1. Gather all documents you will need to present or submit in order to permission to acquire status of residence.
2. Complete an application form.
3. Submit form along with all other required documents.

• Completed application form (1 copy)
• Photo size: 4cm3cm (1 copy):
  • A photo that shows the applicant pictured alone.
  • The applicant should face squarely to the front and should remove any hats, caps or head coverings.
  • There should be a plain background with no shadows.
  • The photo must be sharp and clear.
  • The photo must have been taken within three months prior to submission.
• Those who are under the age of 16, are not required to submit a photograph.
• A copy of document is necessary for the following categories:
  • A document that proves the applicant's citizenship (if the applicant gives up Japanese citizenship);
  • A document that proves the birth of the applicant (if the applicant is born); or
  • A document that proves necessary facts (if the applicant does not fall under (a) or (b) above, but needs to acquire a status of residence)(As applicant sometimes needs to submit document material(s) other than stipulated in the Immigration Control Act Enforcement Regulation, please refer to your regional immigration office or immigration information center.)
• Passport (if the applicant is unable to present his/her passport, he should submit a statement of the reason therefor.)
• A document that proves the status (if a legal representative or agent submits the application form on behalf of the applicant)

Note: In principle, documents and materials which have been submitted will Not be returned to you. If you have submitted any original copies of documents and materials, which would be difficult for you to re-obtain, and would like to have them returned to you, please notify the immigration office when you file your application.

Websites of Japanese Embassies, Consulates and Permanent Missions

Foreign Residents Information Center: Information and advice service for foreign nationals. These centers are located at Regional Immigration bureaus and District Offices of Sendai, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka.

Information concerning procedures for entry and stay for foreign nationals is given over the phone or by direct visit in various languages including English, Korean, Chinese and Spanish.

Immigration Offices

Email address: info-tokyo@immi-moj.go.jp

Immigration Bureau Website

Who may apply:

• Applicant
• The legal representative of the applicant
• The following persons may complete the application procedure (submit the passport, residence card and application form, etc.) in lieu of the applicant.
  • A member of staff of the accepting institution, etc. or of a public interest corporation whom the director of the regional immigration bureau deems to be appropriate (in cases pursuant to a request from the applicant or the legal representative of the applicant).
  • An attorney or administrative scrivener who has given notification, via the bar association or administrative scriveners' association to which he or she belongs, to the director of the regional immigration bureau which has jurisdiction over the area where such bar association or administrative scriveners' association is located (in cases pursuant to a request from the applicant or the legal representative of the applicant).
  • A relative of the applicant, a person living together with the applicant or an equivalent person, whom the director of the regional bureau deems respectively to be appropriate (in cases where the applicant is under the age of 16 years, suffers from an illness or owing to other grounds).

Free of charge

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Application for Permission to Acquire Status of Residence - PDF
Application for Permission to Acquire Status of Residence - Excel

Notes:

• You can print this form on a A4 sized paper (Japanese Industrial Standard)
• The form may be printed out in a scaled-down version, to avoid this from happening, turn off "Shrink Oversized Pages to Paper Size (K)" in the print dialogue box.

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

It will take about two weeks to three months for your application to be processed.

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Applicants may apply for this procedure, within 30 days from the time an applicant becomes eligible to acquire permission.

Submit your Application to obtain permission to acquire status of residence at a Regional Immigration Office (or the Immigration Information Center).

You may apply from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on business days, (Some Regional Immigration Offices or Immigration Information Center may have a set a specific day and time when such applications are processed, so make sure to inquire first before going to an immigration office.)

A list which displays the kind of information which is required to complete the procedure.
e.g.
1. Date of Birth.
2. City or County of Birth.

Any person who gives up their Japanese citizenship or intends to stay in Japan without the landing procedures due to birth or any other event, and wishing to stay in Japan for more than 60 days after the occurrence of such event may apply to obtain permission to acquire status of residence.

Enter other informations which might help

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

• Japan Immigration Bureau:

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/04.html

• New Residency Management System:

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/newimmiact_1/en/index.html

More information which might help people.