For International Students

Alien Registration

All foreign nationals who plan to stay in Japan for more than 90 days are required by the Alien Registration Act to register with the municipality where they reside.

To register, apply at your local municipal office, taking the items listed below with you. A Certificate of Alien Registration (hereafter, “alien registration card”) will be issued to you at a later date. Since the card is not issued right away, at the time of application you may also want to obtain a gaikokujin tooroku genpyoo kisai jikoo shoomeisho (a document that certifies you completed the alien registration process), which you can use as identification until you receive your alien registration card. No fee is charged for the alien registration card, but a fee of around \300 is required for the gaikokujin tooroku genpyoo kisai jikoo shoomeisho.

 

Items required for application

• Alien registration application form (available at your municipal office)
• Two ID photos taken within the last 6 months (4.5 cm H x 3.5 cm W)
• Passport

 

Notes

• The alien registration card must be carried at all times, so be sure to take it with you whenever you go out.
• Changes to the information on the card, such a change of address or an extension of the period of stay, must be reported to your local municipal office within 14 days. If you move to another municipality, re-register with that municipality.
• If you plan to study in Japan for a long time, you will need to verify your alien registration card at the local municipal office during the period specified at the bottom front of your card (below the line “Renew within 30 days starting from”). For verification, you will need to bring your alien registration card, passport, and two ID photos taken within the last 6 months (4.5 cm H x 3.5 cm W) to your local municipal office
  Please remember that this process does not extend your period of stay.
• Keep a note of your alien registration card number in case the card is lost.

 

 

Procedures for Staying in Japan

International students staying in Japan must apply to extend their period of stay, change their status of residence, or to obtain a re-entry permit as the occasion demands. You are required to make your application at the Immigration Bureau in person. However, if you are in hospital due to an injury or illness and unable to file an application, please contact the administrative office of your faculty or graduate school. You can download application forms related to residency and activities outside the visa status from the Ministry of Justice website (http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/list.html).

Extension of period of residence

→ Administrative office of your faculty/graduate school

 

The Ministry of Justice’s Immigration Bureau assigns international students (status of residence: college student) one of the following periods of stay: 6 months, 1 year, 15 months, 2 years, or 27 months.

Those who wish to proceed to a higher level of study or otherwise continue studying in Japan will need to apply for an extension of their period of stay. To apply, take the items listed below to an Immigration Bureau office. Applications can be accepted starting three months before your period of stay ends. Please submit the necessary items below and complete the procedure by, and including, the expiration date of your period of stay.

 

Items required for application (if status of residence is “college student”)

• Application for Extension of Period of Stay (available at Immigration Bureau offices, and downloadable from the Ministry of Justice’s website at the address below) As for the application forms “For organization part 1 and part 2,” please have them completed by the administrative office of your faculty/graduate school.
  http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-3.html
• Passport
• Alien registration card
• Certificate of enrollment (issued by the administrative office of your faculty/graduate school)
• Transcript (or certificate of research activities for a research student; both issued by the administrative office of your faculty/graduate school)
• Issuance fee: \4,000 (as of Aug. 2010)

The Immigration Bureau may, at its own discretion, request submission of other documentation as well.

 

Notes

• You will be considered an illegal immigrant if you overstay your period of stay by even just one day, so be sure to apply for an extension as early as possible.
• Immigration Bureau offices tend to be very crowded in March, April, September, and October, so it is advisable to apply early during these months.
• Note that a revised application form will go into use in July 2010. (The application documents will need to be stamped with the seal of your new school/department or your current faculty/graduate school.)

 

 

Change of Status of Residence

→ Administrative office of your faculty/graduate school

 

Generally, international students who study or research at a Japanese university are granted the status of residence “college student.” This status is required for various procedures, including scholarship applications and a request for the university to serve as guarantor for apartment leases. Accordingly, those who have a different status of residence are asked to change it to “college student.” (Starting from July 1, 2010, the “pre-college student” status is treated as the same as the “college student” status.)

Also, those who wish to search for or take up employment after graduation need to change their college student status of residence to a different one.

 

Items required for application (if changing to “college student” from “temporary visitor,” etc.)

