Extension of Period of Stay in Japan — When to Apply, Required Documents, and Job Change Tips

The application for permission to extend period of stay is the procedure by which a foreign national residing in Japan extends the period of stay without changing the current status of residence. Those who wish to continue residing in Japan must apply on or before the day their period of stay expires.

For an overview of all residence status categories, see our “Types of Status of Residence in Japan” guide.

What Is an Extension of Period of Stay?

An extension of period of stay allows a foreign national to continue residing in Japan under the same status of residence by extending the period of stay (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (ICRRA), Article 21; Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA): Application for Extension of Period of Stay). The status of residence itself does not change. Only the duration is renewed.

A foreign national residing in Japan with a status of residence may, in principle, stay only for the period of stay granted (“Permanent Resident” has no fixed period of stay). To remain in Japan beyond this period, you must obtain permission to extend before the current period expires.

Remaining in Japan beyond the period of stay without obtaining an extension or change results in illegal overstay, which is a ground for deportation (ICRRA, Article 24, item (iv)(b)). Employers should track when their foreign employees’ periods of stay expire and ensure applications are filed on time.

Requirements for Approval

Article 21, paragraph 3 of the ICRRA provides that the Minister of Justice may grant permission “only when there are reasonable grounds to consider the extension of the period of stay appropriate, based on the documents submitted by the foreign national.”

The ISA’s “Guidelines for Permission for Change of Status of Residence and Extension of Period of Stay” (last revised June 2026) list the following eight matters.

The intended activities fall under the status of residence concerned (compatibility with the status of residence): this is a necessary requirement for permission
Conformity with the landing permission criteria set by Ministry of Justice ordinance: for the statuses in Appended Table I(2) and I(4) of the ICRRA, conformity is required in principle
Having engaged in the activities of the current status of residence
Conduct that is not poor
Assets or skills sufficient to make an independent living
Proper employment and working conditions
Fulfillment of tax and similar obligations
Fulfillment of notification and other obligations under the ICRRA

According to the Guidelines, whether reasonable grounds exist is left solely to the free discretion of the Minister of Justice and is judged by comprehensively taking into account the intended activities, the residence record, the need for residence, and other factors. Items 3 onward are representative factors; even where all of them are met, an extension may be refused. Filing an application does not guarantee approval.

When to Apply

The application period is on or before the day the period of stay expires. Those with a period of stay of six months or more may apply from three months before the expiry date (ISA, “Application for Extension of Period of Stay”).

Where truly unavoidable special circumstances are recognized (such as a long overseas business trip or posting by order of the employer, or hospitalization for medical treatment), applications may be accepted more than three months before expiry. Contact the regional immigration office where you will apply in advance, with the necessary materials.

If Your Period Expires While the Application Is Pending

If you apply on or before the expiry date and no decision is made by that date, you may continue to reside in Japan under your previous status of residence until the decision is made or until the end of the day on which two months have passed since the original expiry date, whichever comes first (ICRRA, Article 20, paragraph 6, applied mutatis mutandis under Article 21, paragraph 4; ISA: What is the special period?). This does not apply to those granted a period of stay of 30 days or less.

If the expiry date passes without an application having been filed, you become an overstayer. We strongly recommend filing as early as possible once the application period opens.

Online Applications

The extension of period of stay can be filed through the ISA’s Online Residence Application System. The system is available to the foreign national (mid- to long-term residents aged 15 or older), legal representatives, and relatives (spouse, child, father, or mother), all of whom need a My Number Card. Relatives can, in principle, file only where the applicant is under 16 or cannot apply in person because of illness or other reasons. The system is also available to lawyers and gyoseishoshi (licensed specialists in Japanese government procedures, including visas) who have notified the regional immigration bureau, employees of the affiliated organization approved as application agents, and others (ISA: Online residence application procedures; ISA: For foreign nationals, legal representatives, and relatives, in Japanese).

For online applications, the fee amount and payment method differ from those for counter applications (see below). Also, online applications cannot be submitted on the final day of the period of stay, so plan accordingly.

Processing Time

The standard processing period is stated as two weeks to one month (ISA, “Application for Extension of Period of Stay,” as of October 2026). It may take longer where additional documents are requested.

