Residence Card and Resident Registration at Local Municipality

Residence Card

A Residence Card will be issued for foreign residents who stay in Japan for a mid-to-long term (i.e. more than 90 days) .

Place of Issue

A Residence Card will be issued at Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai and Fukuoka airports to those entering Japan with a mid-to-long-term resident status. However, for those entering via all other ports of entry and departure, a Residence Card will be mailed by Simplified Registered Mail to the individual’s reported place of residence submitted to municipal offices upon entry.

Residence card includes the following information: name, nationality/region, date of birth, sex, status of residence, and period of stay.

(Note) If you have the following circumstances while in Japan, you are required to make an application or notification to the Immigration Bureau:

• Need to extend your period of stay or change your visa status (see “Immigration Procedures”)
• Lost, stolen or damaged your Residence Card
• Changing name, nationality/ region, etc.
• Changing an affiliated organization
• Those who have a “Dependent “ visa (as spouse) have become divorced from or lost his/her spouse


• Those who have employment status (with some exceptions), resident status of Students or Trainees should also notify the immigration bureau when they have the following circumstances:
  (e.g.)
  • Your affiliated organization (i.e. employer or educational institution etc.,) changes its name or location
  • Termination of an employment contract
  • Transfer due to a new employment contract

For details, please refer to the following URL: http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/index.html

Law for Partial Amendment of the Basic Residents Registration Act"(Act No.77 of 2009)

In accordance with the enforcement of the "Law for Partial Amendment of the Basic Residents Registration Act"(Act No.77 of 2009), foreign residents (see Note below) is subject to the Basic Resident Registration System from July 9, 2012 (the date of enforcement). "Resident record" is prepared for foreign residents at your municipality (city/ward/town). Furthermore, under the Basic Resident Registration System, if a foreign resident moves to a different municipality (city/ward/town), he/she must report his/her move out to the former municipal office, while he/she must report his/her move into your municipality having jurisdiction over your new residence.

Note: "Foreign residents" means "medium-to-long term residents" residing in Japan for a medium-to-long term with a status of residence covered in the revised Immigration Control Act (The people who are to be granted residence cards. People who stay in Japan with a status of residence of "temporary visitor" and people who have permission to stay for "3 months" or less are exempted), "special permanent residents", etc., whom have their own addresses within a specific municipality.

Resident Registration at Local Municipality (Residence Record)

Foreign residents who stay in Japan more than 3 months are required to register their home address in Japan at local municipal office where they live within 14 days of finding a place to settle down. Once they register their own home address in Japan, Residence Record (Jyuminhyo) will be made for them same as Japanese citizens.

*In case of changing home address or leaving Japan, making a notification to a local municipal office is required.

Residence Record

Residence Record for non-Japanese citizens includes the following information; name, date of birth, sex, address, nationality/region, status of residence and period of stay.

Issuance of Certified Copy of Residence Record

Certified copy of the Residence Record may be required for some procedures while in Japan. If you need to the certified copy, local municipal office where you live can issue it for you.

Notification to local municipality will be necessary in the following case:

1） Changing home address or moving in a house in different municipality (Moving-in Notification, Change of Address Notification, Moving-out Notification)
* Please bring your Residence Car and notification card of 12-digit individual number of “ My Number”.
* When changing to an address in a different municipality, you are required to submit in advance a moving-out notification to the municipality you will be leaving.

2) Bring your family member (spouse/children) to stay in Japan more than 3 months after you arrive in Japan

Created: December 13, 2017 / Last modified:December 13, 2017