Extending your period of stay (renewing your visa)

Temporary visitors

If you have temporary visitor status, it is not normally possible to extend your stay or change your status of residence. It may be possible to extend your stay for up to 90 days. However, there is an exception and it depends on where you are from.

The process

To extend your period of status of residence (i.e. renew your visa) or change your status of residence, you must take a completed application form and the required documents to the appropriate immigration office before your visa expires or your status of residence changes.

You may submit your application up to three months before your status of residence expires. For all procedures at immigration offices, you will need your passport and certificate of alien registration. Note that if you will be away from Japan during this period for a business trip or other overseas activity, and will be unable to apply in the two months before your visa expires, you may submit your application at an earlier date. In this case, your visa is extended from the period when your current visa expires (and not from the date at which you apply), so the length of your visa extention period will not decrease as a result.

To extend your period of stay or change your status, you will need to make two trips to the immigration office—one to make your application and one to get your new status of residence stamp in your passport. The basic process is:

1. Take your completed application and required documents to the immigration office.

2. Take a numbered slip from the appropriate counter and wait for your turn. (If it is not clear which counter to take a number for, do not be afraid to ask the staff.)

3. When you are called to the counter, you will hand in your documents and then you will be given a postcard on which to write your name and address (English is fine).

4. About three weeks or a month later, when your application has been processed, this postcard will be sent to you. It will tell you when you have to go back to get your new status of residence stamp in your passport. Usually you have about a week or two to go and pick it up.

5. Go back to the same immigration office, buy the required revenue stamp*, take a number at the appropriate counter (usually a different counter to the application counter), submit your revenue stamp and passport. You will then be asked to wait a little longer while the new status of residence stamp is put in your passport.

*The revenue stamps are how you pay the various immigration office fees. The stamps are usually available from a convenience store or post office in or near the immigration office. There will be signs in the immigration office.

RIKEN will pay for the cost of extending your period of stay or changing your status of residence if this is deemed necessary for your work. The expenses that can be covered are the cost of transportation between RIKEN and the immigration office, and the 4000 yen fee.

All applicants needs a signature and official seal of the representative of RIKEN. Ask your research promotion division.