You had to go and do it didn’t you? sure the fact the expiration date is different to you the sponsor’s visa expiration date, but still you dropped ball right? unbelievable! Well to honest, I can’t quilt trip you too long with a clear conscience, we let it happen… twice…
First time of course, we’re freaking out! oh my goodness what are they going to do?, are they going to deport my kid? surely not, we’ve lived a long time… but would they? how long do we have? quick pack the bags and book an airfare, we’re all out of here… well anyone who has been through it, will no doubt know you and your kid are not going to get kicked out of the country for letting the visa expire. So just relax if this is you, chances are no one is getting deported, that’s the good news and the bad news is, that you’ve just inherited some extra work.
…just relax …no one is getting deported, that’s the good news and the bad news is, that you’ve just inherited some extra work.
What was a simple visa renewal process which for kid sponsored by a stable visa holding parent is a mere formality, just became a 2 steps process + some extra applications at your city office for anything local government related they are enrolled in. Since the visa has expired it is no longer valid, so first step is to apply for a temporary visa, then second step to apply for a change of status to the dependent visa again (and you’ll need to buy 1 more of those pretty little ¥4,000 stamps we all love).
Here’s a tricky part, or not so tricky, but the part that caught me by surprise. Here I was going dutifully while feeling slightly guilty for letting my kid’s visa expired and stressed that this had to happen when m work was really ramping up. Asking for one of my supporting documents to prove my relationship of sponsor & application (me & my kid), you know that family registrar certificate you get from the city office – well upon requesting one, the staff member brought it out to show me and on inspection, but kid’s name was no where to be seen… that’s strange, I got one of these recently and now it’s gone… huh strange, I check again – nope kid’s record is definitely not there, that’s weird!. I point out that they’ve made some kind of mistake! this kid didn’t vanish into thin, infact look right here with your own eyes! they’re here with me!
Well because your kid’s visa is used to apply setup anything for them through the city office, once that visa expiration passes, they drop off the registrar of anything registered through the local government. “oh you need to ask for this document” they said, which is basically the same but includes anyone who has dropped out of the system so to speak. So after getting the correct document with my “missing child” now on the document I was set.
With everything collected from the city office, it was just a matter of laying out the money for the 2x revenue stamps (at a premium of ¥4,000 each) I was set! It must have also been my lucky day as once I got to immigration, (and waited in line until my turn of course) it was matter of waiting 30 minutes for them to process everything and present me with the shiny new residence card for my kid! No one was deported, no one detained, no children were hurt in the making the visa process and life will now continue as normal. Until next time… (will definitely be marking that expiry date in our calendar moving forward!
I hope this helps anyone who finds themselves in the same situation, if you have any questions or information to add to this, please comment below!!
The Nitty Gritty/The things you need:
The docs you need to make this happen if you find yourself in the same situation as we have. There are the general ones for any visa renewal.
Immigration forms
• Temporary Visa Application form
• Change of Status Visa Application form (I would recommend getting these top 2 from immigration staff to make sure you have the right one)
• 2x ¥4,000 revenue stamps (from a convenience store or available at some immigration offices)
City Office Docs
• 住民票（全世帯分で記載省略のないもの）
Jūmin-hyō (zen setai-bun de kisai shōryaku no nai mono) – this is the document with everyone in your household on it, make sure to get the version with anyone missing (eg. your child with expired visa)
• 住民税課税（又は非課税）証明書
Jūminzei kazei (matawa hikazei) shōmei-sho
Resident tax taxable (or tax exempt) certificate – This is your income statement, the last full year’s version
• 住民税納税証明書
Jūminzei nōzei shōmei-sho
Resident tax payment certificate – This is your tax payment certificate, get the last full year’s version
Company Docs
• 在職証明書：原本（代表者の場合は法人登記事項証明書等の客観的資料）Zaishoku shōmei-sho / Certificate of employment
• Work Contract
