JAPANLIFE GUIDE
Emergency
City Office Procedures/EmergencyRequired

If You Lose Your Residence Card

Report the loss to police, prepare identity evidence, and apply for reissuance at immigration.

Procedure at a glance

Who this is for
Residents whose card was lost, stolen, or destroyed
Deadline
Generally within 14 days of learning of the loss

Do this todayMove somewhere safe and report theft or loss to police

If the deadline is near or passedIf 14 days have passed, prepare the police reference, discovery date, and reason for delay, then contact and attend the regional immigration office today.

Where to goPolice box or station, then regional immigration office

lost residence cardreissuepolice
Official information checked: 2026-07-18Review status: Reviewed

Step-by-step guide

Follow these steps

Progress: 0/4 completed

1Confirm your case and deadlineReport the loss to police / Suspend integrated-card functions

What to do

  1. 1Write down when and where the card was lost or stolen, report it to a police station or koban, and obtain the report number and instructions for proof
  2. 2If it was an integrated Specified Residence Card, use ISA guidance to suspend the My Number Card function too and save the suspension record

Check before you start

  • Move somewhere safe and report theft or loss to police
  • Obtain a lost-property report number or theft report certificate
  • Check the immigration office and documents on the official page

When the deadline starts

  • Apply for reissue at the regional immigration office within 14 days of discovering the loss, after obtaining a police report record.

If the deadline is near or passed

  • If 14 days have passed, prepare the police reference, discovery date, and reason for delay, then contact and attend the regional immigration office today.

Urgent contact

  • Call 110 if theft creates immediate danger. Report loss to the nearest police station or box, and consult the regional immigration office for reissue.
2Prepare the office and documentsCheck the 14-day immigration deadline / Prepare reissuance documents

What to do

  1. 1Calendar the 14-day deadline from discovery and confirm the responsible immigration office, opening hours, and booking requirement
  2. 2Use the official checklist to prepare the application, compliant photo, passport, police report number and statement, and any outside-status permit document that applies

Basic items to bring

  • Application form
  • Compliant photo; check current age rules
  • Passport or written reason if unavailable
  • Police loss or theft certificate
  • Other identity evidence and residence card number if available

Fees

  • Confirm the current reissue fee on the official procedure page. Photo or supporting-document costs may be separate.

Online options

  • Confirm in-person reissue with the regional office. The police report and, for a Specified Residence Card, suspension of My Number functions are separate actions.

If you cannot go

  • Proxy rules differ. Before visiting, confirm who may act, whether a power of attorney is needed, and which original IDs the proxy must bring.

If documents are missing

  • If a document is missing, do not guess or substitute it. Tell the office its exact name and ask whether you can consult first, submit it later, and where to obtain it.
3File or applyApply for reissuance / Verify the new card

What to do

  1. 1In principle apply in person; confirm there is no fee, whether issue is same-day or later, and any extra documents, then save the application receipt
  2. 2On collection, verify name, status, period, address, and outside-status permission at the counter and report any error immediately

Time to completion

  • After the police report, apply at immigration. Ask whether the card is issued the same day or later and keep the reference number.
4Confirm completion and the next deadlineNotify others and handle the old card

What to do

  1. 1Notify employer, school, bank, or others holding the card details, and ask immigration how to return the old card if it is later found

Confirm at completion

  • The replacement card is received and all details are verified
  • Police and immigration records are saved and old-card handling is known

What you receive

  • Check the new card's name, status, period, address, and work restrictions, and retain both police and reissue records.

Check before leaving

  • Before leaving, check your name, address, covered period, and procedure type, then ask about the next deadline and contact method.

Records to keep

  • Keep the reference number, filing date, office, copies of submitted documents, and next contact date. Save confirmation screens and emails for online filings.

Next action

  • Ask whether your bank, employer or school, and mobile provider need the new card number. For a Specified Residence Card, also restore My Number functions as instructed.

Confirm with the official office

  • This page cannot determine the latest form, appointment and hours, municipality-specific additions, individual review, or same-day handling. Confirm these immediately before filing.
  • Loss abroad, passport also lost, Specified Residence Card, proxy filing

These are date-counting aids. Follow the responsible authority for the trigger date, holidays, and individual exceptions.

Important cautions
  • A copy or photo does not replace the physical card
  • Photo rules and the Specified Residence Card process changed from June 14, 2026; check current guidance
  • For a Specified Residence Card, also suspend the My Number Card function
Find where to go

Useful Japanese phrases

If You Lose Your Residence Card

この件について相談したいです。必要なものと次に行く場所を教えてください。

Kono ken ni tsuite sodan shitai desu. Hitsuyo na mono to tsugi ni iku basho o oshiete kudasai.

I would like to ask about this issue. Please tell me what I need and where I should go next.

Counter

この手続きに必要なものを教えてください。

Kono tetsuzuki ni hitsuyo na mono o oshiete kudasai.

Please tell me what I need for this procedure.

Useful next guides

Check soonOptionalCity Office Procedures

Apply for a My Number Card

Application, pickup, and PIN checks for a My Number Card.

Review status: Reviewed
Check soonRequiredCity Office Procedures

Extension of Stay vs. Change of Status

Distinguish extending the same activity from changing your activity or status, then check timing and documents.

Review status: Reviewed
Check soonOptionalCity Office Procedures

Get a Residence Record

What to prepare when getting a residence record at your municipality.

Review status: Reviewed
Check soonRequiredCity Office Procedures

Join National Health Insurance

Eligibility, counter, premiums, and insurance card checks.

Review status: Reviewed