Travel to Japan - child expired Japanese passport but valid EU passport
We are to travel to Japan tomorrow with Finnair. However, today we noticed that the Japanese passport of one of our children (6 years old) expired a few months ago. The embassy is unable to issue an emergency passport for us. Our child however has a valid EU passport, which, under normal circumstances would be enough to enter Japan. Due to the recent corona restrictions, it is however only possible to enter Japan for Japanese citizens (with very few exceptions). Other than this, all we have is a copy of a recently issued Japanese Kosekitohon.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Will the airline let us board the flight? If yes, when we arrive in Japan, is there a risk that our daughter is denied entry?
Thank you for any tips or suggestions!
Best Answer
Some countries allow entry for their citizens who possess expired passports. In those cases, the provision appears as a document exception in Timatic. The comment of Traveller suggests that this provision does not appear in Timatic's pages about entering Japan, and, therefore, is not part of Japanese immigration law.
Because the provision does not appear in Timatic, and there is no visa on the child's valid EU passport, Finnair will decline to assess the citizenship status of the child, and will refuse boarding.
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Can I stay in Japan with expired passport?
Many of our clients have expiring (or expired) passports and are worried if they can continue with their Japanese visa applications. Visa applications at the Immigration Bureau can be done with an expired passport. However, in these cases, you must submit a document explaining why you do not possess a valid passport.Can I travel to Japan with visa on old passport?
An unexpired visa in an expired passport may be used provided the passenger also carries a second valid passport which must be officially bound with the expired one. A valid visa in an expired passport can be transferred to the valid passport by any Japanese consulate.How long can Japanese stay in EU?
Travelers from Japan who hold an ETIAS and are granted entry into the Schengen Area will be able to stay for up to 90 days within a period of 180 days, exiting and re-entering Europe as they please within this time frame.How do I renew my expired Japanese passport?
The required documents may vary among the municipal offices, but in general, you would need:Does Japanese government give Japan citizenship to foreign babys birth in japan
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Answer 2
It seems that you cannot enter Japan as a Japanese citizen without a valid Japanese passport.
However, an embassy/consulate should be able to issue a Travel Document for Return to Japan (?????????). If you have a koseki touhon, which is enough to prove your child's Japanese citizenship, then the local consulate/embassy should be able to issue a travel document to your child. Just be careful that the Travel Document has a short period of validity so you're supposed to apply right before your departure (it will be issued on the same day). Also, not all countries recognize this document, so usually you must have a direct flight.
If one enters with a foreign passport, they will be treated as a short-term visitor (?????) at the border, and then they must go through the hassle of voiding their immigration status (????) by proving their citizenship to the Ministry of Justice (since citizens cannot be given an immigration status). Currently this would not be possible since short-term visitors are not allowed into the country, and your child will likely not be boarded.
By law (Art. 61 of the Immigration Control and Refugees Act), Japanese citizens are allowed to enter if they could produce documents proving their citizenship in the case that they could not possess a valid passport. However, again, one would unlikely to be able to board if all they have is a koseki touhon and an expired passport.
Source: most Japanese consulates should have a page about this document. For example, the Consulate-General of Japan in New York, USA.
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