The system regarding foreign residents has changed 

With the "Act to Partially Amend the Basic Resident Registration Act" (promulgated on July 15, 2009), foreign residents are now subject to the Basic Resident Registration Act (enforced on July 9, 2012).

Foreign residents will also be registered in the Basic Resident Register.

The previous Foreign Resident Registration Law was abolished on July 9, 2012, and foreign residents will be registered in the Basic Resident Register just like Japanese residents, with a Certificate of Residence created based on household units.
Below, we will explain the important changes of the new system.

Foreign residents can also obtain a copy of the Certificate of Residence.

Regarding the certificate that indicates residency, a copy of the Certificate of Residence will be issued instead of the conventional "Certificate of Registered Matters." This allows for proof of address for all household members, both Japanese and foreign residents, with a single certificate in the case of households with multiple nationalities.

• Note 1 Requests for copies of the Certificate of Residence can be made by the individual or someone living in the same household. However, if someone else is making the request, please bring a power of attorney from the head of the household or a household member.
• Note 2 For requests for disclosure of the information recorded in the foreign resident registration original document at that time, please make the request directly to the Ministry of Justice.

Reference Links

• Certificate of Residence

If you are changing your address to another city or town, you need to submit a notification of relocation.

Under the foreign resident registration system, it was not necessary to submit a notification of transfer when changing addresses to other cities or towns. Under the new system, when changing addresses to other cities or towns, it is necessary to submit a notification of transfer at the municipal office of the area you are leaving and receive a transfer certificate, and then bring that transfer certificate to the municipal office of the area you are moving to and submit a notification of transfer.

Notice If you are leaving the country, you generally need to submit a notification of transfer.

When submitting a notification of moving in or moving, it is necessary to present a residence card or a special permanent resident certificate (temporary protection permit or provisional stay permit) (please check the details below).

At the Citizen Affairs Division counter, we will write your new residence on the back of the above card and return it to you. Please note that without presenting these certificates, the address change procedure will not be completed, and you will need to bring the card again and visit the office.

Notice In addition, for procedures involving changes to the household, you may be required to submit documents indicating your relationship to the head of the household (if the original document is in a foreign language, a Japanese translation must also be attached).

For detailed procedures regarding the transfer notification, please check the "Resident Registration (Notification of Transfer, Moving Out, etc.)" page.

• Resident Registration (Notification of Moving In/Out)

Eligible Foreign Residents

For foreigners who legally reside for more than three months and have an address, excluding short-term visitors such as tourists, a Certificate of Residence will be created, categorized as follows.

Mid to Long-term Residents (Eligible for Residence Card Issuance)

Foreigners residing in our country with a residence status, except for those who have been granted a residence period of three months or less, or those with short-term stay, diplomatic, or official residence status.
Based on the provisions of the revised Immigration Control Act, a residence card will be issued in conjunction with landing permission and other residence-related permissions.

Special Permanent Resident

Special permanent residents established by the Immigration Control Act
Based on the provisions of the revised Immigration Control Act, a special permanent resident certificate will be issued.

Temporary Protection Permit Holders or Provisional Stay Permit Holders

Persons who have been granted permission to land for temporary refuge (temporary refuge permit holders) when foreign nationals on ships, etc. meet certain conditions indicating the possibility of being refugees, and persons who have been allowed to stay in our country temporarily (temporary stay permit holders) when illegal residents apply for refugee status and meet certain conditions.

Temporary residents due to birth or temporary residents due to loss of nationality

Foreign nationals who have come to reside in our country due to birth or loss of Japanese nationality
According to the provisions of the Immigration Control Act, you can reside without a residence status for a maximum of 60 days from the date the relevant reason occurred.

Notice Even those who have been registered as foreigners until now, if they have a short-term stay visa or do not have a residence status at the time of enforcement, a Certificate of Residence will not be created, and they will not be able to register their seal.

In place of the foreign resident registration certificate, a residence card or special permanent resident certificate will be issued.

With the abolition of the foreign resident registration system, a residence card will be issued to mid- to long-term residents instead of the foreign resident registration certificate, and a special permanent resident certificate will be issued to special permanent residents.
The procedures at the city office will only involve the notification of residence. Applications related to obtaining or changing residence status or changes to passports, etc., will be handled by the Immigration Bureau.
Please note that changes to the details on the special permanent resident certificate and applications for issuance will continue to be handled by the city.

• Note 1 The name written on the new card is, in principle, the same Romanized name as in the passport. For individuals of Chinese or Korean nationality whose names are written in kanji on their foreign resident registration certificate, it is possible to include the kanji name alongside the Romanized name, but the kanji included must be Japanese kanji.
• Note 2 The new card will have different information compared to the conventional foreign resident registration certificate. For example, details such as the head of household, place of birth, passport number, alias, and additional names will not be included. Additionally, for individuals from Taiwan, "Taiwan" will be indicated in the "Nationality/Region" section.
• Note 3 After transitioning to the new system, when carrying out procedures such as address changes at City Hall, it is necessary to bring the "Residence Card" or "Special Permanent Resident Certificate" for all members of the household.
• Note 4 As of July 9, 2012, the foreign resident registration certificate you hold will be regarded as a "Residence Card" or "Special Permanent Resident Certificate" for the time being after the new system is implemented, and can continue to be used.

Please check below for details about the new card.

Residence Card

Residence cards are issued by the Immigration Bureau to mid- to long-term residents who have received permission related to their residence, such as permission for extension of stay or change of residence status. For permanent residents, applications for issuance must be made at the Immigration Bureau by July 8, 2015.

Notice　At the time of the new system implementation, those under 16 years old must apply for issuance by the earlier of the expiration date of their residence period or their 16th birthday [For permanent residents, by the earlier of July 8, 2015, or their 16th birthday].

Special Permanent Resident Certificate

Procedures for the Special Permanent Resident Certificate will be accepted at the Citizen Affairs Division on the first floor of City Hall, as before. For more details, please check the “Procedures for Issuance of Special Permanent Resident Certificate” page.

• Procedures for Issuing Special Permanent Resident Certificates

List of Links

Information Leaflet (Ministry of Justice)

• The system for special permanent residents will change!(External link)
• A new residency management system has started! (External link)
• A new residency management system has started! [English version](External link)
• A new residency management system has started! 【Chinese version Simplified】(External link)
• A new residency management system has started! 【Chinese version Traditional】(External link)
• A new residency management system has started! [Korean version](External link)

Information Leaflet (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) (PDF file)

• The resident basic registry system for foreign residents will start!! (External link)
• The resident basic registry system for foreign residents will start!! 【English version】(External link)
• The resident basic registry system for foreign residents will start!! 【Chinese version Simplified】(External link)
• The resident basic registry system for foreign residents will start!! 【Chinese version Traditional】(External link)
• The resident basic registry system for foreign residents will start!! 【Korean version】(External link)
• The resident basic registry system for foreign residents will start!! 【Portuguese version】(External link)
• The resident basic registry system for foreign residents will start!! 【Spanish version】(External link)

Contact Us

Foreign Resident Comprehensive Information Center
Phone: 0570-013904 (Weekdays from 8:30 AM to 5:15 PM)
(IP, PHS, Overseas: 03-5796-7112)