Lost Residence Card: Replacement Procedure

A lost residence card is repaired in two moves: report it to police, then apply for reissue at the regional immigration bureau within 14 days of discovery.¹² The reissue is free and, in principle, same-day.¹

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Immigration Services Agency site. This article is general information, not legal or immigration advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed administrative scrivener (gyōseishoshi, 行政書士), or an immigration lawyer (bengoshi, 弁護士) where the loss compounds other status problems.

Overview

This article covers loss, theft, destruction, and disaster cases for mid- to long-term residents, in Japan and abroad.¹ The formal procedure is the 在留カードの再交付申請 (zairyū kādo no saikōfu shinsei, "application for reissue of residence card"), and its legal basis is Article 19-12(1) of the Immigration Control Act.³⁴

Step 1: file the police report

Visit the nearest police station or neighborhood police box (交番, kōban, "police box") promptly after discovery.⁵ File a lost-property report (遺失届, ishitsu todoke) or theft report (盗難届, tōnan todoke) with the approximate place, time, and personal details.¹⁵

The report serves two purposes at once: it enters the card into the police matching system in case someone turns it in,⁶ and it supplies the acceptance number the bureau requires.¹

The critical output is the report acceptance number (受理番号, juri bangō).¹ Write it onto the loss statement (陳述書, chinjutsusho, "statement") submitted with the reissue application.¹ A formal certificate may additionally be requested depending on the case, so keep any certificate issued.¹

Step 2: apply for reissuance within 14 days

Apply at the regional immigration bureau with jurisdiction over the registered address, within 14 days of the day the loss was discovered.¹² Where the loss was discovered while abroad, the clock starts on the day of first re-entry into Japan.¹ The filing goes to the immigration bureau, not the ward office.¹⁴

The document set

The full set below reflects ISA's procedure page (as of 2026-09; confirm current details with the Immigration Services Agency).¹

Item	Detail
Application form	在留カード再交付申請書, downloadable from ISA as PDF or Excel (as of 2026-09)1
Passport	Original, or status-of-residence certificate; reason letter if unavailable (as of 2026-09)1
Photo	One photo, 4 cm x 3 cm, taken within 6 months;2 required for applicants aged 1 or over on cards issued from 2026-06-14 (as of 2026-09)1
Loss proof	Statement carrying the police acceptance number; certificate if requested (as of 2026-09)1
Extra-activity permission	The permission document if one was held (as of 2026-09)1

No fee is charged for reissuance after loss, theft, destruction, or disaster (as of 2026-09).¹

Issuance speed and the cardless interval

Issuance is same-day in principle.¹ Where the card cannot issue that day, the bureau sets a later collection, and ISA lists the documents to bring when you return for it (as of 2026-09).¹

During the cardless interval, signing contracts, hospital intake, or employment checks that normally ask for the card may need other identification. One practitioner guide suggests carrying the police report documentation or the bureau application receipt as temporary proof.⁷

Replace the card before any trip abroad

Special re-entry permission assumes you present the residence card with a valid passport when leaving, so departing while cardless can cost you that route and complicate re-entry. The pending reissue does not travel with you; complete the replacement before any planned trip abroad.¹²

Losing the card while abroad

Report the loss to local police where it happened and keep the certificate.⁵ Re-entry without the physical card is possible on a valid re-entry permit, or on special re-entry permission with the re-entry ED card attached to the passport.⁵ Special re-entry permission generally covers returns within one year, or by the end of the period of stay if that comes sooner.²

After re-entry, apply for reissue within 14 days of arrival.¹

Check with the airline before flying back cardless

Some airlines may refuse boarding to a passenger who cannot present a residence card, even with valid re-entry permission. Confirm with the airline before flying; the reissue itself can only happen inside Japan.¹⁵

Missing the 14-day window

Apply as soon as possible with a reason letter, using ISA's template, stating why the window was missed.¹ The 14 days run from the day of discovery, so a late discovery still calls for immediate filing with the true facts and dates.¹

Good to know

Theft and loss follow the same bureau path

Article 19-12 covers both cases identically; only the police-side report type differs.¹⁴ Do not delay the bureau filing while debating which category the incident fits.

Return the old card within 14 days if it turns up

If the original card turns up after the replacement has issued, return the old card to the immigration bureau within 14 days of finding it (as of 2026-09).⁸

Damaged cards and broken chips follow a separate free path

A cracked card or unreadable chip goes through a separate procedure, reissue due to damage, which is also free and same-day in principle (as of 2026-09).⁹ Bring the damaged card, a compliant photo, and a passport; no deadline applies unless Immigration orders a reissue, in which case the window is 14 days from the order.⁹

Under-16 applications run through a parent or guardian

Minors, ill persons, and others unable to apply may file through a cohabiting relative aged 16 or over, a legal representative, or a notified attorney or scrivener.³ Children still need a photo: for cards issued from 2026-06-14, only applicants under age 1 are exempt, where previously all under-16s were.¹

See also

• Working While on a Student Visa
• What to Bring to the ER
• Departure Checklist: The 90-Day Run-Up
• Residence Card: Japan's Foreign-Resident ID
• Carry-at-All-Times Rule and Police Checks

References

Footnotes

1. Immigration Services Agency. 「紛失等による在留カードの再交付申請」 (reissuance of residence card due to loss, etc.) procedure page (Japanese). moj.go.jp, accessed 2026-09. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00010.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷

2. Immigration Services Agency. "Residence Card" handbook chapter (English PDF; section 1-3 loss, section 3 re-entry permission). moj.go.jp. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001453431.pdf ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Immigration Services Agency. 「在留カード再交付申請書（紛失再交付）」 application form (bilingual PDF), filed under Article 19-12(1). moj.go.jp. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001426707.pdf ↩ ↩²

4. e-Gov法令検索. 「出入国管理及び難民認定法」. https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/326CO0000000319 ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Nagoya International Center. "Can you re-enter Japan if you lose your Residence Card while overseas?" nic-nagoya.or.jp, 2023. https://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/thai/living-in-nagoya/living-information/living_information/2023/02241037.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

6. 警察庁 (National Police Agency). 「遺失届とは？遺失届のポイント」, 警察庁遺失届情報サイト. npa.go.jp, accessed 2026-09. https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/soumu/ishitsubutsu/otoshimono/loss.html ↩

7. Japan Handbook (Oliver Rossi). "Lost Residence Card in Japan? How to Replace." japanhandbook.com, 2025-11-04. https://japanhandbook.com/lost-residence-card-in-japan-how-to-replace-your-zairyu-card/ (limitation: independent practitioner blog, not an official source; cited only for practical cardless-interval guidance.) ↩

8. Immigration Services Agency. Return of residence card procedure page (Japanese). moj.go.jp, accessed 2026-09. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00020.html ↩

9. Immigration Services Agency. 「汚損等による在留カードの再交付申請」 (reissuance of residence card due to damage, etc.) procedure page (Japanese). moj.go.jp, accessed 2026-09. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00012.html ↩ ↩²