• Application for Change of Status of Residence (available at Immigration Bureau offices, and downloadable from the Ministry of Justice’s website at the address below). As for the application forms “For organization part 1 and part 2,” please have them completed by the administrative office of your faculty/graduate school.
  http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-2.html
• Passport
• Alien registration card
• Copy of your admission permit (and certificate of research activities for a research student; both issued by your faculty/graduate school)
• Issuance fee: \4,000 (as of Aug. 2010)

The Immigration Bureau may, at its own discretion, request submission of other documentation as well.

 

Notes

• Generally, those who wish to change their status of residence from “temporary visitor” to “college student” need to submit a Certificate of Eligibility. For details, contact the Immigration Bureau.

 

Temporary Leave and Re-entry

→ Administrative office of your faculty/graduate school

 

If you plan to temporarily leave Japan during your period of stay, you need to obtain a re-entry permit. To apply, take the items listed below to an Immigration Bureau office. If you leave Japan without this permit, you may have to go through the same procedures when you first came to Japan. Also, note that re-entry permits expire on the last day of your period of stay.

Remember to take your alien registration card when you temporarily leave Japan, as you will need to present it to the immigration officer at the port of embarkation.

 

Items required for application

• Application for Re-entry Permit (available at Immigration Bureau offices, and downloadable from the Ministry of Justice’s website at the address below)
  http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-5.html
• Passport, alien registration card, etc
• Issuance fee: \3,000 for single re-entry permit, \6,000 for multiple re-entry permit (as of Aug. 2010)

 

Notes

• Before temporarily leaving Japan, be sure to obtain permission from your supervisor, and notify the administrative office of your faculty/graduate school.
• If you leave Japan without a re-entry permit, you will be required to surrender your alien registration card at the port of embarkation, regardless of whether you hold multiple visas. As a result, you will have to repeat the alien registration process at your municipal office after returning to Japan.

 

Procedures to Invite Family Members from Your Home Country

If you wish to have family members (spouse and children) come to Japan and live together with you, those family members need to obtain visas with the status of residence “dependent.”

International students already in Japan can apply for dependent visas at the Immigration Bureau on behalf of their family members.

 

Items required for application

• Application for Certificate of Eligibility (available at Immigration Bureau offices, and downloadable from the Ministry of Justice’s website at the address below)
  http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-1.html
• Two ID photos of the relevant family member taken within the last 6 months (4 cm H x 3 cm W, plain background)
• Self-addressed envelope with a \380 stamp
• Documents certifying the family member’s relationship with you, such as a marriage certificate (spouse) or a birth certificate (child)
• Copy of your alien registration card or passport
• Document certifying that the family member will have sufficient financial means to live in Japan, such as a scholarship recipient certificate
• Your student ID card (when applying for dependent visa on behalf of your family members)

The Immigration Bureau may, at its own discretion, request submission of other documentation as well, such as a statement of purpose of co-habitation or a copy of your bankbook.

 

Note

• If the family member will stay in Japan for 90 days or less, he/she can enter and reside in Japan under the status of residence “temporary visitor.”

 

 

Permit to Engage in Activities Other Than That Permitted under the Previously-granted Status of Residence (when doing a part-time job)

→ Administrative office of your faculty/graduate school

 

As international students coming to Japan intend to study and research at university, they are assigned the status of residence “college student.” Part-time work is not permitted under this status unless permission is granted by the Immigration Bureau.

To apply for this permission, submit the prescribed application form and other required documentation.

 

Application Procedures

 

Submit the items listed below to an Immigration Bureau office in person. If the request is approved, the certificate of permission will be issued in about two to three weeks after the application.

In addition, you can simultaneously apply for an extension of your period of stay along with this application for part-time work permission.

 

Items required for application

• Application for Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted (available at the administrative office of your faculty/graduate school, or downloadable from the Ministry of Justice’s website at the address below)
  http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-8.html
• Your passport or alien registration card

 

Notes

• International students of the University of Tokyo do not need to obtain this work permit when they work as a Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant at the University.
• Be sure to notify the administrative office of your faculty or graduate school when you receive the work permit to do a part-time job.
• International students are limited to 28 hours of part-time work per week, and 8 hours a day during summer or winter breaks.
• Part-time work is not permitted during leaves of absence from the university.
• The spouse of an international student residing in Japan as a dependent is required to obtain the similar type of work permit if he or she wishes to engage in a part-time work.

 

CONTACT： Administrative office of your faculty/graduate school          

 or International Students and Researchers Support Group

Tel：03-5841-2515　　Fax：03-5841-2352