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Residence Card Renewal

"Renewing the residence card" means two different procedures, and picking the wrong track wastes a trip to Immigration.12 Status holders renew the period of stay; permanent residents refresh a 7-year physical card with no status review at all.12

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 gyoseishoshi or immigration lawyer.

Overview​

Track 1 is for holders of time-limited statuses whose permission itself expires: the extension procedure at ISA.2 Track 2 is for permanent residents, Highly Skilled Professional 2 holders, and under-16 holders whose card medium expires while the status behind it does not.1 Read the track that matches the card in hand.12

Track 1: renewing the period of stay (status holders)​

For work, student, spouse, and other time-limited statuses, expiry of stay means an application for extension of the period of stay at the competent regional bureau.2 Officers review activity, employment, tax, and insurance continuity before granting the extension.2 The new residence card is issued on permission.2

Extension and change-of-status applications carry government fees set on an administrative schedule (as of 2026-05; confirm current fees with the Immigration Services Agency).3 The dedicated visas-immigration renewal treatment carries the full procedural reference for this track; this article does not duplicate it.3

A Track 2 refresh never extends a status

The free physical-card renewal covers permanent-resident-type cards only. A work-status holder whose stay expires needs the extension procedure, and a card-refresh filing does not extend anything.12

Track 2: renewing the physical card (PR, HSP2, under-16)​

Article 19-11 of the Immigration Control Act governs validity-period renewal of the card itself.1 For permanent residents and HSP2 holders aged 16 and over, the card is valid 7 years from issuance even though the status behind it is permanent.12 Renewal refreshes the plastic and the photo; no officer reviews the underlying status.2

The application window runs from 3 months before the card expiry date through the expiry date itself (as of 2026-09; confirm current windows with the Immigration Services Agency).1 Unavoidable absence (a long business trip or study abroad spanning the window) allows early filing with supporting material.1 Filing is in person at the competent regional bureau; the card cannot be renewed from abroad.2

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

ItemDetail
Application form在留カード有効期間更新申請書, printable A4 (as of 2026-09)1
PassportCurrent passport (as of 2026-09)1
Current cardEven if close to expiry (as of 2026-09)1
PhotoCompliant ID photo (as of 2026-09)1
Residence recordOriginal obtained within 3 months (as of 2026-09)1

No fee is charged for physical-card renewal (as of 2026-09).12 Issuance is same-day in principle; where deferred, keep the application receipt and return with the listed collection documents.1

The PR 7-year card track​

The expiry date printed on a permanent resident's card is a medium expiry, not a status expiry.2 Missing it does not cancel permanent residence, but the holder is in breach of the renewal-application duty and should file immediately with the reason letter.12

The under-16 to 16 transition​

Cards issued to holders under 16 expire at the 16th birthday (for cards issued up to 2026-06-13) and renew in a window opening 6 months before that date (as of 2026-09).1 The pre-16 card uses a simpler format without a photo; the renewed card transitions to the standard format.1

New card formats arrived in June 2026

ISA introduced new card formats for issues from 2026-06-14, and validity-band details continue to evolve (as of 2026-09).1 Confirm the current format and bands with the Immigration Services Agency before relying on older checklists.1

Missing the expiry date​

File promptly with the reason letter on ISA's reference form rather than waiting for the next procedure to force the issue.1 Practitioner sources note that late renewal with reasonable grounds and a proper reason letter commonly proceeds without punishment, but the statute prescribes penalties for failure to apply, so promptness is the policy.23

Good to know​

Card expiry and status expiry share one date for most holders​

Only permanent-resident-type holders live with the split.2 For every other status, the card expiry and the stay expiry are the same date, and the extension procedure renews both together.2

The photo and passport round trip​

The counter requires the passport and a compliant photo alongside the form.1 Forgetting either converts a same-day errand into two trips, a common and avoidable failure reported by renewing residents.4

Renewal history feeds permanent-residence screening​

Timely extensions, clean notification records, and continuous tax and insurance payments form the record that a later permanent-residence application is judged on.2 Each routine renewal is also quiet preparation for that future filing.2

See also​

References​

Footnotes​

  1. Immigration Services Agency. "Application for renewal of residence card validity period" (在留カードの有効期間の更新申請), Art 19-11 basis. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00011.html?lang=en ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24

  2. i-socia Advisors. "Renewal of PR Residence Card" guide. https://eng.daikou-office.com/intro-2/renewal-card/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19

  3. LO-PAL. "Permanent Resident Residence Card Renewal Japan: 2026 Checklist." 2026-03-11. https://lo-pal.app/guide/en/pr-card-renewal-2026 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. RetireJapan (blog, resident report). "Renewing Zairyu Card (as a PR)." 2022-05-02. https://www.retirejapan.com/blog/renewing-zairyu-card-as-a-pr/ ↩