Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonbvr
Nyororin will probably know more about this. I have a few questions. Do those with a spousal visa from marrying a Japanese citizen need to purchase the re-entry permits for travel? Second, what is the length of the long term resident visa?
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I totally didn`t notice this question the first time through.
You ALWAYS have to get a re-entry permit. Even if you get permanent residency. You can go the single use route, or the 3 year multi-use route. They used to advertise it as "the length of your visa" - but it`s not if you have anything over 3 years.
The nice advantage of the spousal visa and permanent residency visas is that you get to re-enter Japan by using the "Japanese" line at the airport. (Which is usually much shorter and faster than the normal foreigner line.)
You also don`t have to be fingerprinted, etc. I`m not sure of all the other things they do to you these days.
When you marry a Japanese citizen, you do NOT apply for spouse of a permanent resident visa. That is for spouses of, well, non-Japanese permanent residents. You would apply for the spouse of a Japanese citizen visa.
Oh, and "Long term resident" is 6 months to 3 years. They`re most commonly given to ethnic Koreans who were born in Japan but refuse to get citizenship. (Usually so they can continue to receive the HUGE MASSIVE amounts of money the government gives them for the "inconvenience" of having some ancestor move to Japan - regardless of the reason. I`m talking like $2000/month plus free housing, schooling, etc.)