You may have been warned before, but, once again, if you leave Japan and plan on returning, you MUST MUST MUST have a re-entry permit. Every year some JET's loose their working visas because they forget to buy this crucial stamp for their passport. It may be a little inconvenient to get your permit, but it's far less inconvenient than going home partway through your contract because you stupidly lost your working visa.
Kinds of permits and costsThere are two kinds of re-entry permits: a single or a multiple re-entry permit. The permits are only valid for the length of your working visa. (Most all JETs before 2007 arrivals are issued a 3-year working visa. If you are applying for the mulitple re-entry permit, your permit is supposed to be valid for three years.) Therefore, if you renew or change your working visa, you must get a new re-entry permit.
The permits aren't exactly cheap for all the importance that they carry, you must buy either 3000 or 6000 yen in revenue stamps. So, if there is ANY chance that you will travel out of Japan twice during the time of your visa, you should get the mulitple because getting back to the Immigration office is a major pain just to shell out another 3000 yen.
As a side note, it should be mentioned that some JET's are allowed a day of special leave in their contracts, to complete this task (not paid leave: nenkyu). This is because if you leave without your permit you will lose your work visa.
The people at the Japanese Immigration office are usually very kind and patient, despite being considerably overworked. Still, you should be able to get a re-entry permit in under an hour.
What do I need before I go to the Immigration Office?Revenue stamps can be purchased at EPIC, or at any post office, at the stamp counter, not the bank counter (no need to get in the wrong line). Ask for: shu'nyu-inshi (revenue stamps). Purchasing your stamps at EPIC may be less of a hassle for some as there are English speakers there and during the summer, many ALTs participate in the Japanese Intensive Course or are in the area for Ehime ALT Orientation.
If you are coming from outside of Matusyama and in a hurry to get your stamps and get back out, there is a large Post Office opposite JR Matsuyama station. This Post office is convenient if you are in a hurry as you can get off a train, stop in the post office and then head up the road to the immigration office all in about 15 - 20 minutes on foot.
Where is the Immigration Office and how do I get there?| Info: | Matsuyama Branch Immigration Office c/o Chihou Goudou Chousha Miyata-cho Matsuyama City |
| Office Hours: | Monday - Friday (except national holidays) 9:00 - 12:00 and 13:00 - 16:00 |
| Access: | From JR Matsuyama, walk out and turn left at the corner. It's on the left just short of two blocks away between Toyota and Deo Deo electronics. From Shieki, you can get on a #1 streetcar and get off at Miyata-cho. Cross the road and you will be there. |
The hours are Monday through Saturday from 9:30 to 16:00. However, the office is closed from exactly 12:00 to 13:00 for lunch. Arrive in enough time before lunch to get your work done. The paper work takes about 5 minutes to fill out and 5 minutes to process. There is usually no line, but if there is a line, expect to wait.
What do I do at the Airport or Ferry Terminal?Since you already have a re-entry permit and embarkation card in your passport, you can just fill out your details on your beige card when you go through passport control (if you make a mistake on your card, the officer will correct it for you). When you return to Japan with your re-entry permit, you can stand in the same line for Japanese nationals - these lines tend to be much faster than the "Foreigner" lines (but don't let the power go to your head).