I'm sure many of you are beginning to plan for travel during the long winter holiday (be it home, other destinations in Asia, or elsewhere). For some of you, this will be your first trip abroad since coming to Japan, so I would like to remind everyone of a few important documents/procedures to take care of before leaving the country or taking more than three days off of work.
1) Overseas Travel Notice Form (海外渡航届 kaigai tokō todoke)
This is the form that you should give to your supervisor, listing your planned itinerary and emergency contact information. More than anything, this is so that your contracting organization can confirm your safety in the event of some sort of incident or natural disaster.
2) Extended Paid Leave Notice Form (長期年次有給休暇届 chōki nenji yūkyū kyūka todoke)
This is another form that goes to your supervisor in the event that you’ll be taking more than three consecutive days of paid leave (nenkyu), showing the days that you’ll be taking off.
Please try to fill out and hand in these forms (whichever, or both, if applicable) as soon as possible (as soon as you have confirmed your schedule/itinerary.) If you need a copy of either form, please ask as your school. If they don't have a copy then let me know.
3) Re-entry permit (再入国許可 sainyūkoku kyoka)
In order to re-enter Japan after traveling abroad, you must have a re-entry permit. They cost ¥3,000 for a single-use permit, or ¥6,000 for a multiple-use permit, and can be obtained at the immigration branch office in Otsu. After receiving your re-entry permit, please make a copy and hand it in to your supervisor along with the first form.
Happy planning!
Note: The Immigration Office has moved! Please check the Shiga Survival Guide for intructions to the new location.
If you are concerned about taking a day of nenkyuu to go all the way to Otsu for the privilege of paying 6000 yen to reenter a country you legally live and work in, talk with your school about taking a couple of hours of jikyuu (hourly leave) and hit the office at 3pm.
That sounds like a good idea—you usually get the permit in just a couple of minutes as well.
Is there a site where we can download the Overseas Travel Notice and the Extended Paid Leave Notice [or could they be uploaded here]? I found them online once, but I haven’t had any luck recently.
Unfortunately, those are not available online. The first place to check is at your school, and if they are not there, I can send them to you directly.