Procedures for visa extensions and changes in residential status take place at the Immigration Bureau. To extend the period of your stay, you must apply at the Sapporo Regional Immigration Bureau in the two months before your current visa expires. To change your residential status, you must apply immediately regardless of your length of stay. The handling fee when the extension or change is approved is ¥4,000.
If you are leaving Japan temporarily and intend to return with the same purpose of residence within the length of stay, you must obtain a re-entry permit before leaving the country. If you leave Japan without a re-entry permit, you must reapply for the appropriate visa depending on the purpose of your re-entry.
To apply for a re-entry permit, bring your passport and alien registration card to the Sapporo Regional Immigration Bureau. The fee is ¥3,000 for a single-entry permit (for single use) and ¥6,000 for a multiple-entry permit (for unlimited use during the permitted period). Purchase a fee stamp (shunyu-inshi) for the equivalent fee to pay when receiving the permit.
Even with a re-entry permit, you must have your alien registration card with you when entering or leaving Japan.
The Council of Administrative Scriveners for Foreign Registrations in Hokkaido, in cooperation with Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation, holds a free consultation session every April and October for foreign residents living in Hokkaido on extending one’s period of stay and changing one’s status of residence after an international marriage. Refer to the latest information column of this website for more details, including date and place.
The council also provides a hotline (only in Japanese).