What is a Residence Card（Zairyu Card / 在留カード）?
The "Residence Card" is a proof of lawful stay in Japan for foreign nationals living in Japan, and is an important identification card. If you fail to present it when asked to do so by the police or other authorities, you are subject to penalties of up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 200,000 yen, so you must carry it with you at all times.
It is an important item, and not something that should be kept at home until you need to use it. Therefore, today, I would like to summarize what to do in the unlikely event that you lose your "Residence Card.
What to do if you lose your "Residence Card"?
① First, get a "lost report certificate" from the police station.
If you notice that you have lost your "Residence Card," you should first go to the nearest police station to report the loss of your "Residence Card" and ask for a "Lost Item Report Certificate/紛失届出証明書" to be issued. Police boxes will also accept a "Lost Item Report/紛失届," but they will not issue a "Lost Item Report Certificate/紛失届出証明書".
However, if you lose your "residence card", you must apply for reissuance within 14 days from the time you realized that you lost it. To apply for the reissuance of your residence card, you will need a "Lost Item Report Certificate," so it is easier to go to a police station where you can report the loss and have a certificate issued at the same time.
In case of loss, you will be issued a "Lost Item Report Certificate"; in case of theft, a "Theft Report Certificate"; and in case of loss due to a disaster, etc., you will be issued a "Disaster Victim Certificate" at the municipal office instead of the police station.
② Apply for reissuance within 14 days of realizing that you have lost it.
Basically, an application for reissuance of the "residence card" is made in person at the Immigration Bureau within 14 days from the date when the loss was discovered (or from the date of first entry into Japan if the loss was discovered outside of Japan). No fee is charged, and the application is usually issued on the same day as the application is submitted.
The documents required for the application (what to bring) are basically the following items.
- A "Lost Item Report Certificate" issued by the police
- Application for Reissuance of Residence Card: A form that you completed and signed by yourself
- Photo
- Passport
Please see the official website (linked below) for detailed guidance.
The application format for "Application for Reissuance of Residence Card" can be downloaded from the Immigration and Residence Management Agency's website. There is only one application form. Fill in the required information and glue the prescribed photograph onto the application form. This photo will be used as the photo for your new residence card, so if the photo does not meet the specified standards, you will have to take a new one. Make sure to check the photo properly and paste the correct one on the application form.
Application for Reissuance of Residence Card
For details, please refer to the following website.
"Application for Reissuance of Residence Card due to Loss, etc. (Immigration and Residence Management Agency)"
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00010.html
The application period for reissuance of a residence card is within 14 days from the date you become aware of the loss, etc. However, if you have lost your card, you must immediately report it and immediately follow the procedures for reissuance in order to prevent misuse. To avoid such cases as "I always lose it" or "I don't know when and where I dropped it", we would like you to check the existence of your card every day and carry it with you with care.
