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Updating a Japanese Passport After a Name Change

A Japanese passport carries the name registered on the koseki, so a citizen whose name changed must update the koseki first and then apply for a passport renewal showing the new name.12 The prefectural passport center issues the new booklet against the updated register extract.

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs passport pages.

Overview​

This procedure is for Japanese citizens whose koseki-registered name changed, most often after marriage.13 The sequence runs koseki update, register extract, passport application, new booklet. Each step depends on the previous document, so the order cannot be rearranged.32

Who This Procedure Is For (and Who It Is Not For)​

This route is for Japanese citizens only.1 Foreign residents follow a different path entirely: renew the home-country passport through the embassy, then file a change notice with the Immigration Services Agency, as described in Updating the Name on a Residence Card.4

Reading the wrong procedure wastes weeks. If the name on a residence card is the name that changed, close this article and follow the residence-card route instead.4 The two systems share no counter and no form.

Required Documents​

The core proof is the updated 戸籍謄本 (koseki tōhon, "full transcript of the family register") documenting the name change.32 The current passport, a compliant photograph, and the renewal application form accompany it.3

DocumentNotes
Updated koseki tohonProves the registered name changed; the anchor of the application32
Current passportCancelled when the renewal is accepted3
PhotographMust meet the current size and background specification3
Application formAvailable at the counter5

Obtain the koseki tohon as described in How to Request Koseki and Juminhyo Copies. A copy costs 450 yen (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with the issuing municipality).2

Filing at the Prefectural Counter​

File at the 都道府県旅券センター (todōfuken ryoken sentā, "prefectural passport center") serving the applicant's registered address.35 Counter hours, reservation rules, and pickup windows vary by prefecture, so check the local center's page before visiting.5

The flow below shows the citizen sequence from register to booklet.

Processing commonly takes about one to two weeks depending on prefecture and season (as of 2026-09).5

The old passport is cancelled at application, not at pickup

Travel during processing is impossible once the prior booklet is invalidated. Schedule applications away from planned trips.3

Costs and Timelines​

Standard renewal-with-change fees sit in bands around 11,000 yen for 5-year validity and around 16,000 yen for 10-year validity, split between national revenue stamps and prefectural fees (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with the prefectural center).3

ItemAmountAs ofNotes
Renewal, 5-year validityaround 11,000 yen2026-093Revenue stamp plus prefectural fee
Renewal, 10-year validityaround 16,000 yen2026-093Revenue stamp plus prefectural fee

Romanization of the New Surname​

The new passport renders the surname in its standard Hepburn romanization by default.3 A non-standard romanization, such as a long-established alternate spelling of the same surname, requires a special application supported by documentary reason.3

Raise the romanization question at the counter before the application is accepted. Correcting the spelling after issuance means a fresh renewal cycle.3

Good to know​

You cannot travel on the old passport while the renewal is processing​

The prior booklet is cancelled when the renewal is accepted, so no backup travel document remains in hand. Applicants with imminent travel should delay filing until after the trip.3

A foreign spouse's residence card does not update automatically​

A Japanese citizen's surname change does not propagate to a foreign spouse's residence card. The spouse files their own separate update with the Immigration Services Agency, and the juminhyo household note is a separate record again.4

See also​

References​

Footnotes​

  1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Passport application and renewal procedures. https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/passport/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Family Register Act (戸籍法), koseki tohon as proof of registered matters, via e-Gov. https://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/document?lawid=122AC0000000224 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 旅券の切替申請・記載事項変更 (renewal and stated-matter change guidance). https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/toko/passport/pass_2.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16

  4. Immigration Services Agency. Residence-card procedures for foreign family members. https://www.isa.go.jp/en/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Prefectural passport-center guidance (counters, hours, pickup windows vary by prefecture). Representative: Tokyo Metropolitan passport procedures (prefecture-specific detail, not generalized). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4