About Status of Residence

Visa

Non-Japanese people intending to enter Japan must obtain a valid passport issued by their home country government and, in principle, a valid visa issued by the Japanese Embassy.

To apply for a visa, a "Certificate of Eligibility" issued by the Japanese Immigration Bureau is required in most cases, except for a "short-term stay" visa.
There are some countries and regions that are not required to obtain a visa only if you enter Japan with a "short-term stay" visa.
 (If you do not engage in remunerative activities within 90 days of your stay. e.g., research meeting)

Residence Card

A residence card shall be issued to a foreign national who has stayed in Japan for a mid-to-long term. It is necessary to carry a residence card all the time.

Immigration Procedures

Procedures for Changing the Status of Residence
International students are required to obtain the "Student" status of residence.
Students whose status of residence is other than "Student" should immediately change it to "Student".
Students who do not obtain the "Student" status of residence are not eligible to apply for subsidies or scholarships for international students.
When you change your status of residence,  please go through the procedures to change it at the regional immigration office.
Procedures for Extension of Period of Stay
If you wish to extend your period of stay, you must complete the extension procedure at the regional immigration office.
Please be sure to apply for the extension before your period of stay expired.
The regional immigration office will start accepting the application three months before their stay period expires.
Procedures for Special Re-entry Permit(Leaving Japan and Re-entry)
Foreign nationals residing in Japan are, in principle, exempted from obtaining a usual re-entry permit when re-entering Japan within one year from the date of their departure.

Special re-entry permit is permission for foreign nationals who stay in Japan with the status of residence and possess a valid passport that they do not need to obtain re-entry permit when they depart from and re-entry Japan within one year (whose period of stay is less than a year will be until the expiration date of the period of stay).

If you wish to leave Japan under the special re-entry permit, you must present your valid passport and residence card to an immigration inspector upon departure and submit an ED card ticked the column indicating your intention of departure by the special re-entry permit system and tell them that you wish to depart with a special re-entry permit.
Please note that if you have plans to leave Japan beyond one year, you must obtain the re-entry permit before departure.
Permission to Engage in an Activity Other than that Permitted under the Status of Residence (Part-time job)
When international students intend to engage in an activity to operate profit-making businesses or an activity for receiving consideration other than the activity permitted under their status of residence, they must obtain permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted, in advance.

Applications are made individually at the regional immigration office.
International students of Kitasato University (status of residence "Student") working as a Teaching Assistant(TA) or Research Assistant(RA) at Kitasato University do not need to apply for permission.
Status of Residence "Designated Activities" (For students proceeding to graduate school after graduation)
International students who are scheduled to enroll in a graduate school after graduation and whose enrollment will be after the expiration of the period of stay under the curret status of residence "Student" may continue to stay in Japan under the status of residence "Designated Activities" until enrollment in a graduate school. (up to 1 year after graduation from university)
Status of Residence "Designated Activities" (job hunting after graduation)
If an international student wishes to continue job hunting in Japan after graduation, they need to change their status of residence to "Designated Activities".
Applications are made individually at the regional immigration office.
Contact Information for Immigration Procedures
Please visit the nearest regional immigration office for procedures.

[Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau]
108-8255, 5-5-30 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo Pref.

Jurisdictional Areas: Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Niigata, Yamanashi, and Nagano
Office hours: 9:00 to 16:00 (except for Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays)

[Yokohama District Immigration Services Office, Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau]
236-0002, 10-7 Torihama-cho, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa

Jurisdictional Areas: Kanagawa
Office hours: 9:00 to 16:00 (except for Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays)

[Aomori Branch Office, Sendai Regional Immigration Services Bureau]
030-0861, Aomori Second Joint Government Bldg., 1-3-5 Nagashima, Aomori City, Aomori Pref.

Jurisdictional Areas: Aomori, Akita, and Iwate
Office hours: 9:00 to 12:00, and 13:00 to 16:00 (except for Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays)
[Foreign Residents Information Center]
Foreign Resident Information Center in the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau answers any questions you may have about immigration and residence procedures.
They respond not only to visits but also to telephone inquiries.
*On the Immigration Services Agency website, you can change the language settings by using the panel displayed at the bottom of the screen.

For further information, please refer to this page.
Immigration Services Agency: Regarding the multilingualization of the Immigration Services Agency website