Required Documents

The documents required depend on the type of status of residence and the category of the sponsoring organization. Below are the basic documents.

Basic Documents

Document	Notes
Application form for extension of period of stay	Prescribed form; select your status on the ISA “Application for Extension of Period of Stay” page to download
Photograph (4 cm × 3 cm)	Taken within six months before submission; front-facing, no hat, no background (ISA photo specifications)
Passport	For presentation
Residence card	For presentation
Fee	Paid upon approval (see below)

Organization Categories

For employment-based statuses (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Intra-company Transferee, Skilled Labor, etc.), the required documents depend on the category of the sponsoring organization. The categories below are those for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services:

Category	Description
Category 1	Listed companies, national/local government bodies, incorporated administrative agencies, etc.
Category 2	Organizations/individuals whose withholding tax on employment income in the legal records summary for the preceding year is 10 million yen or more, etc.
Category 3	Organizations/individuals that have submitted the legal records summary for the preceding year (excluding Category 2)
Category 4	All others

For an extension under Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Categories 1 and 2 need in principle only the basic documents plus a document proving the organization’s category (a copy of the company quarterly handbook entry, a copy of the legal records summary, etc.). Categories 3 and 4 must also submit certificates of resident tax (taxation or exemption, and tax payment), a declaration concerning the representative of the organization, and other documents (ISA: Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, as of October 2026).

Status-Specific Documents

The list of required documents for each status of residence can be found by selecting the status on the ISA’s “Application for Extension of Period of Stay” page. Always check the latest list before filing.

If You Have Changed Jobs

If you have changed employers since your last permission was granted, additional considerations and documents apply.

Why a Job Change Is Handled as an “Extension,” Not a “Change of Status”

For general employment-based statuses (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Skilled Labor, etc.) where the employer is not individually designated by the Minister of Justice, switching to a new employer whose work falls within the same status of residence is handled as an extension of period of stay, not a change of status.

However, whether the work at the new employer falls under your status of residence and meets the landing permission criteria is judged afresh at the extension application after the job change.

Additional Documents After a Job Change

For Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, the first extension application after moving to a Category 3 or 4 organization requires the following in addition to the usual extension documents (ISA page for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services):

A document stating the working conditions (when concluding an employment contract)
Certificate of registered matters
A document describing the business (company brochure, etc.)
A copy of the financial statements for the most recent fiscal year (a business plan in the case of a new business)
When mainly engaged in person-to-person work using language ability, a document proving ability in the language used at work equivalent to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
For Category 4, documents showing why the legal records summary cannot be submitted, etc.

Using a Certificate of Authorized Employment

If more than three months remain before your period of stay expires when you change jobs, an extension application cannot, in principle, yet be filed. If you wish to confirm the work at the new employer without waiting for the extension, we recommend filing an application for a Certificate of Authorized Employment (ICRRA, Article 19-2).

A Certificate of Authorized Employment is a document certifying the work activities the holder may engage in (ISA: Application for Certificate of Authorized Employment).

We recommend considering it in particular when you are unsure whether the new work falls under your status of residence or meets the landing permission criteria. This includes, for example, cases where you are unsure about the relevance of the work to what you studied at a specialized training college (senshu gakko).

Notification Obligations

If you hold a status such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services or Skilled Labor and change jobs, you are legally required to file a notification concerning your affiliated organization with the Commissioner of the ISA within 14 days of the end of the contract with the previous contracting organization and within 14 days of concluding a new contract (ICRRA, Article 19-16). The Guidelines list fulfillment of notification obligations as one of the matters considered.

Statuses That Require a Change of Status for Job Changes

For statuses where the organization is individually designated by the Minister of Justice (ICRRA, Article 20, paragraph 1), such as Highly Skilled Professional (i) and Specified Skilled Worker, changing employers requires a change of status of residence, not an extension. You may not begin work at the new employer before the change is permitted. See our Change of Status of Residence guide for details.

