Registrations and Visas

Registration of Foreign Nationals

Most non-Japanese nationals must apply for an Alien Registration Card (Gaikokujin Tōroku Shōmei-sho 外国人登録証明書) if they plan to stay in Japan for more than 90 days. Please visit the Citizens' Affairs Section (Shimin-ka 市民課) of City Hall to complete your registration.

• Passport with valid visa
• Two standard ID photographs (white background, no head covering)
• Completed application form (available at City Hall)

Once you have handed in all the necessary items, you will be given a "Notification of Designated Period for Delivery of Alien Registration Card" (Shitei-sho 指定書) which will include a date on which you can collect the card. It usually takes about two weeks for processing. You must exchange the shitei-sho for your actual card, so please do not lose it.

Once you receive your Alien Registration Card, you must carry it with you at all times. Children under the age of 16 are exempted, in which case the guardian is responsible.

Inability or Ineligibility to Apply in Person
A parent or other relative must visit City Hall to register any children under the age of 16. Individuals of any age who cannot register in person due to illness or other physical disability may designate a spouse, child over the age of 16, parent or other relative living with them to visit City Hall in their place.

• Those who depart within 90 days of arrival in Japan
• Members, dependents, and civilian employees of the armed forces of the United States of America or United Nations' Forces
• Individuals granted a Provisional Landing Permit
• Individuals granted a Port of Call Landing Permit, Landing in Transit, Landing for Crew Member, Emergency Landing, or Landing Due to Disaster Permit
• Those with the status of residence of a diplomat or government official
• Those who depart within 60 days after renouncing Japanese nationality

Keeping Your Card Up-to-Date

Changes in Registered Information
Any changes in your registered information (such as name, nationality, occupation, status of residence, period of stay, name and location of employer, or personal address) must be reported to the Citizens' Affairs Section within 14 days of the change. Name and nationality changes require two photographs since the alien registration card must be reissued.

Individuals who were under 16 years of age when they registered must apply for a confirmation (Kakunin Shinsei 確認申請) of their alien registration within 30 days of their 16th birthday. The procedure is the same as initial registration. Please bring two photographs.

Reissue
Loss or destruction of an Alien Registration Card must be reported within 14 days. A report of loss, theft or fire must be obtained from the Urasoe Police Station and then brought to City Hall and submitted as part of the reissue application (saikōfu shinsei 再交付申請). The procedure is the same as initial registration. You must also apply for reissue if your old card expires. The procedure is the same as for the initial registration.

Returning the Registration Card
The card must be returned to an immigration official when leaving Japan if the bearer does not have a re-entry permit.

If the bearer of the card becomes a Japanese national or dies the card should be returned to City Hall within 14 days.

Registration of Divorce

Complete and submit the divorce notification form at the Citizens' Affairs Section. This form must be signed or stamped with a name seal by both parties showing their full consent, and witnessed by two people over 20 years of age. If both parties are in agreement, then registering a divorce in Japan is relatively simple. However, depending on the laws of your home country, the process can become very complicated. You are advised to consult with the relevant embassy or consulate in order to determine what is required. Even if a divorce becomes effective in Japan, be sure to obtain official recognition in your home country.

Registration of Newborn Children

If you give birth in Japan, notify your embassy or consulate and apply for a passport as soon as possible.

Birth Registration

Births must be reported within 14 days to the Citizens' Affairs Section of City Hall. This will enable you to receive a "Certificate of Acceptance of Birth Registration" (shussei todoke juri shōSmeisho 出生届受理証明書).

• Birth Certificate (from your consulate or embassy)
• Japanese translation of birth certificate (with signature or inkan of translator)
• Mother and Child Health Handbook (see Healthcare chapter)
• Doctor's Report (the hospital will assist with this)

Parents who are enrolled in the National Health Insurance Plan are required to report the birth to their health plan as well if they want to receive a maternity allowance that defers some of the costs of childbirth.

Applying for Status of Residence

If your child will stay in Japan for more than 60 days after birth, you must apply on their behalf for Status of Residence at the Immigration Bureau within 30 days. Please see the Visa Issues section for the address of immigration bureaus in Okinawa.

• Certification of Birth (Certificate of Acceptance of Birth, Mother and Child Handbook etc.)
• Status of Residence Application (available at the Immigration Bureau)
• Questionnaire (available at the Immigration Bureau)
• You may also be asked to provide an employment certificate (koyō shōmei-sho 雇用証明書) and tax withholding sheet (gensen chōshū hyō 源泉徴収表) to prove that you are working in accordance with your visa status. There may be different requirements depending on your status of residence.

