Spouse visa expiration while outside

Hello, I would like to ask for your advice.

My husband is Japanese, I have spouse visa, currently for 1 year. My visa will expire in the beginning of Oct. 2013. The problem is that I have to leave Japan in 2 weeks due to some family issues in my country and I might not coming back to Japan before October. Unfortunately I cannot predict the situation now.

My question is what will happen if my spouse visa expire while I am being outside of Japan?

I know I would become ''a tourist'' again, loose all the effort and have to start the process all over again... If ''only'' this, I am OK with that. But I am afraid that I could have problems to get spouse visa again at all or I would not be allowed to enter Japan or something. I am EU citizen.

Does anybody has any experience or information on that?

Thank you very much!

If your residency expires without you reapplying, then it will be expired.

If you enter Japan after this point you will have apply for a visa from outside Japan as a spouse. Probably would involve your husband getting a COE in Japan and then apply at J embassy in your own country. Could take 2-4 months.

Or you to try to enter under visa waiver system and apply for change of status once inside Japan. However, you might get refused entry if you don't have an onward ticket or they suspect you are trying to enter for a purpose other than tourism, a short visit or business (which in fact you are). I would also worry that letting a spouse visa expire and living apart abroad from your husband for a few months might make them question the validity of your marriage.

Why not call immigration and explain? I think the rules on not leaving during an activate application have been relaxed - so you might be able to make an application now, travel aboard, and pick it up when you get back.

As a bonus, if you do end up needing to apply for a new residency status from scratch, your residency time resets, which might put off the time that you become a permanent tax resident.