Basic Resident Registration System

A Basic Resident Register constitutes the basis of paperwork on a resident, and is organized from the residence certificate which includes the full name, date of birth, gender, address, etc.

It is used to issue copies of a residence certificate, etc., to certify the resident status of the resident.

Foreign Nationals are also subject to the Basic Resident Registration system, and if you fall under any of the following categories, you must file a notification of address.

* Persons for whom residence certificates are created

● Mid-to-long-term residents (those who have a Residence Card)

● Special permanent residents

● Persons who have been granted permission for temporary refuge or provisional stay

● Persons who may continue to stay in Japan temporarily due to a birth, or to loss of Japanese nationality

Notification of Address

If you entered Japan by receiving a new landing permission

Those to whom a Residence Card has been issued (including those to whom a Residence Card is determined to be issued later) must file a moving-in notification at the city office of the municipality where you reside by bring your Residence Card (or passport, if a Residence Card is to be issued later) within 14 days after you settled into a new address.

* If you live in Japan with your family, you need a document that proves your family relationship (such as a marriage certificate, a birth certificate, etc., issued by a government agency of your home country) .

When you move

When you move to another municipality, you must file a moving-out notification in advance at the municipal office where you currently reside.

Then, you need to file a moving in notification at the municipal office for your new address within 14 days after you have settled in.

When you change your address within the same municipality, you need to file a notice of relocation at the municipal office within 14 days after you have relocated. In cases where you leave Japan to live abroad, you must, as a rule, file a moving-out notification in advance at the office of the municipality where you reside.

My Number (Individual Number) System

Definition of the My Number System

The My Number System is a system in which every person with an address in Japan is assigned a unique number (“My Number”).

Its purpose is to facilitate reliable and quick identification and confirmation of personal information kept in more than one public offices in the area of social security, taxes, and disaster response, and to streamline administrative procedures, improve the convenience of residents, and realize a fair and just society.

You need to provide “My Number” mainly when you 1) receive pension, childcare allowance or medical services, 2) make or receive overseas remittances, and 3) open a bank account.

When you provide your “My Number”, it is necessary to confirm that (A) the number is really yours, and (B) you and the person carrying an ID with a photo, such as a passport, are really the same.

My Number Card

(1) The My Number Card is defined as:

A plastic card with an IC chip, the face of which shows your name, address, date of birth and gender with a photo of yourself facing forward.

On the back of the card, My Number is printed. My Number Card is issued free of charge.

A My Number Card is an official identification card that can confirm 3-1 (A) and (B), which is very convenient.

In addition, it can be used for filing an income tax return online, and for electronic application for various administration services.

In addition, in some municipalities, a My Number Card can be used for services such as library use, and for acquiring a certificate that certifies your place of residence at a convenience store.

(2) How to apply for a My Number Card You can submit an application for a My Number Card using 1) a PC, 2) a smartphone, 3) mail, 4) an ID Photo Booth downtown, or 5) at the office of the municipality where you live (with some exceptions).

You can also use a photo you have taken with a digital camera or a smartphone.

* The photo must show you facing forward, without any hats or head coverings.

The background must be plain. It must be taken within the last six months.

1) Application using a PC Take a photo showing yourself facing forward with a digital camera, and file an application online using a prescribed form

2) Application using a smartphone Take a photo showing yourself facing forward with your smartphone, and apply online using a prescribed form.

3) Application by mail Paste a photo showing yourself facing forward on an application form for a My Number Card, place it in an envelope, and put it in the post

4) Application using an ID Photo Booth downtown Take a picture with the camera, and apply online from the screen

5) Office of the municipality where you live (with some exceptions)

* Click here for details of application procedures and flow of application My Number Card website:

Application for issue of a My Number Card (English page) (Also available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese)

https://www.kojinbango-card.go.jp/en-kofushinse/

(3) How to receive a My Number Card

1) Around one month after filing an application, you will receive a postcard delivered to your home from the municipality.

2) Make sure that the applicant himself/herself will come (for identification) to receive his/her My Number Card by the deadline indicated on the postcard sent from the municipality, bringing required items. The place where the My Number Card will be delivered is indicated on the postcard.

3) After it is confirmed at the office that you and the applicant are the same, you will be asked to set a security code, and then you can receive your card.

