a decision. Am I staying illegally?
No, as long as you applied before it ended. You can stay with your current status until the decision is made or until two months after the original end date, whichever comes first.
Can I apply online?
Yes. The Immigration Services Agency accepts online applications for extending your period of stay and for changing your status of residence.
Do I need a re-entry permit for a short trip home?
Usually not. If you have a valid passport and residence card and come back within one year, you can use the special re-entry permit. If your period of stay ends sooner than one year, you must come back before it ends.
Sources
This guide is based on information published by Japan's Immigration Services Agency. Requirements and documents depend on your status of residence, so check the page for your own status before you apply.
- Immigration Services Agency: Application for extension of period of stay (在留期間更新許可申請)
- Immigration Services Agency: Application for change of status of residence (在留資格変更許可申請)
- Immigration Services Agency: The special period (特例期間)
- Immigration Services Agency: Special re-entry permit (みなし再入国許可)
- Immigration Services Agency: Notifications about your employer or school (所属機関に関する届出)
Practice asking questions at a government counter in Japanese Talk: City Hall.