The New System for Foreign Nationals Living in Japan

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In accordance with legal revisions, the registration system for foreign residents changed on July 9, 2012 (Mon).

Since then, the Alien Registration System (外国人登録制度//Gaikokujin Tōroku Seido) has been abolished, and all foreign residents will now be registered under the Basic Resident Registration System (住民基本台帳制度//Jūmin Kihon Daichō Seido).

Operation of the Basic Resident Registration Network System (住基ネット//Jūki Netto) and the Basic Resident Registration Card (住基カード//Jūki Kādo) for foreign residents commenced on July 8, 2013 (Mon).

Residence Cards and Special Permanent Resident Certificates

Residence Cards (在留カード//Zairyū Kādo)

Residence cards will be issued at the Ministry of Justice to mid-to-longterm residents (foreign nationals who meet the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act criteria to reside in Japan for over three months) who have obtained the relevant permits such as landing permission, permission to change residency status, permission to extend of period of stay.

With the replacement of the Alien Registration System, in lieu of Alien Registration Cards, Residence Cards will be given to mid-to-longterm residents, and Special Permanent Resident Certificate to special permanent residents. Please note that residence cards may not be issued to some short term residents.

Switching over from Alien Registration Cards

Special Permanent Residents

For those whose confirmation (exchange) application periods began before/on July 8, 2015, Alien Registration Cards expired as of that date.

Alien Registration Cards have also expired for who have reached their 16th birthday by July 8, 2015.

Special permanent residents who have not gone to receive their Special Permanent Resident Certificate and still have their expired Alien Registration Card should immediately visit the Citizens Affairs Division of their local ward or branch office and apply for their Special Permanent Resident Certificate.

Please note that while special permanent residents will not lose their status by not updating their cards, they will not be able to use the Special Re-Entry Permit System.

Permanent Residents

Alien Registration Cards for permanent residents expired as of July 8, 2015.

Permanent residents who have not yet gone to receive their Residence Card must go to their local Ministry of Justice immediately to apply for one.

Please note that while permanent residents will not lose their status by not updating their cards, they will not be able to use the Special Re-Entry Permit System.

More Information

Start of a New Residency Management System＜外部リンク＞ (from the Ministry of Justice)　　　　
Download＜外部リンク＞ the flier from the Ministry of Justice

Special Permanent Resident Certificates

These certificates will be given to special permanent residents at their local ward or branch office as usual.

More Information

New System for Special Permanent Residents (Japanese)＜外部リンク＞ (MOJ)

Resident Records (also known as Certificates of Residence) (住民票//Jūmin-hyō) Kept for All Foreign Nationals Living in Japan as of July, 9, 2012

All foreign nationals living in Japan will be granted Resident Records, just as Japanese residents, and all data will be compiled in the Basic Resident Register (住民基本台帳//Jūmin Kihon Daichō).

This system will replace the need for a Certification of Information Recorded on Alien Registration Record (外国人登録原票記載事項証明書//Gaikokujin Tōroku Genpyō Kisai Jikō Shōmeisho). Instead, foreign nationals can use a copy of their Resident Records (住民票の写し//Jūmin-hyō no Utsushi) when necessary.

Eligibility for Resident Records

Resident Records will be created for the following foreign nationals who will be residing legally in Japan for over three months and with a Japanese address (excluding short term visitors, such as tourists):

Mid-to-longterm Residents (i.e. those with Residence Cards)　
Special Permanent Residents
Those granted temporary refugee status or permission for provisional stay
Those staying transitionally in Japan either by birth or loss of Japanese nationality

Those not listed above or those who did not meet residency criteria on the day the law was changed (including those who had not submitted any changes to the information registered under the Alien Registration Act, including period of stay, to their municipality) may not be eligible for a Resident Record.

**Using Chinese Characters (漢字//Kanji) for Names Listed on Resident Records**

Names which appear on the Resident Records for foreign nationals must be the same as the names listed on their Residence Cards or Special Permanent Resident Certificates issued by the Minister of Justice

As a rule, names which appear on all residence cards/certificates must be written using the standard English alphabet. If requested, names can be written in kanji; however, names written in simplified Chinese (簡体字) or traditional Chinese (繁体字) will be transcribed into their Japanese kanji counterparts as per the rules set out by the Ministry of Justice (Public Notice by the Minister of Justice No. 582, 2011: Notification concerning representation of names in kanji on a residence card/certificate).