* Click here to learn more about how to receive a My Number Card My Number Card General Website:

Receiving a My Number Card (English Page) (Also available in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean, Spanish and Portuguese)

https://www.kojinbango-card.go.jp/en-uketori/

A note about the handling of a My Number Card

When there is a change in any of the items listed on your My Number Card, such as name, address and so on, please report to the city office of the municipality where you live.

Validity period of My Number Card：

Report of a Birth

When a child is born in Japan, the father or the mother is required to report the birth within 14 days after the child was born.

A notification must be submitted to the office of the municipality where the child was born or where the address of the notifier is located.

When both parents are foreign nationals, a residence certificate will be issued for a child without a residence status for the period of 60 days after the birth if the birth certificate is accepted.

If the child is to stay in Japan for more than 60 days after the birth, the parents must apply for the child’s residence status at a regional office of Immigration and Residence Control within 30 days after the birth.

If the child has not obtained a residence status when 60 days passed after the birth, the residence certificate may be deleted, and the child may not be able to receive administrative services such as National Health Insurance and Child Care Allowance.

Documents required for notification of a birth

● Birth certificate

● As for other required documents, please inquire at the municipal office where you will file a birth notification

Other procedures

A birth must be notified to the country of the nationality of the father or the mother.

For details of the procedures, please inquire at the embassy / (general) consulate in Japan of the home country of the father or the mother.

In addition, please obtain a passport for your child as well.

Notification of Marriage

When a Japanese and a Foreign National or Foreign Nationals wish to marry each other in Japan, a notification of marriage must be filed at a municipal office.

If both parties are recognized as meeting the requirements for getting married and the notification is accepted, a marriage can take place (“Japanese-style marriage”).

Documents required for notification of a marriage

If foreigners wish to have a Japanese-style marriage, they must satisfy the requirements for marriage as defined by the laws of their home countries (such as having reached the eligible age to marry, being single, etc.).

In order to prove that the requirements are met, a Japanese national must submit a transcript of the family register, and a Foreign National must submit a certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage.

A certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage can be obtained at the embassy/ (general) consulate in Japan of the native country of the foreign national who is going to marry.
Some countries may not issue these certificates.

In that case, alternative documents must be submitted.

In addition, when you submit documents written in a foreign language, such as a certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage, a Japanese translation must be attached to all of the documents.

The name of the translator must be recorded in the translation.

There is no particular regulation on who the translator should be, so you can do the translation on your own if you choose to do so.

Other

Although marriages that take place in Japan are valid in Japan, please inquire at the Embassy/ (general) consulate in Japan of your native country whether the marriage is a valid marriage in your home country.

Notification of Death

When a foreign national dies in Japan, relatives, cohabitants, etc., must report the death to the office of the municipality where he died, and where the address of the notifier is located, within 7 days after the day the death was known.

Documents required for a notification of death

A death certificate or a postmortem certificate As for other required documents, please inquire at the municipal office where you file the notification of death.

Other

The Residence Card of the deceased must be returned to the Director General of the Immigration and Residency Agency.

It must be sent to the following address:

〒135-0064 Odaiba office, Tokyo Regional Immigration and Residency Bureau 9th floor, Tokyo Port Joint Government Bldg., 2-7-11 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064

Registration of a Seal Impression

In Japan, a hanko (seal) in which the person’s name is engraved is used on a daily basis as a substitute for a signature.

In some important situations, for example when you conclude a real estate sales contract, you may need to have a hanko (seal) registered at the municipality.

The procedures for registering a seal impression at a municipality is called seal impression registration (inkan toroku), and a hanko (seal) registered at a municipality is called a jitsuin (registered seal)

Procedures for seal impression registration

Procedures for a seal impression registration are different depending on the municipalities where you reside, but in general, the following are required.

● An application form for a seal impression registration

● A hanko (seal) to be registered

● Identification documents of the person applying for a seal impression registration (My Number Card, Residence Card, driver’s license, etc.

Please inquire at the office of the municipality where you reside for the details.

When the procedures for seal impression registration are completed, a seal registration card will be issued.

Please keep the card in a safe place.

Certificate of a Registered Seal

A Certificate of Registered Seal 「印鑑証明書 (Inkan Shoumeisho)」  is a document that certifies that a jitsuin (registered seal) is a seal registered at the municipality.

If you wish to have a Certificate of Registered Seal issued, you or your agent must present a seal registration card, etc., to apply at the office of the municipality.

In some municipalities, it is possible to submit an application and receive the certificate at a convenience store by using a My Number Card.