Registration Procedures
Foreign Registration (Gaikokujin toroku)
To receive a foreign resident registration card, you must register at the Registry Division on the first floor of the city Hall. Since the card is laminated, it normally takes about two weeks from the time you apply to acquire the card. Please note that you have to go back to the division again to receive your card; it is not mailed.
Requirements for photos needed for registration: (1) 4.5 cm height x 3.5 cm width, (2) taken within the last six months, and (3) show the upper front half of the torso, without hat. If you are under 16 years of age, you do not need to submit photographs, or come to the City Hall office. Although the application for the card is prepared under the child's name, the actual procedures may be carried out by parents or other family members.
For further information, please contact the Registry Division, Tel. 5608-6103.
Initial Registration (Shinki Toroku)
| When | Application Period | Necessary Documents |
|---|---|---|
| When you enter Japan | Within 90 days of disembarkation | Passport, 2 photos not necessary) |
| When a child is born | Within 60 days of birth | Certificate of Notification of Birth |
If you have not registered, but plan to stay in Japan for more than 90 days, you must register. If you are leaving Japan within 90 days, you do not need to register.

Registration of Change of Status (Henko Toroku)
| Change | Application Period | Necessary Documents |
|---|---|---|
| When you change your address | Within 14 days of change | Foreign resident registration card |
| When you change your name or nationality | Within 14 days of change | Foreign resident registration card, 2 photos, passport and all papers documenting the change |
| When you change your occupation, status, period of stay, or the name or address of your company | Within 14 days of change | Foreign resident registration card, and all papers documenting the change |
| other changes | At time of renewal or reissue | Foreign resident registration card, and all papers documenting the change |
Foreign residents who already have a foreign resident registration care and have moved into Sumida City, or have changed addresses within the city, must bring their card to the City Hall office within 14 days of the change to update their card.
Useful Phrases
- Where is the Registry Division? = Madoguchi-ka wa doko desu ka?
- I came for the initial registration. = Shinki toroku shinsei ni kimashita.
- I came to change my resident status. = Henko toroku shinsei ni kimashita.
- My address has changed. = Jusho ga kawarimashita.
- I came to renew my foreign resident registration card. = Kakunin shinsei ni kimashita.
Renewal of Registration (Kakunin (Kirikae))
| Age | Application Period | Necessary Documents |
|---|---|---|
| Those who are 16 years or older | Within the period stated on the foreign resident registration card | Foreign resident registration card, 2 photos and passport if you have one |
| Those who reach age 16 | With in 30 days of 16th birthday | Foreign resident registration card, 2 photos and passport if you have one |
Reissued (Saikofu)
| When | Application Period | Necessary Documents |
|---|---|---|
| When you lose your card or it is stolen | Within 14 days of learning that it was stolen or lost | Passport, 2 photos (those under16 need no photos) |
Regardless of whether your card is lost or stolen, the matter should be reported to the police.
Proof of Foreign Resident Registration (Gaikokujin genpyo kisaijiko shomeisho)
As a general rule, you must obtain this proof in person, with your foreign resident registration card. If someone obtains the proof of you, that person must submit your power of attorney showing they have permission to conduct these matters for you. There is a fee of 300yen per proof.
Useful Phrases
- I lost my foreign resident registration card. = Toroku shomeisho o nakushimashita.
- I would like to apply for proof of foreign resident registration. = Gaikokujin genpyo kisaijiko shomeisho o shinsei shitai no desu ga.
- How long does it take? = Dono gurai kakarimasu ka?
- Please show me how to fill in the foreign registration forms. = Shinsei shorui no kakikata o oshiete kudasai.
- I am going back to my home country. = Kikoku shimasu.
Returning the Card
Within 14 days of the death of a card holder, a family member living at the same address must return the foreign resident registration card of the deceased to the City Hall.
If you are leaving Japan (except in cases when you leave with re-entry permit granted prior to your departure) you must return your card to the immigration officer at the port of embarkation.
Notification of Birth, Death, etc.
The notification to the City Hall concerning birth and death in Japan is necessary, even for those who are of foreign nationality. Marriage or divorce can be registered at the City Hall.
For further information, contact the Registry Division, Tel. 5608-6107.
Notification of Birth (Shussho todoke)
When a child is born, please report to the Registry Division of City Hall within 14 days of the birth to register the child's name. You will receive a foreign resident registration card for him/her. In addition, the following procedures must be followed:
- Apply for the child's passport at your embassy.
- Within 30 days of birth, apply for the child's visa status and duration of stay at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Office.
- Within 14 days of the day the above are granted, report to the Sumida City Hall, Registry Division to register your child. Bring your child's passport and foreign resident registration card.
Useful Phrases
- I want to register a birth. = Shussei todoke ni kimashita.
- I want to register our marriage. = Kon'in todoke ni kimashita.
- I want to register our divorce. = Rikon todoke ni kimashita.
- I want to register a death. = Shibo todoke ni kimashita.
Notification of Marriage or Divorce (Kon'in/rikon todoke)
Report your marriage (or divorce) to the City Hall office where you reside. Please inquire concerning necessary documents to the relevant section in advance.
Notification of Death (Shibo todoke)
Within seven days of learning of the death, report it to the City Hall office nearest to where the death occurred, or at the City Hall office nearest to where the person reporting the death resides.
Stamp Registration (Inkan toroku)
In Japan, family stamps, or inkan, bearing a family name or both first and last names, are used in please of signatures. The purpose of stamp registration is to prove the stamp you used on a document is genuinely yours and matches the one you registered at the City Hall. For important documents, a stamp registration certificate is often necessary.
For further information, contact the Registry Division, Tel. 5608-6103.
When You Register Your Stamp
Bring the stamp you want to register, along with your foreign resident registration card to the Sumida City Hall. Only the owner of the stamp can register it. The City Hall will then make a Certificate of Stamp Registration Card for you. There is a fee of 50yen.
Stamp Registration Certificate (Inkan toroku shomei)
Apply for a Stamp Registration Certificate, which you may need to show when making major purchases, when submitting your Certificate of Stamp Registration Card at the Registry Division. There is a charge of 300yen per certificate.
Pet Registration (Inu no toroku)
When your dog reaches the age of 91 days, you must have it vaccinated at a veterinarian's office, then register the vaccination certificate at the Sumida City Hall, 5th floor, Hygiene Division, Tel. 5608-6939. Pet dogs must be vaccinated once each year.
Useful Phrases
- (At the hanko shop): Please make me an official stamp that I can register. = Toroku-yo no inkano tsukutte kudasai.
- I want to register this stamp. = Kono inkan o toroku shitai no desu ga.
- Please issue a stamp certificate. = Inkan toroku shomeisho o ittsu onegai shimasu.
- Please tell me how to register my pet dog. = Inu no toroku tetsuzuki o oshiete kudasai.
- I want to have my dog vaccinated. = Inu no yobo-chusha o onegai shimasu.
