Lost Residence Card in Japan: 14-Day Reissue Guide for 2026

Treat a missing residence card as both a lost-property problem and an immigration procedure. The police can record the loss and help match the item if it is found; the Immigration Services Agency is responsible for issuing the replacement card.

Do not wait several days for a station, shop or police search to finish before preparing the immigration application. The legal reissuance period is short.

• Check the last place you used the card and contact the station, shop, taxi company, workplace or facility.
• Report the loss or theft to a police station or police box and save the report reception number.
• Protect other missing items such as bank cards, credit cards and phones separately.
• Prepare the immigration application and visit the Regional Immigration Services Office responsible for your registered residence.

For a mid- to long-term resident who loses possession of a residence card through loss, theft, destruction or another cause, the reissuance application must normally be made within 14 days from the date the person became aware of that fact.

If you became aware of the loss while outside Japan, the official rule uses the first day you enter Japan afterward as the start of the 14-day period. If the deadline has already passed, apply without further delay and follow the Immigration Services Agency's instructions for explaining the late application.

• Count from the day you discovered the card was missing, not automatically from the day it was dropped.
• Do not wait for a visa extension or another future immigration appointment.
• If the deadline has passed, prepare to explain the reason for the delay.

For a loss or theft case, the Immigration Services Agency's current application instructions require that the matter be reported to the police and that the report reception number be provided. Tokyo police guidance states that a Lost Property Report can be filed at a police station or police box.

If you lost a wallet or bag, also contact the issuers of any missing bank cards, credit cards or mobile phone. The police report does not automatically suspend those services.

• State whether the card was lost or may have been stolen.
• Give the approximate place, date and time if known.
• Write down the police report reception number accurately.
• Keep any lost-property certificate, theft report or other evidence the police provide.

Use the Immigration Services Agency's latest checklist when you apply. A standard loss or theft application includes the reissuance application, a compliant photograph, a statement concerning the loss or theft and the police report reception number.

You also present your passport or Certificate of Status of Residence. If you cannot present the passport for a valid reason, follow the official instructions for the written explanation and any alternative identity evidence.

• Application for Reissuance of a Residence Card.
• One compliant photograph when required.
• Statement describing the loss or theft and the police report reception number.
• Passport or Certificate of Status of Residence.
• Additional evidence requested for the circumstances of the loss.
• Extra documents if an officially permitted representative or application intermediary is filing.

Older guides can now be wrong about the age at which a photograph is required. For residence cards issued on or after June 14, 2026, the Immigration Services Agency says a photograph is unnecessary only when the person will be under 1 year old on the card's issue date.

For other applicants, prepare the photograph to the official specifications. Using an unsuitable photo can cause the office to request another photograph and delay the procedure.

• Check the current official photograph specifications before visiting.
• Do not rely on older advice saying that everyone under 16 is exempt from the photo requirement.
• Use a recent, clear photograph that meets the residence-card standard.

A lost residence card for a mid- to long-term resident is normally reissued by the Regional Immigration Services Office with jurisdiction over the registered residence. City hall does not issue the replacement residence card.

A Special Permanent Resident Certificate is a different document with a different municipal procedure. Do not confuse the two systems when deciding where to go.

• Confirm which Regional Immigration Services Office covers your registered address.
• Check current reception days and hours before travelling.
• Bring every required original and supporting document.
• If you cannot appear personally, verify whether your situation allows an official representative or application intermediary.

The Immigration Services Agency states that there is no government fee for reissuance because of loss, theft, destruction or a similar cause. This is different from some voluntary exchange procedures that can carry a fee.

You may still pay personal costs for the photograph, transportation, translation or professional assistance. The ordinary residence-card procedure may be completed the same day in many cases, but same-day issuance should not be treated as guaranteed.

• Government reissuance fee for loss/theft: none.
• Keep the application receipt if the new card will be issued later.
• Inspect the replacement card carefully before leaving when it is handed to you.

People age 16 or older who are subject to the residence-card system are generally required to carry the residence card. Losing the physical card does not itself cancel the underlying status of residence, but the replacement procedure should be completed promptly.

Until the replacement is issued, keep your passport, police report information and immigration application receipt available so you can explain the situation if necessary. These records are useful evidence of the loss and the pending replacement, but they are not a substitute residence card.

• Do not assume a passport permanently replaces the residence-card carrying requirement.
• Keep copies or secure records of the report and application.
• After replacement, update employers, schools, banks or other organizations only when they genuinely need the new card information.

Report the loss to the local police or appropriate authority and keep written proof if available. If the passport was also lost, contact your own embassy or consulate about replacing it.

The Immigration Services Agency states that if the loss is discovered while you are outside Japan, the 14-day reissuance period begins on the first day you enter Japan afterward. If you are uncertain whether you have the documents needed to return to Japan, contact the airline and a Japanese embassy or consulate before travelling to the airport.

• Keep overseas police documentation and report numbers.
• Protect the passport and re-entry documents that remain.
• Apply for the replacement residence card promptly after returning to Japan.
• Bring a translation or explanation of overseas documents if the immigration office requests one.

Japan introduced the optional Special Residence Card system on June 14, 2026, integrating residence-card and My Number Card functions. If that integrated card is lost, the My Number functions must also be protected.

Official guidance says to suspend the My Number Card functions, report the loss to police and apply to immigration for reissuance because of loss. In this situation, the first replacement issued through the lost-card procedure is an ordinary residence card; if you later want another integrated Special Residence Card, a separate procedure is required.

• Suspend the My Number Card functions immediately; the official service accepts loss-related suspension requests 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Report the lost integrated card to the police.
• Apply at immigration for residence-card reissuance.
• Follow the separate procedure later if you want a new integrated Special Residence Card.

Once a replacement has been issued, the old residence card is no longer the valid card. The Immigration Services Agency requires an old card found after reissuance to be returned within 14 days from the day it is found.

Do not keep the old card as a spare or try to use it. Follow the official residence-card return procedure.

• Use only the newly issued valid card.
• Return the old card within 14 days after finding it.
• Keep the new card number secure and update only organizations that actually need it.