The CoE is a document issued by the minister of justice prior to the arrival at a port of entry in Japan, certifying that the applicant fulfills the requirements for the status of residence requested. It is the applicant's responsibility to prove conformance to the disembarkation and residency requirements. The CoE procedure helps expedite the process for landing permission at the port of entry and aims to complete the inquiry into the applicant's qualification prior to arrival.
The CoE is evidence that the examination of status of residence has been completed and disembarkation permission has been granted. Therefore, a CoE will speed up the visa process at the Japanese Consulate overseas (usually completed within three to five business days after filing), as well as the process for obtaining landing permission at the port of entry.
In principle, the applicant's proxy (staff of the sponsoring company) or its agent (authorized attorney-at-law and administrative scrivener or gyoseishoshi) in Japan must submit the CoE application to the local Immigration Services Bureau. The application documents, as provided by the Immigration Control Act Enforcement Regulations, differ depending on the status of residence category.
When a foreign national enters Japan, they will be granted landing permission, which includes their status of residence and an authorized period of stay if they meet the landing requirements upon screening at the port of entry.
When landing permission is granted, a residence card will be issued to a foreign national authorized to stay in Japan for three months or more (called a medium- to long-term resident). A residence card carries the holder's ID photo, name, address in Japan, gender, status of residence and period of stay (expiration date) and contains an integrated circuit (IC) chip that also stores the holder's information.
Medium- to long-term residents are now required, as with Japanese nationals, to file a resident registration to allow their relevant local city governments to provide them with the same services that are available to Japanese nationals.
Where any items stated/recorded in a medium- to long-term resident's residence card are changed, the medium- to long-term resident must report such change(s) to their local city government so that these can be reflected in the residence card and resident registration.
The status of residence granted to foreign nationals at the time of their entry automatically expires upon departure. If a foreign national subsequently would like to reenter and continue the status of residence they were previously granted, it is important to obtain reentry permission prior to departure. By obtaining reentry permission prior to leaving, the procedure for entry and landing can be simplified and the foreign national can retain the status of residence for the period of stay originally granted.
A residence card holder is considered to hold a reentry permit valid for one year from the date of their last departure from Japan because the act of presenting a residence card to an immigration official at the port of departure from Japan is considered equivalent to issuing a valid reentry permit.
However, if a foreign national leaves Japan and presents the residence card at the port of their departure without holding an actual reentry permit and fails to return to Japan within one year after this departure, the foreign national will lose their status of residence. This is because the one-year period during which a residence card holder is deemed to hold a reentry permit cannot be extended while outside Japan.
Further, foreign nationals with a reentry permit may register their personal identification information (e.g., fingerprints and photograph) with the Immigration Services Bureau prior to departure to further simplify the immigration inspection at the time of departure and reentry.
A foreign national who would like to remain in Japan under the same status of residence beyond the period originally approved and for the same purpose must apply for permission at the local Immigration Services Bureau before the current visa status expires.
Filing an application does not mean an extension of the period of stay will be approved. The minister of justice will only give permission if it can be determined that there are reasonable grounds to grant an extension.
As mentioned earlier, the temporary visitor visa status generally may not be extended because it is only intended for foreign nationals who plan to stay in Japan for a short period of time.
Foreign nationals in Japan who would like to change the activities authorized under their current status of residence must obtain permission to change their status of residence from the local Immigration Services Bureau.
A certificate of authorized employment certifies that a foreign national seeking employment in Japan is legally authorized to be engaged in certain types of jobs. The minister of justice may issue this certificate when a foreign national files an application with the local Immigration Services Bureau for purposes such as intending to switch to another company for a job that falls under their current status of residence.