UPON ARRIVAL
Below is the process for first-time arrivals to Japan on a non-visitor visa (work visa, student visa, business visa, etc.) – Suppose you’re landing at New Chitose Airport, Narita International Airport, Haneda Airport, Chubu Centrair International Airport, Kansai International Airport, Hiroshima Airport, or Fukuoka Airport. In that case, your landing permission will be stamped in your passport, and a residence card will be issued to you.
If you’re entering at a different port of entry, landing permission will be stamped on your passport, and a note reading “Residence card to be issued at a later date” (在留カード後日交付する) will be written next to the landing permission stamp. In this case, the residence card will be issued after you register your address at the local municipal office near your place of residence (the Regional Immigration Services Bureau will post the card to your registered address).
You can also apply for permission to engage in an activity other than those permitted by your status of residence previously granted at a port of entry if you are a new entrant on a student visa.
The local municipal office is also where you will be submitting a notification of address or change of address if you have entered with a temporary lodging address only. You will need to bring your residence card to the local municipal office and notify the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency of your new address within 14 days of the residency being determined – this can also be done if you have entered through a secondary port of entry, and have a “在留カード後日交付” (residence card will be issued at a later date) note written in your passports. In this case, you will need to bring your passport with you and continue the procedure.
(the Notification of Change procedure is also required if you were granted a change of visa status and have recently become a mid to long-term resident).
