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Residence and Visas
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| ALIEN REGISTRATION |
Except for diplomats and certain other exempt individuals, every other foreign national who desires to live in Japan must register his or her address and visa status at the local city office. All foreign residents in Japan (except for those who are exempt from registration) are required to visit their local city office to apply for alien registration within 90 days of entering Japan.
To register, fill in the alien Registration Form provided by the office and submit the form together with your passport and two identical photos (not required of those under the age of 16). Photos should measure 4.5 X 3.5 cm and be from the same negative. All foreign nationals over 16 years of age who desire to stay in Japan for more than one year are required to register their fingerprints (one time only, in principle).
Note that permanent foreign residents and special permanent residents over 16 years of age are not required to register their fingerprints; instead they must register their signatures and details regarding their family. Except for those under the age of 16, all foreign residents who are issued a Certificate of Alien Registration (Gaikokujin Touroku Shoumeisho  ) are required to carry the certificate with them at all times.
If you lose your Certificate of Alien Registration, you must apply within 14 days to have the certificate reissued. You must apply to renew Certificate of Alien Registration within 30 days of the fifth birthday following registration or the most recent verification of the certificate. (This does not apply to those under 16.) Your supervisor should take you to your local city or town hall to submit this form. The procedure must be done within the first 90 days of your residence in Japan, so if you are not taken there, ask someone about it. |
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| VISA PROCEDURES AND PERIOD OF STAY |
| Visas are granted by immigration officials to foreign nationals when they enter Japan. JET Programme participants have been granted either an "Instructor" or "Specialist in the Humanities" work visa. This establishes each participant as a resident of Japan. The visa is valid for approximately the period of your contract, and will be renewable upon extension of your JET Programme contract |
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| RE-ENTRY PERMITS |
If, during the period of your visa (contact with the JET Programme), you wish to travel abroad, a re-entry permit (Sai-Nyuukoku Biza  ) will be necessary. The re-entry permit must be attained from the Immigration Bureau prior to your leaving Japan. Re-entry permits cannot be purchased at the airport. The nearest branch office of the Immigration Bureau is the Kyoto Branch Office of the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau, located on Marutamachi in Kyoto (see below for a map and directions).
A single re-entry permit will allow you one return to Japan durring the period of your current visa. A multiple re-entry permit will allow you to return to Japan as many times as you like during the period of of your current visa. These visas can be applied for and received on the same day.
Depending on the number of visitors to the bureau that day, the process can take between 30 minutes and two hours. The cost for a single re-entry permit is 3000 yen, and the cost for a multiple is 6000 yen. The multiple re-entry permit is perhaps a wise decision, as it can be used in the case of an emergency trip home/abroad and also saves any other trips to the bureau should you decide to take another vacation abroad.
(please note: while the multiple re-entry permit is valid for up to one year, the actual length of validity is contingent upon the validity of the visa you had when you purchased the re-entry permit, whether this means two months or closer to a whole year. For those who renew their JET contracts, when the visa from your previous contract expires, so does your re-entry permit. Please always make sure you have a valid re-entry permit before leaving the country.)
Re-entry permits cannot be paid for in cash, but must be paid using a special a special stamp (kind of like a postage stamp, only much more expensive). These can be purchased at any post office, or in the case of the Kyoto Branch Office, at a small shop just around the corner from the Immigration Bureau (they can give you a map). Ask for the 3000 or 6000 yen "Shuunyuu inshi" ( ).
The re-entry permit is necessary for your return to Japan. Do not forget to purchase it before you leave. If you try to re-enter Japan without the re-entry permit, your current work visa will become invalid.
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| KYOTO OFFICE OF IMMIGRATION |
THE KYOTO BRANCH OFFICE
OF THE OSAKA REGIONAL IMMIGRATION BUREAU
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Location:
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Kyoto Dai-Ni Chiho Godo Chosa 4th Floor
34-12 Higashi Marutamachi
Marutamachi-Kawabata Higashi-iru Kyoto 606-8395
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Telephone:
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075-752-5997
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Fax:
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075-762-2121
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Transportation:
- Keihan Line
Coming from Yamashina, at Keihan Sanjo change trains and head for Marutamachi Station. Get out at Marutamachi Station and walk east on Marutamachi for about 500 meters. The Kyoto Branch Office will be on your left.
- Kyoto City Bus
From JR Kyoto Station, take #206 Loopline at Bus Track A2 and get off at Kumano Shrine (Kumano Jinja Mae). Walk west on Marutamachi Street for about 400 meters. The Kyoto Branch Office will be on your right.
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