Foreign Registration for Newborn Children

After a parent acquires Status of Residence for a child, he or she must apply for the child's Alien Registration Card at City Hall within 60 days of birth.

It is possible to do the foreign registration procedure when you register the birth (before you acquire Status of Residence). This will make it possible to do other procedures in the Child Welfare section, such as applying for financial assistance. However, once you obtain a passport and Status of Residence for your child, you must register that information as well.

Applying for the Alien Registration is the same for newborns as for adults, except that no ID photos are necessary.

Registration of Death (Shibō Todoke 死亡届)

Death Certificates must be filed at City Hall within seven days of the death. Please also report the death to the embassy or consulate of the deceased's nationality and return the deceased's Alien Registration Card to City Hall.

Inkan Registration (Inkan Tōroku 印鑑登録)

About Inkan
In Japan, personal seals (inkan 印鑑 or hanko 判子) are traditionally used instead of signatures. Although institutions increasingly allow foreigners to use their signatures, inkan are still very handy for life in Japan. Inkan can be made to order at stores all over Okinawa. In most cases, you can purchase an ordinary inkan (mitome-in 認印) and begin to use it. Mitome-in can be used at banks, at work, and for city-related documents.

A formal inkan (jitsu-in 実印) registered at City Hall may be required to buy a white-plate car, and for various other procedures. Jitsu-in are considerably more expensive than mitome-in. If you are told you need a registered inkan, please assemble the materials listed below.

• A jitsu-in inkan. The inkan must:
• Be circular, oval, or square.
• Be greater than 8mm square and less that 25mm square in size.
• Be carved with your first or last name. Nicknames are not acceptable.
• The inkan must NOT:
• Be made of rubber or plastic.
• Have a border more than 1/4 the size of the whole seal.
• Application form (available at City Hall)
• Proof that the name on the inkan is one you actually use. For example, you could use your bank book or ATM card, health insurance card, car registration, medical cards, mail addressed to you etc. Without this proof, only the romanized version of the name, as it appears on your passport, will be allowed. With the above proof, the katakana version of the name will also be allowed. As a general rule, Chinese and Korean residents are asked to create jitsu-in using Chinese characters (kanji 漢字), though providing one of the forms of proof listed above would theoretically make one eligibile to use katakana if desired.

Personal seals cannot be registered to more than one person.

Visa Issues

Responsible Organizations:

Naha Immigration Branch Office (Nyūkoku Kanrikyoku 入局管理局) 1-15-15 Higawa Dai-ichi Chihō Gōdōchōsha, Naha 900-0022 Telephone: (098) 832-4185 Kadena Immigration Branch Office (Nyūkoku Kanrikyoku 入局管理局) Rotary Building Number 1, 290-9 Kadena, Kadena-cho 904-0203 Telephone: (098) 957-5252

The Naha Immigration Office is located on Route 221. To get there, first find the big intersection by Naha High School, which is walking distance from Kokusai Street. Then go through the intersection moving in the opposite direction from Kokusai Street (south). Continue for about 400 meters and the building will be on your left next to the Justice Building. The Immigration Office is located on the 7th floor of the Naha First District Government Office Building.

The Kadena Immigration Office is located on the Route 58 rotary in Kadena-cho.

Re-entry Permits ( Sainyūkoku Shōmeisho 再入国証明書)

In order to re-enter Japan with the same visa after leaving temporarily, non-Japanese nationals must apply for a re-entry permit. Leaving Japan without re-entry permit will void your visa, and your Alien Registration Card will have to be given up at Immigration in the airport in order to depart.

• Passport
• Foreign Registration Card
• Completed application form (available at the Immigration Bureau)
• Revenue Stamp for appropriate amount(available at the Immigration Bureau)

There are two types of re-entry permits, so decide which would be most appropriate for your needs:
Single re-entry permit: only one re-entry allowed, ¥3000
Multiple re-entry permit: unlimited re-entry for three years, or until your visa expires, whichever comes first, ¥6000

Permission to Engage in Activities Not Specified By Your Visa
(Shikaku-gai Katsudō no Kyoka 資格外活動の許可)

You must apply for this when you wish to engage in a secondary or temporary remunerative activity that is not covered by your present resident status but does not require a formal change of status.

• Application Form (along with duplicate)
• Materials explaining the nature of the activity in which you will be engaged (e.g. contract of employment, etc.)
• Materials explaining the nature of your current activities, (e.g. enrollment certificate)
• Alien Registration Card

Foreign Consulates in Okinawa