Lost Your Residence Card or Passport in Japan? Do This

Quick answer (30 seconds): Work in this order. (1) Go to the police, file a loss report, and get the loss certificate. (2) For a lost residence card (在留カード, zairyu card), apply for a reissue at your regional Immigration office within 14 days — it is free. (3) For a lost passport, contact your own country's embassy or consulate for a replacement; the police certificate is what links the two. Do the police step first, because both Immigration and your embassy will ask for that paper.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Rules, fees, and processing times change and differ by nationality and local office. Always confirm with the Immigration Services Agency, the police, and your embassy before you act.

First, breathe — then do these three things in order

Losing your ID in a foreign country feels like an emergency. The good news: Japan has a clear, well-worn process, and lost-document cases are routine for both the police and Immigration. The trick is doing the steps in the right order, because each step produces a document the next step needs.

1. Police — report the loss, get the loss certificate.
2. Immigration (Immigration Services Agency, ISA) — reissue your residence card.
3. Your embassy or consulate — replace your passport.

A residence card and a passport are issued by completely different authorities — Japan issues your residence card; only your home country can issue your passport. So if you lost both, you will end up doing both track 2 and track 3. Start with the police either way.

Step 1: File a police report and get the loss certificate

Go to the nearest police station or police box (交番, koban). Tell them what you lost, roughly where and when, and your personal details. They will file a loss report and issue a loss/theft certificate — in Japanese this is the ishitsu todoke juri shomeisho (loss report acceptance certificate). For a residence card, what matters most is the report receipt number.

Why this comes first: Immigration requires proof that the card was lost or stolen (a police report receipt number), and your embassy will also want a police report for a passport replacement. One police visit feeds both later steps.

Tips:

• Bring any ID you still have (for example, your passport if only the card is lost, or your residence card if only the passport is gone).
• If it was stolen, say so clearly — theft and simple loss are recorded differently.
• Ask for the document in writing and keep a photo of it on your phone.

Step 2: Reissue your residence card at Immigration

If you are a mid- to long-term resident and your residence card is lost, stolen, or destroyed, you must apply to reissue it at the regional Immigration office that covers your address.

The deadline that matters

Apply within 14 days of the day you learned the card was lost or stolen. If you were outside Japan when it went missing, the 14 days count from the date you next re-enter Japan. Missing this deadline can carry penalties, so treat it as a hard date.

What to bring

• The application form for reissuance of a residence card (available at the office and on the ISA site).
• One photo, 4 cm x 3 cm, taken within the last 3 months. (Photo rules can differ for children — check the current ISA guidance.)
• A document proving the loss or theft — your police report, with the receipt number.
• Your passport and/or any document showing your status of residence.

Cost and timing

• There is no fee to reissue a residence card that was lost, stolen, or destroyed.
• The new card is, as a rule, issued the same day at the office.
• Offices generally accept applications on weekdays, 9
  –12
  and 13
  –16
  (hours can vary by office).

For your nearest office and language help, the ISA runs an Immigration Information Center (phone 0570-013904) with multilingual support. Confirm requirements before you go.

If you lost your card while abroad

You cannot apply for a new residence card from outside Japan. Two things help:

• A trusted proxy in Japan (family, a friend, or your employer) can apply on your behalf to obtain the loss certificate from Immigration and send it to you.
• To re-enter Japan without the physical card, you need a valid re-entry permit or to qualify for special re-entry permission (generally if you re-enter within one year of leaving, and within your status-of-residence period). Re-entry permission is not the same as permission to land — an inspector still examines you at the airport. Then apply for the reissue within 14 days of re-entry.

Internal link suggestion: see /en/my-number-card-complete-guide-foreigners — your My Number Card's validity is tied to your residence period, so a residence-status change can affect it too.

Step 3: Replace a lost passport through your embassy

Only your home country can issue your passport, so this step goes through your embassy or consulate in Japan, not Japanese Immigration. Procedures, fees, and timelines vary a lot by nationality, so always check your own embassy's page first.

A typical path looks like this:

1. Get the police loss certificate (Step 1 above).
2. Contact your embassy or consulate — call or check their site before going, and book an appointment if required.
3. Apply in person with the documents they specify.
4. Choose between a full passport (slower) or an emergency / temporary travel document if you have urgent travel.

Commonly requested documents (confirm with your embassy):

Item	Notes
Police loss/theft certificate	From Step 1
Proof of citizenship	E.g. citizenship certificate, copy of the lost passport
Photo ID	Driver's license, national ID, residence card
Passport photos	Size and background rules vary — check first
Application form(s)	Country-specific; some require a separate "lost passport" form
Fee	Varies by country / check the official source

Example for orientation only — US citizens: the US Embassy advises reporting the loss to local police, then applying in person with forms DS-11 and DS-64, a 2 in x 2 in white-background photo, proof of citizenship and ID, and the passport book fee (USD 165 at the time of writing); processing can take up to about 8 weeks, with a 1-year limited-validity emergency passport available for urgent travel. Other nationalities differ — use your own embassy's instructions.

Don't forget: the landing-permission seal after a new passport

If you replaced your passport while inside Japan, your status of residence lived in the old passport's stamps. After you receive the new passport, bring it (and your police certificate) to Immigration and ask them to transfer/verify your landing permission so your new passport reflects your legal stay. Confirm the exact step with the ISA office.

Lost both at once? Here's the combined order

1. Police → one loss report covering everything; get the certificate(s) and receipt number.
2. Immigration → reissue the residence card within 14 days (free).
3. Embassy → replace the passport.
4. Back to Immigration if needed → verify landing permission in the new passport.

If you also lost cards or a phone, see our general safety and daily-life guides after you've secured your ID.

A few things people get wrong

• "I'll deal with the card later." The residence-card clock is 14 days — don't let it slide.
• "Immigration can replace my passport." No. Passports come only from your own country's embassy.
• "The reissue costs money." A lost/stolen/destroyed residence card reissue is free. (A passport replacement is not.)
• "I don't need the police report." You do — it's the document both Immigration and your embassy ask for.
• Carry ID at all times. Mid- to long-term residents are required to carry their residence card; while you wait, keep your police certificate and any reissue paperwork on you.

FAQ

How long do I have to replace a lost residence card?

14 days from the day you learn it was lost or stolen. If you were abroad when it went missing, the 14 days start on the date you re-enter Japan.

How much does it cost to reissue a residence card?

Reissuing a residence card that was lost, stolen, or destroyed is free. Replacing a passport has a fee that varies by your country — check your embassy.

Do I really need a police report first?

Yes. Immigration needs proof of loss (a police report receipt number) to reissue your card, and your embassy typically requires a police report for a passport replacement. One police visit covers both.

I lost my residence card while traveling outside Japan. What now?

You can't apply from abroad. Have a proxy in Japan obtain the loss certificate for you, make sure you can re-enter (valid re-entry permit or special re-entry permission), and apply for the reissue within 14 days of re-entering Japan.

Can I leave Japan while I wait for a new residence card?

Not safely without sorting out re-entry first. Your residence card and re-entry status are linked, and you may be unable to re-enter normally without the card or proper permission. Talk to your Immigration office before booking travel.

Who do I call for help in English?

The ISA's Immigration Information Center (0570-013904) offers multilingual support for residence-card questions. For passports, call your own embassy or consulate.