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Lifetime Japan visa - what happens if I leave Japan?


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I have been gone for about two years now and don't know what will happen with my lifetime Japan visa if I don't return kind of soon.


Interesting comment by kintaro in another thread.

Anyone know what does happen? Is there a time limit on it if the person leaves Japan?
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It depends on what you mean by 'lifetime' visa. For those with extended stays there is either the Permanent Resident visa or you become a naturalized citizen. I can't comment too much on the naturalized citizen angle but as for PR status you still have to renew your reentry permit every three years to maintain your status. If you are abroad for more than three years you can generally get a one year extension on your permit... but this can be done only once. So basically the max. amount of time you can spend outside of the country is 4 years before your visa status is invalidated.

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My understanding is that permanent residency expires if you're out of the country longer than six months, although that may be outdated info and there may be provisions for getting advance approval for longer stays abroad. A check with the Immigration Office is advised.

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Anyone know if you can get a re-entry renewal from abroad (like at a Japan consulate)? I do have PR status. I'll check with the Japan consulate here in Honolulu soon and post back what they tell me.

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Kintaro, I have a PR and I have been told by the Japanese Consulate here that it will expire with my re entry permit. As I don't expect to live in Japan again I really don't see the need to keep it. Are there any benefits that you could think of? I can't think of any really.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I checked with the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu yesterday. Just to confirm what's already been mentioned, if I don't get a new or extended Re-entry permit my permenant resident visa will expire. The consulate will give me a one year extension if I can prove a good reason for them to do so. You have to support your reason with a doctor's note or work requirements, etc., whatever the case may be.

 

Upon learning that I had divorced my Japanese wife the worker at the consulate asked, "Well, then what are you going to do in Japan, stalk her?" Huh?!? Idiot.

 

The benefit to keeping it Indo, for me, is that I haven't made up my mind whether or not to return. I've been giving some thought to moving my stand up paddle board company over there and having the visa would be very useful.

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The consulates are very unhelpful. When I was travelling in Australia I went along to the one in Sydney as I still had 5 months left of my Japanese visa and re-entry permit. I wanted to know if it was valid even although I'd quit the job that gave me the visa. At that pont I was thinking about going straight back to Japan without going home to Scotland. After much humming and ahhhhhing, consulting with various supervisors who poked at the passport a bit and did a lot of teeth-sucking, I was finally given their definitive answer.........."Maybe"

 

Maybe?! MAYBE?! I could've told you that you absolute tool!! i want to know YES or NO!! After wasting 2 hours of my life trying to get a commited answer out of them I left in disgust and went and had a beer to calm down........I went back to Scotland some months later! smile

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Originally Posted By: Black Mountain
Originally Posted By: Kintaro
I've been giving some thought to moving my stand up paddle board company over there and having the visa would be very useful.


Please don't do that. omg


OK, what happened to the Ukulele biz?
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Originally Posted By: Kintaro

The benefit to keeping it Indo, for me, is that I haven't made up my mind whether or not to return. I've been giving some thought to moving my stand up paddle board company over there and having the visa would be very useful.


I guess with the fact that you no longer have the J wife it might be better for you to keep it alive. I have decided to let mine go. The way I see it, I can always get a visa as long as I have my wife and I think now, the benefits for us now that we live here would be that we could use the rail passes etc when we visit japan.

SUP's would be good in Japan because the waves are usually gutless and fat. I personally don't like them, so many beginners around and bloody dangerous.. They should stay away from the crowds until they can learn to control those large beaslty things!
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There have been a couple guys on SUPs at my local point lately. They stay out of the lineup and kinda don't do much except look like they're on a tightrope all the time...so sure, why not.

 

Haha....all that coming from yours truly..a kayak surfer. I'm pretty awesome at it though. evilgrin

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Most of the SUPs are actually pretty short now. One or two guys in the line up is no big deal but the BS that I saw going down at some of the points in Bali this summer was beyond ridiculous. Schools showing up with 10+ people in tow taking every wave... anyway, I saw a dude riding one of the shorter SUPs this weekend at Chriselle's local so I imagine in a year the fad will be well underway here.

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Originally Posted By: Kintaro
I checked with the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu yesterday. Just to confirm what's already been mentioned, if I don't get a new or extended Re-entry permit my permenant resident visa will expire. The consulate will give me a one year extension if I can prove a good reason for them to do so. You have to support your reason with a doctor's note or work requirements, etc., whatever the case may be.

Upon learning that I had divorced my Japanese wife the worker at the consulate asked, "Well, then what are you going to do in Japan, stalk her?" Huh?!? Idiot.

The benefit to keeping it Indo, for me, is that I haven't made up my mind whether or not to return. I've been giving some thought to moving my stand up paddle board company over there and having the visa would be very useful.


Don't want to get personal, but why did you divorce your Japanese wife? Don't want to open up old wounds, but it'll sure be entertaining for us.
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The trend for SUPs seems to be sub 10'. I think that will be a fad. SUP riders that surfed first don't seem to be 'jama' for surfers here in Hawaii. At least not on Oahu. Most beginner's just stay in waveless beach areas paddling around annoying the swimmers. A waterman named Kainoa McGee desinged our boards to be surfed but I'm sure a lot of our customers simply paddle around and get their 'core workouts.'

 

Thursday, J-wife and the local Harley-Davidson dealer and customer of mine in Sendai started seeing each other. That was that. How's that for entertainment?

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