Your Residence Card

The alien registration system was abolished with the start of the new residency management system beginning July 9th, 2012. Residence Card is now issued instead of the old Alien Registration Card for all foreign nationals residing legally in Japan for over three months and to their families if their stay in Japan extends for the same period.

Obtaining the Residence Card

All foreign nationals entering Japan for more than three months will receive the Residence Card at their port of entry, if they enter through Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Shin-Chitose, Hiroshima, or Fukuoka airport. Please notify your municipal / ward office once you have settled in to your place of residence within 14 days.
For those entering via other ports, the Residence Card will be mailed to the address you report to your municipal / ward office post-arrival. When reporting, please be sure to fill in the “notification of moving in and report within 14 days after you move in”. For more detail, please refer to “Notification of place of residence” .

Notification of a Change

In the event you change your name, date of birth, gender, or nationality / region, for instance a name change in the case of marriage, be sure to notify the Ministry of Justice of the change at your Regional Immigration Bureau within 14 days of the change.

Note:

• You are required to always carry your Residence Card with you (even when reentering) and present it to immigration inspectors, immigration control officers, police or other officials if requested.
• Anyone who fails to comply with the laws outlined for medium to long-term residents may face imprisonment or fines of up to 200,000 yen.

Re-issuing of the Residence Card

In the event your Residence Card is lost, stolen or severely damaged, please apply for a new card within 14 days (or on the day you re-enter Japan) at a Regional Immigration Office.

Required documents:

1. Passport
2. Residence Card (if damaged)
3. Application to re-issue the Residence Card
4. Document issued by the police upon reporting the loss or theft to them, a disaster victim certificate issued by the Fire Department in place of your Residence Card
5. Photograph
6. Permission to engage in remunerative activities

You may apply for a replacement Residence Card even if it is not severely damaged at your Regional Immigration Office (however you are required to buy ¥1,600 amount of revenue stamp and stick them to the payment slip for re-issuing application.)

Required documents:

1. Passport
2. Residence Card
3. Application to reissue the Residence Card
4. Photograph

Immigration Bureau

in Sapporo

in Hakodate

Please refer to the website below about the information for other branch offices in Hokkaido.（https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/?hl=en）