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Keeping Immigration Notified

All references in statutory provisions in this section are to the Immigration Law unless otherwise stated. Users are encouraged to consult the statutory language itself if they are in need of clarification.

Article 19-7​

This article applies to people who have been issued with residence cards upon arrival in Japan, providing that:

  • the "period of stay" (在留期間) indicated on their residence card is longer than three months;
  • the "status of residence" (在留資格) indicated on their residence card is not "temporary visitor" (短期滞在), "diplomat" (外交), or "official business" (公用); and
  • if the "status of residence" indicated on their residence card is "designated activities" (特定活動), their designated activities are neither "work performed as an employee of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association" nor "work performed as an employee of the Permanent General Mission of Palestine in Japan".

Article 19-7(1)​

If a person described above acquires a place of residence, they must notify the Immigration Services Agency of their place of residence within 14 days.

This notification must be made by submitting a residence card to the government of the municipality in which the place of residence is located. After doing so, the municipal government will notify the ISA of your place of residence on your behalf.

Article 19-7(2)​

When a person submits a residence card to a municipal government for the purpose of Article 19-7(1), the municipal government must write the relevant address on the residence card, and record the address on the card electronically, before returning the card.

Article 19-7(3)​

If a person described above establishes a domicile in Japan, and therefore makes a notification under Article 30-46 of the Basic Resident Register Law, they will automatically be considered to have made the notification required by Article 19-7(1).

Notes​

It's important to pay attention to the difference between a place of residence (住居地) and a domicile (住所). They both have precise legal meanings and are defined by different laws.

"Place of residence" is defined by Article 19-4 of the Immigration Law itself, as "本邦における主たる住居の所在地" (main place of stay in Japan). Whereas "domicile" is defined by Article 22 of the Civil Code as "各人の生活の本拠をその者の住所とする" (the base of a person's life).

Note that a domicile can be outside Japan, while a place of residence cannot be (according to the definition in Article 19-4). Also note that not everyone has a place of residence and Article 19-7 does not require anyone to have a place of residence, whereas everyone is expected to have a domicile (so if your domicile is not in Japan, it is expected to be outside Japan).

It is somewhat common for newly-arrived foreigners to establish a place of residence without establishing a domicile. In that case, they will need to make a notification under Article 19-7(1). Whereas if a foreigner establishes a domicile, they will need to make a notification under Article 30-46 of the Basic Resident Register Law, which will simultaneously function as a notification under Article 19-7(1).

Article 19-8​

This article applies to people who:

  • change from one status of residence to another (在留資格の変更);
  • acquire a status of residence while present in Japan, due to birth in Japan as a foreign national, renunciation of Japanese nationality, or for other reasons (在留資格の取得);
  • receive a new period of stay (在留期間の更新);
  • receive a permanent residence permit (永住許可);
  • receive special permission to stay in Japan following a successful objection to a deportation order (在留を特別に許可)
  • received permission to acquire a status of residence due to being a refugee (在留資格の取得を許可)

But only if, before the event described above happened, the person did not satisfy the following conditions, whereas they did satisfy them after the change:

  • the "period of stay" (在留期間) indicated on their residence card is longer than three months;
  • the "status of residence" (在留資格) indicated on their residence card is not "temporary visitor" (短期滞在), "diplomat" (外交), or "official business" (公用); and
  • if the "status of residence" indicated on their residence card is "designated activities" (特定活動), their designated activities are neither "work performed as an employee of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association" nor "work performed as an employee of the Permanent General Mission of Palestine in Japan".

Article 19-8(1)​

If a person described above has a place of residence on the day that they begin to satisfy the conditions described above, they must notify the ISA of their place of residence within 14 days of beginning to satisfy the conditions described above.

If a person described above does not have a place of residence on the day that they begin to satisfy the conditions described above, but they subsequently acquire a place of residence, they must notify the ISA of their place of residence within 14 days of acquiring one.

This notification must be made by submitting a residence card to the government of the municipality in which the place of residence is located. After doing so, the municipal government will notify the ISA of your place of residence on your behalf.

Article 19-8(2)​

When a person submits a residence card to a municipal government for the purpose of Article 19-8(1), the municipal government must write the relevant address on the residence card, and record the address on the card electronically, before returning the card.

Article 19-8(3)​

If a person described above acquires a domicile in Japan, and therefore makes a notification under Article 30-46 of the Basic Resident Register Law, they will automatically be considered to have made the notification required by Article 19-8(1).

If a person described above has a domicile in Japan at the time they begin to satisfy the conditions described above, and therefore makes a notification under Article 30-47 of the Basic Resident Register Law, they will automatically be considered to have made the notification required by Article 19-8(1).

Article 19-8(4)​

If a person described above already submitted an official extract from the resident register to the ISA as part of their application for acquiring a status of residence while present in Japan (due to birth in Japan as a foreign national, renunciation of Japanese nationality, or for other reasons), they will automatically be considered to have made the notification required by Article 19-8(1).

Article 19-9​

This article applies to people with a residence card who satisfy the following criteria:

  • the "period of stay" (在留期間) indicated on their residence card is longer than three months;
  • the "status of residence" (在留資格) indicated on their residence card is not "temporary visitor" (短期滞在), "diplomat" (外交), or "official business" (公用); and
  • if the "status of residence" indicated on their residence card is "designated activities" (特定活動), their designated activities are neither "work performed as an employee of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association" nor "work performed as an employee of the Permanent General Mission of Palestine in Japan".

Article 19-9(1)​

If a person described above changes from one place of residence to another place of residence (i.e., moves within Japan), they must notify the ISA of their new place of residence within 14 days of the change.

This notification must be made by submitting a residence card to the government of the municipality in which the new place of residence is located. After doing so, the municipal government will notify the ISA of your new place of residence on your behalf.

Article 19-9(2)​

When a person submits a residence card to a municipal government for the purpose of Article 19-9(1), the municipal government must write the relevant address on the residence card, and record the address on the card electronically, before returning the card.

Article 19-9(3)​

If a person described above has a domicile in Japan, and therefore makes a notification under Article 30-46, Article 22, or Article 23 of the Basic Resident Register Law, they will automatically be considered to have made the notification required by Article 19-9(1).