Japan - Extend the Validity of a Residence Card

ProcedureEdit

Gather all documents you will need to present or submit in order to extend the validity of your residence card.
Complete an application form.
Submit form along with all other required documents.
It is possible that processing of your application will be done within the day.

Required DocumentsEdit

Completed Application form
A photograph (submit a photograph meeting specifications mentioned below along with an application form, after writing your name on the back of the photograph):
- The photograph shall be one in which only the applicant appears.
- The size of the photograph (excluding the margins) shall match the dimensions specified in this link. (The size of the face shall be from the top of the head(including hair) to the tip of the chin.)
- The person in the photograph shall face the front, wearing no hat.
- No object (including a shadow) shall exist in the background.
- The photograph must be clear.
- The photograph was be taken no earlier than three months before submission.
Applicants under the age of 16 need not submit a photograph. However, a photograph is required in cases of an application being made by a foreign national for whom the date of expiration of the residence card is his or her sixteenth birthday.
Applicants must be carrying a copy of the residence card in cases where another person other than the one whom the residence card is for is applying for the procedure.
Application for Indication of Name Using Kanji Characters on the Residence Card (only if you wish to have your name indicated both in alphabet and in kanji characters)
Your passport or certificate of status of residence.
Existing residence card (including an alien registration certificate regarded as a residence card; the same shall apply hereinafter)
Please make sure that the applicant is carrying a copy of the residence card in cases where any person other than the cardholder is applying for the extension of the validity period of the residence card.
The statement of reasons, if you cannot present your passport or certificate of status of residence.
Please submit some documents certifying your identity (for those submitting the application in behalf of the applicant).

Present the following documents when you are picking up your residence card (when the card was issued on a later date):

Proof that your application was received by the immigration officer.
Passport or certificate of status of residence
Residence card
Valid identification

Office Locations & ContactsEdit

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: [email protected]

Immigration Bureau Website

EligibilityEdit

A permanent resident aged 16 or above whose residence card will expire in two months
A person whose residence card ceases to be effective as of his/her 16th birthday
From six months before the 16th birthday until the said birthday
Those who will not be able to obtain a new residence card easily. You can apply before the application period in cases where it is deemed difficult for you to apply during the application period due to unavoidable situations, including a situation in which you are forced to live outside Japan for a long time for the purpose of business or studying abroad and cannot return to Japan during the application period.

FeesEdit

No fees are required.

ValidityEdit

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

Documents to UseEdit

Application for Extension of the Valid Period of the Residence Card - PDF
Application for Extension of the Valid Period of the Residence Card - 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, uncheck the box Scale down the page according to the size of paper (K)in the Print dialogue box before printing out.

Application for Indication of Name Using Kanji Characters on the Residence Card - PDF
Application for Indication of Name Using Kanji Characters on the Residence Card - Excel

Sample DocumentsEdit

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing TimeEdit

Will be issued on the same day in principle.

InstructionsEdit

Submit your application at a Regional Immigration Office (or the Immigration Information Center).

You may apply to extend the validity of your residence card from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 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.)

Who may submit the application:

The applicant (except for those under the age of 16 years)
A representative:
1. A relative aged 16 or above living together with the applicant in cases where the applicant is under the age of 16 years (Note 1) suffers from an illness or is unable to apply for the residence card owing to other grounds
2. A relative aged 16 or above living together with the applicant, pursuant to a request of the applicant (Note 2)
An agent:
1. Individuals who have obtained the approval for activities as an agent for application from the director of the regional immigration bureau (pursuant to a request from the applicant)
  1. A member of the staff of the institution that is operated by, or employs, the applicant
  2. A member of the staff of the institution in which the applicant is being trained or educated
  3. A member of the staff of the institution that supervises activities for assisting foreigners in acquiring skills, technique, or knowledge
  4. A member of the staff of the public interest corporation designed to provide for the smooth acceptance of foreign nationals
2. An attorney or administrative scrivener who has given notification to the director of the regional immigration bureau (pursuant to a request from the applicant)
3. The legal representative of the applicant (except for the relatives living together as mentioned in paragraph 2 (1) above)
4. A relative of the applicant, a person living together with the applicant or an equivalent person, whom the director of the regional bureau deems to be appropriate (in cases where the applicant is under the age of 16 years, suffers from an illness, or owing to other grounds (Note 1))

Notes:

In the event of illness, please bring the medical certificate, etc. as additional requirement.
In the event of proxy by request, please bring a letter of proxy as additional requirement.

Required InformationEdit

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.

Need for the DocumentEdit

A residence card is a certificate with which the Minister of Justice proves that the individual indicated in the certificate is a foreign national legally staying in Japan with the status of a resident, allowing him/her to stay in Japan for a mid- to long term, up to the permitted period of stay.

A permanent resident, or a medium to long-term resident, whose residence card ceases to be effective on their 16th birthday may apply and have its validity extended.

Information which might helpEdit

A residence card contains the important part of the personal information held by the Minister of Justice, such as the holder's name, birth date, gender, nationality/region of origin, address, status of residence, period of stay, and whether or not he/she can work.

If there is any change in relation to those mentioned information, the relevant person is obliged to notify authorities of those changes. Therefore, the latest information shall always be reflected in a residence card. A residence card for a person aged 16 or over also contains a photograph of his/her face.

External LinksEdit

Japan Immigration Bureau:

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/14.html

New Residency Management System:

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

OthersEdit

More information which might help people.