Using Your Zairyu (Residence) Card in Daily Life in Japan

Quick answer (30 seconds): Your zairyu card (在留カード, residence card) is your main ID as a mid/long-term resident — and by law you must carry it on you at all times (a passport doesn't substitute once you have the card). You'll show it constantly: opening a bank account, getting a phone, signing a lease, starting a job, at the city office, and if police ask. Two things people forget: you must report certain changes to Immigration within 14 days (address changes go to the city office), and you must renew the card before it expires — separate from renewing your visa status. Lose it? Report to police and apply for a reissue at Immigration within set deadlines.

The carry-at-all-times rule

By law, mid- to long-term residents must carry the residence card at all times and present it if an immigration officer or police officer asks.

• Keep it on you, not at home — failing to carry it can lead to a fine.
• Special permanent residents carry a different certificate, not the zairyu card.
• A photo on your phone is not a substitute — carry the physical card.

Where you'll actually use it

The zairyu card is the document that makes daily life work:

• Bank account: required ID (with your My Number and sometimes proof of address).
• Mobile phone / SIM contract: required for a postpaid line.
• Renting an apartment / lease & guarantor: to prove your status and period of stay.
• Starting a job: employers check your status and work eligibility (the back of the card shows work permission).
• City/ward office: insurance, My Number, certificates.
• Police check (shokumu shitsumon): you must show it on request.

The card's back shows your work eligibility and any "permission to engage in activity other than that permitted" (資格外活動) — important for students and part-time work.

Don't miss the deadlines: changes within 14 days

Two different offices handle different changes:

• Moving / address change → your city/ward office (within 14 days of moving in). They update the card's back.
• Change of name, nationality, or status, and changes to your employer/affiliation or spouse (for certain statuses) → Immigration (ISA), generally within 14 days.

Missing these can cause problems at your next renewal — treat the 14-day windows as hard deadlines.

Renewing the card vs renewing your status

These are two separate things:

• Your status of residence (visa) has its own period and is renewed via an extension application before it expires.
• The card itself also has an expiry date. Permanent residents especially must remember to renew the physical card even though their status doesn't expire.

Apply for renewal in good time at Immigration — don't let either lapse.

If your card is lost, stolen, or damaged

1. Report to the police (you'll get a report/receipt number) if it's lost or stolen.
2. Apply for reissue at Immigration — generally within 14 days of noticing the loss (or bring the damaged card).
3. Until reissued, keep the police report and any documents that show your status.

FAQ

1. Do I have to carry my residence card every day? Yes — mid/long-term residents must carry it at all times and show it if asked by immigration or police. A passport doesn't replace it once you have the card.

2. Where do I report a change of address? At your city/ward office, within 14 days of moving in. They update the back of your card.

3. What changes go to Immigration within 14 days? Changes like name, nationality, status, and (for certain statuses) your employer/affiliation or spouse situation.

4. Is renewing my card the same as renewing my visa? No — your status of residence and the card each have deadlines. Permanent residents especially must renew the card even though their status doesn't expire.

5. What if I lose my residence card? Report to police, then apply for a reissue at Immigration, generally within 14 days of noticing.

Sources

• Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁 / ISA) — residence card, carrying, notifications, reissue: https://www.isa.go.jp/en/
• Your city/ward office — address change (within 14 days) and certificates
• National Police Agency / local police — lost/stolen report

Related guides

• Residence card guide for foreigners — how to first get and read your card
• Moving in Japan checklist — address change within 14 days
• Lost residence card or passport — what to do — the full lost-document process
• Student part-time "28 hours" rules — the work-permission note on your card

Last updated: 2026-06-23