The Residence Card (Zairyu Card)

If you’re a mid- to long-term foreign resident of Japan, the Residence Card (在留カード) is your main ID — and it comes with legal duties that are easy to trip over. This guide covers the four that matter most:carrying it, changing your address, re-entering Japan, and renewing. It’s based on the Immigration Services Agency (ISA), part of the Ministry of Justice.

What it is & the duty to carry it

The card is issued to mid- to long-term residents alongside a residence permit (landing, status change, or extension). It records your photo, name, nationality/region, status of residence, period of stay, and whether you may work. Crucially, you must keep it on you:

“The residence card must be carried at all times, and must be presented when an immigration inspector, immigration control officer, police officer or the like requests it. If you were not carrying your residence card, you may be liable to a fine of up to ¥200,000; if you refused to present it, to imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to ¥200,000.” (Immigration Services Agency Q&A, Q34 — translated)

Residents under 16 are exempt from the always-carry duty.

Moving? Notify within 14 days

Notification period: “within 14 days from the day you moved to the new residence.” (ISA — translated)

You do this at your new city/ward office — usually as part of your normal residence registration, so there’sno separate immigration form and no fee. Two hard deadlines to respect:

• Miss the 14-day address notification → fine of up to ¥200,000.
• Go 90+ days after first landing without notifying an address (without valid reason) → your residence status may be revoked.

Changes to your name, date of birth, sex, or nationality/region must also be reported — to ISA (your regional immigration office) within 14 days. So must certain other changes (e.g. employer/school, or divorce from a spouse).

Leaving and returning: re-entry permits

• Back within 1 year → “special (deemed) re-entry permit.” If you hold a valid passport and residence status (short-term stay and stays of 3 months or less are excluded), returning within 1 year needs no advance re-entry permit — just indicate it on the embarkation card.
• Away longer than 1 year → standard re-entry permit, obtained before you leave. Maximum validity is 5 years (6 for special permanent residents), and never beyond your current period of stay.

Even with a deemed re-entry permit, you can’t extend it from abroad — return within the year or you may lose your status.

Renewing your period of stay

Your card and your underlying period of stay both have expiry dates. You may remain only for the granted period, and to stay longer you must apply to extend it:

“A foreign national who wishes to have the period of stay extended must, by the procedure prescribed in Ministry of Justice ordinance, apply to the Minister of Justice for permission to extend the period of stay.” Applications are accepted “on or before the day the period of stay expires (for a person with a period of stay of 6 months or more, from 3 months before the period of stay expires).” (ISA — translated)

Frequently asked questions

Immigration rules and penalty amounts change. This guide reflects the official ISA pages as of the date shown and is general information, not legal advice — for anything affecting your status, check the official ISA site or ask your regional immigration office.