Renewal still pending at expiry? Japan's two month special period
If a foreign resident applies to extend their period of stay, or to change their status of residence, before the current period ends, they can stay in Japan and keep doing the same work while the application is pending. That lasts until the decision is made or until two months have passed since the expiry date, whichever comes first. The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) calls this the special period (tokurei kikan).
What the special period covers
The ISA page "What is the special period?" (in Japanese) sets out the rule. It applies to residence card holders who have applied for an extension of their period of stay or for a change of status. If no decision has been made by the day the period of stay ends, the person keeps their previous status and may continue their previous activities until the earlier of two moments: when the decision is made, or the end of the day on which two months have passed since the expiry date (Immigration Control Act, Article 20, paragraph 6 and Article 21, paragraph 4).
Two details matter in practice. The application has to be filed on or before the expiry date; the special period does nothing for someone who applies after their stay has already run out. And what continues is the previous status. An employee whose change of status is still under review keeps working within their current status until the new one is granted.
When you can apply for a renewal
According to the ISA's extension of period of stay page (in Japanese), you can apply up to the expiry date, and anyone with a period of stay of six months or more can apply from three months before it ends. The ISA may accept an earlier application for a genuinely unavoidable reason. Its examples include studying abroad, a long overseas assignment ordered by the employer, giving birth in the home country, a hospital stay, and family members applying together. Those cases need supporting documents and a call to the regional immigration office first.
The fee is paid only when permission is granted. Since October 1, 2026 it depends on the length of stay granted. For a counter application, one year costs 33,000 yen and more than one year but under three years costs 48,000 yen. Applications received by September 30, 2026 still pay the old 6,000 yen, even if the permission comes later. The full table is in our article on the new fees.
A company can submit the application for an employee only through staff approved by the regional immigration bureau as a filing agent (shinsei torisugisha). Without that approval, the employee applies in person.
How long renewals take right now
The ISA publishes processing times every month. In its figures for permits granted in August 2026 (PDF, in Japanese), the average number of days from filing to the permission being handed over was:
| Status of residence | Extension of stay | Change of status |
|---|---|---|
| Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services | 41.0 days | 51.3 days |
| Specified Skilled Worker (i) | 38.7 days | 60.7 days |
| Dependent | 39.2 days | 38.6 days |
| Spouse or Child of Japanese National | 45.0 days | 53.1 days |
These averages count approved cases only, and they include any days spent waiting for extra documents the ISA asked for. The ISA also notes that applications for work statuses pile up every year ahead of April hiring, so reviews tend to run longer then. An employee whose stay ends in March or April has every reason to file early in the three month window.
What an employer should check
When an employee's period of stay has passed and they are still working, first ask whether they applied, and when. For counter applications, the ISA notes on the back of the residence card, in the field for extension and change applications, that an application is pending. Online applications are not noted on the card, so ask the employee to show you the record of their online application instead.
Then work out when the special period ends. A period of stay that ended on March 31 is covered until May 31 at the latest. Put that date in the HR calendar. If no decision has arrived as it gets close, talk to the employee and contact the regional immigration office before that day comes.
You can also check the card number with the ISA's invalid card number lookup. Cards issued from June 14, 2026 no longer print the period of stay at all, so the steps in our guide to checking the new card apply here too.
If the employee wants to travel while waiting
Ask anyone planning a trip abroad during the review to check the re-entry rules before they leave. Leaving Japan without the right permission ends the status of residence on the spot, and our article on the special re-entry permit explains what to check.
