Hello everyone, this is Shimoyama of IMS Legal Professional Corporation. Due to the spread of coronavirus, the validity period for Certificates of Eligibility (COE) was recently extended from 3 months to 6 months. On June 26th, however, the Ministry of Justice made a new announcement.
(Recent updates: http://www.moj.go.jp/nyuukokukanri/kouhou/nyuukokukanri01_00155.html)
1) "New handling regarding the period of validity of the certificate of eligibility"
Source: http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001316875.pdf
■ Previous Handling
*Applicable Certificates of Eligibility: No particular restrictions
*Period deemed to be valid : 3 month validity extended to 6 months
■ New Handling
* Applicable Certificates of Eligibility: COEs issued on or after October 1, 2019 and up until January 29, 2021
*Period deemed to be valid: 6 months from the date of the entry restriction measures being lifted or until April 30, 2021, whichever comes first.
Note 1: The date on which the entry restriction measures were lifted means the date on which both the “denial of landing” for the country/region where the foreign national was staying and the “suspension of the validity of the issued visa” were lifted.
Note 2: Information on the countries/regions relating to the date on which the entry restriction measures were lifted will be posted on the MOJ website (http://www.moj.go.jp/nyuukokukanri/kouhou/nyuukokukanri01_00155.html)
■ List of countries/regions relating to the date of removal for entry restriction measures
http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001323012.pdf (Japanese only for now; all restrictions blank as of 6/26/2020)
2) Handling for those who are planning to enter Japan
"Handling of foreign nationals planning to enter Japan" (6/26/2020)
Source: http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001323022.pdf
The following are highlighted from the full document:
1. Foreign nationals who have been issued with a certificate of eligibility or foreign nationals who have applied for a certificate of eligibility
→(1) Foreign nationals who have been issued with a certificate of eligibility
3. Foreign nationals whose period of stay expired while outside of Japan with re-entry permission
→(1) Foreign nationals who are not required to apply for a certificate of eligibility (“Permanent Resident” etc.)
* Permanent residents are apply for a visa at a diplomatic mission abroad in the country where they are staying
3) [Q&A] Handling of Certificate of Eligibility for Residence due to the spread of new coronavirus infection
"［Q＆A］新型コロナウイルス感染症の感染拡大の影響に伴う在留資格認定証明書の取扱い等について"
Source: http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001319321.pdf (Japanese only for now; 6/26/2020)
4) Handling of foreigners who have difficulty returning to their home country
"Handling of foreign nationals who have difficulty returning to their home country or other country" (6/26/2020)
Source: http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001323020.pdf
5) Application for issuance of Certificate of Eligibility for residents whose expiration date has passed
"Application for a certificate of eligibility for (1) foreign nationals whose period of stay expired while outside of Japan and before re-entering and (2) foreign nationals whose certificate of eligibility has expired" (6/26/2020)
Source: http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001323025.pdf
It seems like there's been a large impact on those coming to Japan. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
