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Lost or Stolen Residence Card

Lost residence card Japan episodes are stressful but procedurally simple: report the loss to the police, then apply for reissue at the regional immigration bureau within 14 days.12 The card is replaceable, the window is short, and the bureau path is the same whether the card was lost or stolen.

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Immigration Services Agency reissue procedure page. This article is general information, not legal, tax, or immigration advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed gyoseishoshi for a reissue-history read, or an immigration lawyer where loss compounds other status problems.

Last verified: 2026-09.

Overview​

Reissue (the 在留カードの再交付申請, zairyū kādo no saikōfu shinsei, "application for reissue of residence card") replaces a lost or stolen card under Article 19-12 of the Immigration Control Act.12 It binds every mid- to long-term card holder. This article covers the ISA and statute angle: the legal basis, the 14-day window, the police-report norm, and the cardless interval. Bureau-counter flow and form-line mechanics belong to the legal-bureaucracy companion article, which this article links rather than repeats.

Police report first, then the bureau​

Practice is police report first. File an 遺失届 (ishitsu todoke, "lost-property report") for a loss or a 被害届 (higai todoke, "theft report") for stolen property, and obtain the report documentation or case reference.3 That paperwork then goes into the reissue application as evidence that the loss was genuine and promptly reported.1

The report serves two purposes at once: it enters the card into the recovery stream in case someone turns it in, and it documents your diligence for the bureau file.3

The 14-day reissue application​

Article 19-12 sets the window at 14 days from the date of loss, and the destination is the regional immigration bureau, not the ward office.12 Exhibits include the application form, a photograph, available identification documents, and the police-report documentation.1 No ISA fee attaches to the reissue application.1

Issuance speed and the cardless interval​

Issuance is typically same-day or within about a week (as of 2026-09; confirm current estimates with ISA), varying by bureau workload.1 During the cardless interval, activities that normally request the card, such as signing contracts, hospital intake, or employment checks, proceed on substitute documents plus proof of the pending application.1 Timely reissue keeps the episode neutral on the later renewal record.1

Do not travel internationally while cardless

Departure without the card complicates re-entry examination, and the pending reissue does not travel with you. Complete the replacement before any planned trip abroad.12

Good to know​

The 14 days run from discovery, so act that day​

Same-day police report plus prompt bureau filing keeps the whole episode comfortably inside the window. Discovery-day action is the entire strategy.12

Theft and loss follow the same bureau path​

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

Carry proof of application while cardless​

The carry duty bends only with the application proof in hand. Keep the bureau receipt and substitute identification together until the replacement issues.2

A found card does not cancel the duty to report​

If the original turns up after filing, tell the bureau so the record reflects the outcome. Two cards in circulation under one name is a record problem worth closing cleanly.1

See also​

References​

Footnotes​

  1. 出入国在留管理庁. 「在留カードの再交付申請」手続案内. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13

  2. 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 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  3. 警察庁. 「落とし物・忘れ物」案内. https://www.npa.go.jp/ ↩ ↩2