What Should You Do After Receiving Your Residence Card in Japan? A Step-by-Step Guide

August 20, 2026

After Receiving Your Residence Card: Important Notifications and Procedures

Once your application for a status of residence is approved, you will be issued a Residence Card (在留カード / Zairyu Card).

A Residence Card is an important document showing that you are legally residing in Japan.

It contains information such as your:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Nationality or region
• Address in Japan
• Status of residence
• Period of stay
• Work permission or restrictions
• Photograph, where required

After receiving your Residence Card, you must report certain changes to the appropriate authority.

So, where should you report these changes, and how soon do you need to do it?

The procedure generally depends on whether the change concerns your address or other information and circumstances.

1. Notification to Your Municipal Office

If you:

① establish a new address in Japan, or
② move to a new address,

you must generally notify the municipal office (city, ward, town, or village office) of your new address within 14 days.

When completing the procedure, be sure to bring your Residence Card.

If your Residence Card was not issued at the airport and your passport states that the Residence Card will be issued later, bring your passport instead.

Important

Failure to properly report your address may result in penalties.

In addition, if a newly arrived foreign resident fails to report their address within the required period without a justifiable reason, it may also affect their status of residence.

Therefore, do not forget to complete your address registration after arriving in Japan or moving to a new home.

2. Notification to the Immigration Services Bureau

Certain changes other than your residential address must be reported to the Regional Immigration Services Bureau.

Depending on your status of residence and the type of change, you may generally be required to submit a notification within 14 days.

Changes to personal information

If there is a change to certain information recorded on your Residence Card, such as your:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Nationality or region

you need to complete the appropriate procedure with the Immigration Services Bureau.

3. If You Change Your Employer, School, or Other Affiliated Organization

Foreign residents with certain statuses of residence must notify Immigration when there is a change involving their affiliated organization.

For example, this may apply if you have a status of residence such as:

• Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services
• Student
• Other applicable work or activity-based statuses

You may need to submit a notification when:

• You leave your company
• You start working for a new company
• You leave your school or university
• You enroll in or transfer to another school or university

The notification generally needs to be submitted within 14 days of the change.

Depending on the type of notification, it may also be possible to submit it online or by mail.

4. If You Divorce or Your Spouse Passes Away

For certain statuses of residence based on your relationship with your spouse, you must notify Immigration if you divorce or your spouse passes away.

This applies, for example, to certain foreign residents with the following statuses:

• Spouse or Child of Japanese National
• Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident
• Dependent

The notification generally must be submitted within 14 days.

This is easy to overlook during a difficult or busy period, but it is an important immigration procedure.

5. What If You Want Your Name in Kanji on Your Residence Card?

Foreign nationals from countries and regions where names may officially be written using Chinese characters, such as South Korea and China, may be able to request that their name in kanji be shown together with their alphabetic name on the Residence Card.

If you wish to have your name shown in kanji, check the current requirements and necessary documents with the Immigration Services Agency before applying.

Keep Your Residence Card Information Up to Date

Your Residence Card is one of the most important identification documents for foreign residents living in Japan.

Receiving the card is not the end of the procedure.

If you:

move, change jobs, change schools, change your name or nationality, divorce, or lose your spouse,

you may need to submit a notification.

A useful rule to remember is:

“If something important changes, check whether you need to notify Immigration or your municipal office within 14 days.”

Procedures differ depending on your status of residence and individual circumstances, so please check the latest information from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan or your local municipal office.