Japanese Re-Entry Permit

Because I'm leaving Japan but returning on the same visa, I need a re-entry permit (再入国許可, sainyuukoku kyoka) otherwise the visa would automatically be cancelled when I leave the country and when I come back it would only be on a tourist visa. This is true for student visas and working holiday visas, and probably work visas as well.

In order to get the re-entry permit, I had to go to my closest Regional Immigration Bureau (入国管理局, nyuukoku kanrikyoku), which thankfully wasn't too far away, in Tachikawa (立川). Last year I went to the other one in Tokyo, which was in the middle of nowhere in Shinagawa. Every area in Japan will have one of these Immigration Bureaus, but unfortunately if you live outside of the major cities, you may have to travel quite far to get to one. It's lucky that Tokyo has two!

To apply for a re-entry permit you need:

- an application form (available at the Immigration Bureau)
- passport with your Japanese visa inside
- Alien Card (外国人登録証明書, gaikokujin tourokushoumeisho, or just gaikokujin tourokusho)
- a special stamp (available at convenience stores)
- fee (Y3,000 for single re-entry, or Y6,000 for multiple)

So this morning I spoke to Wynne, an American girl who's in my class at ICU, and also lives in the same guesthouse as I do, because she went through the re-entry permit process a few weeks ago.

I went to my local city office (市役所, shiyakusho) to get a map and then took the train to Tachikawa. Following the instuctions on the map they gave me, I took the bus from stand #12 of the North exit of Tachikawa station bound for (北町, Kita-machi) and went to the 多摩車検場前 (Tama Shakenjou-mae) stop. The automatic announcements for this stop were in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, so obviously a lot of foreigners go there!

In order to get the re-entry permit you have to buy a special type of stamp from a convenience store. I found this very strange, but never mind, who am I to argue with the Japanese immigration laws! All the nearby shops seemed to sell the stamps, so I just went into one and asked for a 再入国許可のスタンプ (sainyuukoku kyoka no sutampu). I don't know if that was the correct way to ask in Japanese but they understood and asked if I wanted one for Y3,000 or Y6,000. The Y3,000 ones are for a single re-entry, which means you can leave Japan and come back once and continue using the same visa. The Y6,000 is for multiple re-entry, so you can leave and come back as many times as you want. This is the one I went for, because it's the same price as two singles, and I intend to go to China next year, and then if I go anywhere else I can do it without paying any extra money.

After buying the stamp, I asked the shop assistant where the Immigration Bureau was and she pointed me in the right direction. Once I was on that road it was clearly signed and only took about two minutes. It was quite a small building, with a foyer and a room to the right with a waiting area, a desk with three clerks serving people, and some tables with files of forms.

I took a form for re-entry permits and started to fill it in, when I realised that I should have taken a slip of paper from the ticket machine to lessen my waiting time. It took me a while to find the machine, but I knew there must be one because there was a screen with numbers being called. It turned out to be on the main desk, so I took one and I was 128, the number being served was 97. I finished filling out the form and sat down.

Two hours later I was served. I didn't mind the wait, because I know how frustrating bureaucracy can be, so I was patient.

The clerk asked to see my application form, passport, Alien Card and then asked me to affix the stamp to the form and sign it.

He then stuck a label in my passport, stapled a form into it and that was it. A whole two minutes! So it was quite an easy process, it just took a long time. I have to fill in the first section of the form stapled into my passport for when I leave Japan, and then the second section for when I return.

After getting the permit, I then walked back to the bus stop and waited for the bus back to Tachikawa station. Then a guy from Bangladesh started talking to me, because he said he recognised me from ICU! He was a graduate student and he had been in the Immigration Bureau getting a re-entry permit because he was returning home the same day as me! Our flights are 10 minutes apart and he's also getting a Limousine bus from Kichijoji on the same morning as me! We might be on the same bus, but I think I might be on the one before him. It was such a coincidence! Who knows, I might bump into him on Thursday!

When I got back I rang the Limousine bus company and officially reserved my ticket. It was my first phone conversation entirely in Japanese, and it was very scary! But I muddled through and, if I understood everything correctly, I have to go to Musashi Sakai before 2pm tomorrow and pick up the ticket. So I'll combine a trip to Higashi Koganei to pay my next month's rent tomorrow morning with picking it up.

And then on Wednesday I can check-in online in the morning, and then I'll cycle into ICU to use their printers and print my boarding pass. I'll also see if they have sorted out my work permit application so I can pick that up. Then in the afternoon I'll pack, and then get up at 5am on Thursday and fly back home!

It's all incredible! I really can't believe it's happening! I think the next post I write will be from Birmingham, probably when I wake up in my own bed, in my own room, in my own country! Wow, it's going to be amazing...