Application Fee

The fee for permission to extend the period of stay is set by the Enforcement Order of the ICRRA under Article 67 of the ICRRA, and the amount depends on the period of stay granted. A revision took effect on October 1, 2026. The fee is paid when permission is received; no fee is charged if the application is refused. If you receive a specified residence card when permission is granted, a fee for issuing the card may be added (ISA page “Application for Extension of Period of Stay”). Online applications do not support fee reductions, so apply at the counter if you are eligible for a reduction (ISA: Fee Amounts and Payment Methods for Online Applications).

Counter applications are paid by revenue stamp. For online applications, the fee amount and payment method differ from those for counter applications.

For the current amounts and for reductions and exemptions, see the ISA’s page on the October 1, 2026 fee revision. We explain the revision in “Japan Residence Fee Revision (October 1, 2026).”

Circumstances That May Lead to Refusal, and Countermeasures

In light of the matters in the Guidelines, below are typical circumstances that may lead to refusal or be assessed negatively, and how to address them. The countermeasures are our office’s views.

1. Activities Outside the Scope of Status

Circumstance: Engaging in paid work not permitted under the status of residence without permission to engage in activities outside that status. A student working beyond the condition of that permission (28 hours a week).

Countermeasure: Understand the exact scope of activities permitted under your status. Even with permission, observe its conditions.

2. Insufficient Documentation After a Job Change

Circumstance: At the extension after a job change, the applicant did not adequately show that the work at the new employer falls under the status of residence.

Countermeasure: Show with specific documents that your new position falls under the status of residence and meets the landing permission criteria. Obtaining a Certificate of Authorized Employment at the time of the job change is one option. Note that under Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, for a specialized training college graduate who has worked for about three years in a job recognized as related to the major, the relevance of subsequent work is assessed flexibly (ISA, “Clarification of the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Status of Residence”).

3. Poor Conduct

Circumstance: The Guidelines state that conduct is judged to be poor where the person has committed acts resulting in criminal punishment comparable to grounds for deportation, or acts that cannot be overlooked in immigration administration, such as arranging illegal employment.

Countermeasure: If you have received a criminal punishment during your stay, we recommend declaring the facts accurately in your next application and explaining the circumstances. Whether permission is granted depends on the individual circumstances.

4. Failure to Fulfill Tax and Similar Obligations

Circumstance: The Guidelines state that failure to fulfill tax obligations is assessed as a negative factor, and that large or long-standing unpaid amounts are treated in the same way where malicious. The same applies to large or long-standing unpaid amounts of payments required by law, such as national health insurance premiums, where malicious.

Countermeasure: Obtain your tax payment certificates and confirm there are no unpaid amounts. If there are, we recommend completing payment before filing. You will be asked at the counter to present your health insurance card or equivalent (if you have no card, the eligibility information screen on Mynaportal, the eligibility information notice, or an eligibility certificate), but an application is not refused because you cannot present it (Guidelines).

5. Failure to File Required Notifications

Circumstance: The applicant did not file notifications of change of place of residence or concerning the affiliated organization.

Countermeasure: File the required notifications within 14 days of a change of address or job. If you realize a notification was not filed, we recommend filing it promptly.

6. Missing the Renewal Deadline (Overstay)

Circumstance: The applicant forgot to file the extension application and the period of stay expired.

Countermeasure: Once the period of stay has passed, you become an overstayer and subject to deportation procedures. If this has happened, consult the immigration office or a professional promptly. What follows depends on the individual circumstances. Careful management of your expiry date is essential.

How We Can Help

AEGIS International Administrative Firm, as a registered immigration specialist (certified by the Immigration Services Agency to file visa applications on behalf of clients), supports applications for extension of period of stay.

Checking the timing: We confirm your expiry date and the application period and sort out when to apply
Preparing and filing the application: We prepare the full set of application documents and file them with the regional immigration bureau on your behalf
Extension after a job change: We organize how the duties at the new employer relate to your status of residence and prepare the necessary materials
Certificate of Authorized Employment: We organize the duties at the new employer and file the application at the time of a job change

If you have changed jobs or your circumstances have changed, please feel free to contact us.

This article is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice for any specific case.

This article is based on laws and official information as of October 16, 2026. Rules and practice may change, so please check the latest information before applying.