Regarding the Use of Kanji Names on Residence Cards or Special Permanent Resident Certificates (Japanese)＜外部リンク＞

More Information

Basic Resident Registration System for Foreign Residents＜外部リンク＞ (from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)　
Download＜外部リンク＞ the flier from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

New Method for Notifying Municipal Offices and Regional Ministry of Justices

Address Notifications

Under the previous Alien Registration System, there was no need for foreign nationals to submit paperwork to the municipal office of their previous address upon changing their residential address. However, under the new system, foreign nationals will be required to file a Moving Out Notification form at the municipal office of their former residence and receive a Moving Out Certificate. This certificate must be presented to the municipal office of their new address, along with the Residence Card or Special Permanent Resident Certificate of each family member, to file a Moving In Notification form.

If changing addresses within different wards of Hiroshima City, all residents need only to file a ward change notification at either the municipal office of their former address or new address.

Please note that failure to bring residents cards/certificates at this point in the process will result in having to revisit the municipal office as the new address must be put on the residence card/certificate.

Residency Status Changes

Under the previous Alien Registration System, foreign nationals were required to notify municipal offices of any alterations or updates to personal information, such as residence status or period of stay, after obtaining permission from their Regional Ministry of Justice. However, under the new system, foreign nationals need only to submit the necessary paperwork to the Ministry of Justice and do not need to notify their municipal office.

However, special permanent residents are required to inform their municipal office of any alterations to the personal information listed on their Special Permanent Resident Certificate (name, date of birth, gender, nationality, etc). They are also required to submit applications to their municipal office for extensions of the term of validity, or for certificate reissues.

Foreign Nationals Registered in the Basic Resident Registration Network System as of July 8, 2013

The Basic Resident Registration Network System (BRRNS) (住民基本台帳ネットワーク// Jūmin Kihon Daichō Nettowāku) is a nationwide system of identity confirmation, created to make it easier for citizens to prove their identities. There is no need for foreign nationals to submit any paperwork to register for the BRRNS.

Please note that Resident Records (also known as Certificates of Residence) for foreign nationals contain a Resident Record Code.* On July 8, 2013, the Citizens Affairs Division in Ward Offices began the notification of these code numbers.

*The Resident Record Code is a randomly generated 11-digit number which is used throughout the nation to confirm identities in the BRRNS.

Copies of Resident Records can be obtained at any and all municipal offices (regardless of where one resides).

Registering Your Address (One must present their Individual Number (My Number) Card, Residence Card, or Special Permanent Residence Certificate)

More Information

FAQ from Foreign Nationals About BRRNS (Japanese)＜外部リンク＞ (From the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)

Note Regarding Requests for Information Recorded in an Alien Registration Record

As the Alien Registration Act has been abolished, we can no longer issue Certificates of Information Recorded on Alien Registration Record.

Should certificates related to Alien Registration Records become necessary, please submit a Request for Disclosure (開示請求//Kaiji Seikyū)to the Immigration Services Agency in the Ministry of Justice.

For more information about Requests for Disclosures, please see the Immigration Services Agency of Japan website.

Regarding Disclosure Request Related to Alien Registration Records＜外部リンク＞ (Immigration Services Agency of Japan)

Inquiries

Personal Information Protection Section, Secretarial Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice

Address: 1-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8977
Tel: 03-3580-4111(extension 2034)
Hours: 9:30 am to noon, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm (excluding weekends and national holidays)

Telephone Counseling for Foreign Nationals

Telephone counseling regarding the Basic Resident Registration System is available. More information can be found on the following website:

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Call Center (Multilingual Consultation Desk)＜外部リンク＞ (from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)

Tel: 0570-066-630 (automated response)
03-6634-8325 (when calling from IP phones or PHS)
Hours: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Dates: April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020 (excluding weekends, national holidays, and New Years holidays)
Available languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Tagalog, Nepalese

Telephone counseling regarding the new Residency Management System is also available. More information can be found on the following website:

Telephone Counseling Regarding the New Residency Management System and the Special Permanent Resident System＜外部リンク＞ (from the Immigration Services Agency)

Immigration Information Center

Tel: 0570-013-904 (automated response)　03-5796-7112 (when calling from IP phones or PHS)
Hours: 8:30 am to 5:15pm (excluding weekends, national holidays, and New Years holidays)