~ Inquiries related to passports when applying for a Certificate of Eligibility, Extension of Period of Stay, or Change of Status of Residence~
Hello, this is Lee of IMS. In my previous article, "Passport-related Information (1)," I explained about the remaining validity period of a passport required for travel to Japan.
In this article, I would like to introduce some of the common inquiries related to passports when applying for a Certificate of Eligibility, Extension of Period of Stay, Change of Status of Residence, etc., and explain whether it is possible to apply without a passport at the time of application, and how to apply.
Certificate of Eligibility
First of all, regarding the application for a Certificate of Eligibility, if you go to the section outlining the requirements for the Status you plan to apply for in accordance to your activities in Japan in the document for the "Application for a Certificate of Eligibility" and read the list of required documents, you may realize there is no mention of a passport there.
For example, if you are applying for a Certificate of Eligibility for a child who has just been born, or if you need to apply while your passport is missing, or if you need to apply while your passport is being renewed, etc., and you do not have your passport with you, you can apply by writing "pending" in the passport number field of the application form and leaving the expiration date field blank.
If you need to renew your passport after you have completed your Certificate application, there is no problem. As long as you have your Certificate of Eligibility and newly issued passport with you when you enter Japan, you will be able to do so without any problems.
Important Note
However, there is one thing you need to keep in mind: the name field on the application form. If the name on the newly issued passport is different from the name on the application form for the Certificate of Eligibility, there may be a problem when you enter Japan, so please be careful about that. If you are applying with a passport that has not yet been renewed, please make sure that there is no change in the name on the new passport.
Extending Period of Stay, Changing Status of Residence
Next, I would like to tell you about the case of an application for extension of period of stay and an application to change the status of residence.
Unlike an application for a Certificate of Eligibility, an application for extension of period of stay and an application for change of status of residence requires the following documents:
- Passport or Certificate of Eligibility
- If you are unable to present your passport or Certificate of Eligibility, submit a Statement of Reasons
If you are unable to present your passport or certificate of eligibility, you can submit your residence card and submit a statement of reasons for not being able to present your passport or certificate of eligibility, such as if you lost it during your travels or if you are currently getting it renewed.
As with the above application for a Certificate of Eligibility, please indicate "pending" in the field for the passport number on the application form, and leave the expiration date field blank. Your application will be accepted if you submit a letter of reason for not having obtained a passport in addition to the required documents.
Unable to Submit a Passport?
The reason for not obtaining a passport should include: 1. the reason for not obtaining a passport, 2. the applicant's information (name, date of birth, gender, nationality (region)), and 3. a statement that there is no change in the name, date of birth, gender, or nationality (region) of the residence card currently held. If there is no mistake in 1, 2, and 3, you should be fine.
As a supplementary explanation, in the case of a lost passport, when you go to pick up your new resident card after the renewal or change is approved, you will need a document issued by the police station to prove that you have reported the loss or theft (lost report), regardless of whether a new passport is issued. If you have already submitted the form to the embassy or other authorities for reissuance of your passport, you will need to get a lost report receipt number from the police station where you reported the loss, and submit a "lost item questionnaire" with the number and a detailed description of the circumstances of the loss at the time of pickup. If you have any questions, please contact us.
We have applied for many passports on behalf of our clients and have dealt with various inquiries such as the above, and shared with you some of the most frequently asked questions about passports. We hope that the above information will help resolve some of your questions.
At IMS, we also provide various services such as receiving residence cards on behalf of our clients. Please feel free to contact us for more information.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
