So, you've decided to re-contract for a 4th year? Congratulations on the decision, but now you have some things to get in order.

Visa and Re-entry Permit

Our Visas last for 3 years, as do our re-entry permits, so you will need to take care of these before they expire in July/August.

You will have to go to the airport a total of 2 times- the first time to "file" for your visa extension, and then second time to get the stuff put in your passport.

When you go to the airport the first time, you need to bring the following:

  • Extension of visa application (or you can fill it out there if you're awesome, but I'm not awesome and had to fill it out beforehand a couple times before I got it right)

  • Your passport (obviously)

  • Your foreigner ID (gaijin card)

  • Your earned income statement from last year (that little white piece of paper you can get from your supervisor)

  • A certificate of employment (get it from your place of employment or BOE)

  • Some important tax information. I didn't know exactly what this was or why they need it, but it's important. My supervisor had to go down with me to the tax office in my town and have some tax stuff made, and then had to call the airport immigration office a couple of times before she could figure out the right "information" to obtain. (JHS experience) I went to the city hall and asked for the ...shoumeisho, which is the form proving you have paid all your taxes whilst living in Japan, so far. (SHS experience)

When you are filling out the application and it asks how long the extension is for, go ahead and put 3 years even if you are only staying one or two more years. Apparently they issue extensions in 1 or 3 year chunks, so it's better to get the 3 year one.

You go to the airport, turn all that stuff in at the immigration office on the 1st floor, and wait a short time. Then they will give you a card that you write your address on.

You can go home now! Wait about two weeks. After that, they will send you that card in the mail saying that everything is "ready" and you need to go back to the airport by such-and-such a date.

Go back to the airport a second time, and bring...

  • Your passport
  • That card you received in the mail
  • Your gaijin card.

First, go up to the second floor and buy two stamps:

  • extension of visa stamp- 4000 yen (you have to buy this one)

  • multiple re-entry permit stamp- 6000 yen (if you plan on leaving the country while you're here again)

Yes, you're reading that right- it will set you back 10,000 yen.

Go back to the immigration office and give them everything, and give them the stamp. They'll put the extension in your passport. Then fill out the re-entry permit form and give that to them with the re-entry stamp, and they'll put the appropriate materials in your passport again.

Gaijin Card Renewal

After that, you're done with the airport business. You need to update that pesky ID card.

Go to City Hall and bring the following...

  • Passport
  • Two 4.5 x 3.5 pictures
  • Your old card

(In Takaoka City hall 1st floor, desk #5)

It takes 2 weeks for the card to change. In the meantime, you will have the back of your card stamped, and can use it until your new card arrives.

Yeah! You are finished!

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