Some foreigners living in Japan now may need to renew their visas.
In this article, we will explain the specific procedures required for foreigners living in Japan to update their visas. If you don’t know what to do with your first visa renewal, please check this out.
Who Can Renew Their Visas?
Not everyone can renew their visas. Some people will be able to get it but not update it.
Expiration may be one of the reasons why you cannot renew. Generally, you can apply for renewal from 3 months before the expiration date, but after the day of expiration, you will not be able to update.
However, if your visa expires after you apply, staying until your visa renewal does not constitute a violation.
When renewing your visa, it will be comprehensively decided whether to renew or not based on the following conditions.
- The activity corresponds to the status of residence
- Complying with landing permission standards, etc. stipulated by the Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice
- Having Performed activities according to the current status of residence
- The behavior is not bad
- Having sufficient assets or skills to make an independent living
- Appropriate employment and working conditions
- Fulfilling your tax obligations
- Fulfillment of obligations stipulated in the Immigration Control Act, such as various notifications
Visa Renewal Procedure and Required Documents
Here is an overview of the visa renewal procedure.
Visa renewal is officially called “application for permission to renew your period of stay.” Foreign nationals who intend to continue activities related to their residence status, such as working and studying, are eligible for the procedure.
The following people, including the person who uses the visa, can apply as an applicant.
- Applicant
- The legal representative of the applicant
- The following people
- Employees or groups of organizations that have been approved by the Director of Regional Immigration Bureau to apply for application
- Lawyers or administrative scriveners who have given a notification to the Director of Regional Immigration Bureau
- Relatives, cohabitants, or equivalent who are deemed appropriate by the Director of Regional Immigration Bureau (in cases where the applicant is under the age of 16 years, suffers from an illness or owing to other grounds)
The above includes the staff of the institution that employs the applicant and the staff of the school where the applicant studies.
The following documents are generally required to update your visa:
| Required documents | Remarks |
|---|---|
| Application form for permission to renew the period of stay | ・Go to the local immigration office to obtain it, or download it from the Ministry of Justice website. |
| One photograph | ・Write down the name on the back of the photo and attach it to the application form ・No photo required if the applicant is under 16 years old ・No photo required If the renewing period of your visa is less than 3 months. ・The photos should be taken from the front within 3 months from the time of application with no hat and no background |
| Materials that show your activities in Japan | – |
| Residence card (including alien registration certificate) | ・Only for those who receive the card ・If a person other than the applicant applies, carry a copy of the residence card. |
| Permission to Engage in Activity Other than that Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted | ・Only those who have received the permit |
| Passport or Certificate of Eligibility | ・If you cannot show your passport, submit a statement stating the reason. |
| Proof of identity | ・When an agent applies |
| Fee | ・4,000 yen (pay with revenue stamp) |
The application destination is the local immigration office that has jurisdiction over the area in which you live.
There are some differences in the required documents for student visas and work visas. The following are the required items for a student visa.
- Application form for permission to renew the period of stay
- Photo
- Passport or Certificate of Eligibility
- Certificate of Enrollment/Transcript
- Students of university, junior college, college of technology, etc.: Certificate of transcript and enrollment showing the period of enrollment
- Special course student at a university or a specialized student at a special training school: Attendance/Transcript
- Research students: Certificate of transcript and enrollment showing the period of enrollment or a certificate issued by the university regarding the research content
- Auditing students: Certificate of transcript and enrollment showing the period of enrollment, or a certificate issued by the university showing the course taken and number of hours
- High school students and vocational school students: Certificate of transcript, attendance certificate and enrollment certificate showing the period of enrollment
- Elementary school and junior high school students: Certificate of attendance and enrollment certificate indicating the period of attendance
- A document that gives an overview of the accommodation facility where the applicant himself/herself lives his/her daily life (for junior high school students, elementary school students, etc.)
- Documents certifying the financial ability of the applicant during his/her stay in Japan (eg proof of balance)
- Documents certifying identity (such as agency certificates, certified copy of family register)
On the other hand, for work visas, the documents to submit will differ depending on the type and category of work. The following are common documents.
- Application form for permission to renew the period of stay
- Photo
- Passport and Certificate of Eligibility
- Documents that show the category of the company (such as quarterly reports, documents certifying that the company is listed on the stock exchange, and legal record total table such as the withholding tax slip of employee salary income for the previous year)
- Resident taxation/tax exemption certificate and tax payment certificate
- Copies of financial statements for the most recent year (in case of managers)
As you can see, the required documents differ depending on the type of visa. No matter which visa you apply for, there are many documents to submit, so be sure to have them prepared early.
If you have any questions about renewing your visa, you can contact the information center described later for more information.
Items to Fill in the Application for Permission to Renew Your Period of Stay
It is necessary to fill in various information in the application form. The following are the main ones.
- Nationality and region
- Birthday
- Full name
- Sex
- Marital status
- Profession
- Address in home country
- Address
- Phone number
- Passport number/expiration date
- Status of residence currently owned
- Period of stay
- Expiration date of period of stay
- Reason to update
- Information about relatives, if any, living in Japan
Also, prepare a photo (40 mm x 30 mm) to attach to the application form. Please note that the information to fill in may differ depending on the visa you are renewing.
For detail of the information to fill in each application form, please refer to the following page.
Information Center for Foreign Residents
If you have any questions about renewing your visa, you can use the “General Information Center for Foreign Residents.” This is set up by the Immigration Bureau and responds to inquiries by phone or visit.
They support languages such as Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, etc., so you can consult with confidence.
The location of the Information Center for Foreign Residents is as follows.
- Sendai: 〒983-0842 1-3-20 Gorin, Miyagino-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi
- Tokyo: 〒108-8255 5-5-30 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
- Yokohama: 〒236-0002 10-7 Torihama-cho, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa
- Nagoya: 〒455-8601 5-18 Shohocho, Minato-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi
- Osaka: 〒559-0034 1-29-53 Nankokita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka City, Osaka
- Kobe: 〒650-0024 29 Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo
- Hiroshima: 〒730-0012 2-31 Kamihatchobori, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima
- Fukuoka: 〒810-0073 3-5-25 Maizuru, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka
You can contact them by e-mail, but please note that e-mail is available only in Japanese.
Conclusion
This time, we explained about visa renewal in Japan. You need to renew your visa before it expires.
Since there is a need to provide quite a lot of documents, please start preparing them about 3 months before the expiration date, if possible.
