Spouse Visa and Residence Card Part 3: Your Residence Card#
I recently flew to Japan to pick up my residence card (在留カード).It was short trip as I had to come back to the US to finalize some last minute things (sale of our home, cars, work, etc). This return is very temporary as I will return to Japan full time in the upcoming weeks. Anyhow, I am fully over my jetlag and I am able to continue posting. So let’s jump into Part 3: Residence Card!
The last post (Spouse Visa and Residence Card Part 2: Visa Time) I discused the process of obtaining your Visa for your entry to Japan. The important thing to remember from that post is that after you have received your Visa, you must enter Japan within 3 months of the date of issue of your COE. With that in mind, I scheduled a flight to Japan.
Flying to Japan#
Buying your ticket is pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll skim over most of that. I opted for a direct flight (thank you, mileage!). When you fly, make sure you have the following items on hand as you will need these things to obtain your Residence Card upon arrival:
- Your passport
- Japanese Visa (this should be on one of the pages in your passport)
- Your COE (the Japanese Embassy in DC literally stapled mine into my passport. If not, have on hand)
Now, have a drink and enjoy your flight.
Landing at the Airport in Japan#
ようこそう! You’ve traveled far and you’re finally at your destination airport in Japan! Obviously, you’ll need to go through immigration. Go to one of the windows and hand over your passport with Visa and COE. You’ll go through the process of having your photo taken, finger prints, etc. However, this will be all worth it as immigration at the airport will literally print your Residence Card right there on the spot.
I was so blown away by this! I personally thought I was going to be taken into a corner room and made to wait but that wasn’t the case. I handed over my paperwork to the immigration agent, pointed out my Visa and COE, and mentioned residence card (在留カード). I was there at the counter for about 5-10 minutes in total. After a 13+ hour flight, I was extremely grateful for this easy process.
I do have to mention, though, that you might have to go to a special window (or 窓口) for obtaining your Residence Card. I say might because that was what I was told by my wife and a friend who works at the airlines. That wasn’t my case, but it may vary for you. If you need to, ask for assistance when you get to immigration - most folks are friendly and willing to help you out.
You’ll have your card by now - congratulations! Get your bags, go through Customs, and get some much deserved rest!
Addresss Registion: Moving-In Notification (tennyuu todoke) 転入届#
With that said, you’ll need to also have an address. Hopefully this has all been taken care of before your trip to Japan. Our family is renting a home, so we used that address. You’ll hang out at your local city/ward office as they will print your address on the back of your Residence Card.
Some key items you’ll need to bring with you to your local city/ward office:
- Residence Card
- Passport
- Family Registry Koseki (戸籍) - you might not need this, depending on your situation. Since I am married to a Japanese national, and my Visa status is Spouse of Japanese National, bringing our Koseki made sense as I am already listed as a member of the household. Your local city/ward office may already have this on file, but we brought it to just be on the safe side
Health Insurance NHI#
Right after you get your Residence Card registered, you can immediately enroll into the Japanese health insurance. Now, if you already have a job in Japan you’ll most likely be covered under the Employee’s Health Insurance (EHI). Otherwise, you’ll be able to join the National Health Insurance (NHI). I won’t go into detail on the differences now, but that will probably be under a future post.
Since I had registered my address and Residence Card, the process of enrolling into NHI was mostly taken care of.
Flying Out of Japan as Residence Card Holder#
As I mentioned, I had to return back to the USA for a few weeks to finalize the sale of our home. So after I completed my registrations, I had to fly back. As a residence card holder, leaving the country is a tad bit different too.
Everyone at the airport, post security checks, will have to go through a departure inspection. It is here that you’ll need to fill about an embarkation card. As you can see below, there are two sides: Arrival and Departure. You’ll need to fill out both sides. Originally I only filled out the Depature section, but the attendant told me I had to fill out both sides.
Pay special attention to the Departure section. You’ll notice two boxes:
- I am leaving Japan temporarily and will return
- I do not plan to re-enter Japan while my re-entry permit is valid
With this section, you’ll need to select an option. IF YOU PLAN ON RETURNING TO JAPAN, SELECT BOX 1. I am obviously returning back to Japan in a few weeks, so I selected this box. If you select the 2nd box, you are saying you want to forfeit your Residence Card and Visa. Just make sure you choose wisely.
Next Steps#
