FAQs about the amendment of Basic Resident Registration Law

Q1．When will the new system start?

Ans．The new system will start on the day when the amended Basic Resident Registration Law takes effect, which will be sometime within three years from the enactment date of the amended law (July 15, 2009). Until then, current alien registration system remains in power.

Q2．I have lived in Japan with a status of residence. Do I have to file some application in order to be listed on the basic resident registration?

Ans．Foreign residents who have properly completed alien registration will be automatically listed on the basic resident registration according to a certain condition. Please click here for details.

Q3．I am going to move to Japan. What will I have to do to enroll in the basic resident registration?

Ans．Please submit a “move-in notice” to the municipality where you establish your residence with your Residence Card that will be issued at the airport upon entering Japan.

Q4．I’m going to have a baby in Japan. What should I do to register my newborn baby for the basic resident registration?

Ans．After giving birth, please submit a birth notice to the municipality where you live in within 14 days. Your child will then be listed on its basic resident registration as a “person who is to stay in Japan through birth”. Please note that your child needs to apply for a status of residence at your nearest regional immigration bureau within 30 days of birth.

Q5．Is it true that under the new system, if I move to another municipality, I have to submit a “move-out notice” to the municipality where I move from?

Ans． Yes. The new system will require foreign residents to submit a “move-out notice” to the municipality where they move from and obtain a “move-out certificate” before submitting a “move-in notice” to the municipality where they move into. This will help facilitate the smooth provision of public services including national health insurance and child allowance and also prevent overlapped collections of taxes and insurance premiums.

Q6． I am a Japanese national and live with my spouse who is a foreign national and I am the head of our household on my resident registration. Can my spouse become the head of our household when the new system takes place?

Ans．Yes. Your spouse could not become the head of your household since the current system does not allow foreign nationals to be listed on the basic resident registration. However, with the enforcement of the new system, records of both foreign and Japanese residents will be combined into one registration and sorted by household, and foreign residents will be able to become a head of their household.

Q7．Can I obtain basic resident registration card?

Ans．Yes. Basic resident registration cards will be available to foreign residents within one year after the enforcement of the amendment. Exact date is to be determined by the Cabinet.

※Basic resident registration cards are IC cards issued by municipalities. Please click here for details.