Papajojo

Japan Alien Registration at a Glance

Posted on 12. Feb, 2010 by James in Living in Japan

According to Japan Immigration Regulation, foreigner staying more than 90 days must register at the city hall of residence within 90 days upon their arrival in Japan including family members under 16 years old. Besides you also must register for new born baby within 60 days after the date of birth. This process is also known as Alien Registration.

All information basically can be found online on the website of respective city hall. I was lucky because the city where i was registered at has details information online in English which sometimes not available on the other cities. Once registered you will receive the Alien Registration card as you can see on the sample below within around 2-4 weeks.

Alien Registration Card - Source: Japan Immigration Bureau

In summary the Alien Registration requires you to provide your passport and 2 identical photoss 4.5cm x 3.5cm (not necessary for applicants under 16 years old). While for new born baby you must provide the Certificate of Birth (Mother and Child Health Handbook “BOSHI KENKOU TECHOU”, passport or certificate of SHUSSHOU TODOKE, etc.) Based on my experience i recommend you to also ask for a temporary letter regarding your registration. This letter you will need it when applying for Bank Account and mobile phone unless you can wait for 2-4 weeks until you receive the card.

Anyway, it’s not an easy process though especially if you don’t speak Japanese. But i would say the staff on the city hall will be very pleased to help you. That’s all for today and stay tuned for the rest of the articles as part of the “10 Important Things To Do to Start Living in Japan“.

Tags: Alien Registration, alien registration procedure, alien registration process, immigration bureau, japan alien registration, japan immigration bureau, minoh city hall, toyonaka city hall