Renewal is routine right up until it is not. The application itself is straightforward; what determines the outcome is largely decided in the year before you file.
The window
You may apply from three months before the expiry date on your residence card. Do it early in that window rather than late, for one specific reason.
If your application is filed before the card expires and is still being processed when the date passes, you get a special period of stay — up to two months past expiry — during which you remain lawfully resident. File after expiry and that protection does not exist. You are then overstaying, which is a different and much worse situation.
What you file
- Application for extension of period of stay
- Passport and residence card
- Photograph to specification
- Certificate of residence (住民票) for your household
- Tax certificates — both the taxation certificate (課税証明書) and the payment certificate (納税証明書), from your municipality
- Employer documents — certificate of employment, withholding tax slip (源泉徴収票), and company registration and financial statements depending on employer size
- The processing fee, payable by revenue stamp when the result is issued
Documents vary by status and by office. Check the current list for your specific status rather than working from a general one.
What it actually turns on
Immigration is asking whether you have been doing the activity your status permits, and whether you have met your obligations. In practice:
- Tax paid, on time. The payment certificate shows this plainly. Arrears are the single most common reason a renewal is granted for one year instead of three.
- Pension and health insurance paid. Increasingly looked at. If you could not pay, an approved exemption is a record of engagement; simply not paying is a record of non-payment.
- Employment consistent with your status. Doing work your status does not cover is a serious problem.
- Notifications filed. Changes of employer, address and name each have deadlines.
The period you are granted
You do not choose it. Immigration grants one year, three years or five, and shorter periods are a signal — usually about tax, contribution gaps, a recent job change, or a short employment contract.
A one-year grant is not a refusal and not a mark against you permanently. It does mean doing this again in twelve months, and it matters if permanent residency is the goal, since PR generally expects you to hold the longest period available to you.
If your job changed
Changing employer requires notifying Immigration within 14 days of both leaving and joining. It is free and takes minutes online.
If the new role differs from the work your status covers, you may need a change of status rather than an extension — and applying for a certificate of authorised employment (就労資格証明書) before your renewal is the way to find out early rather than at renewal.
Common mistakes
- Leaving it to the last fortnight. The single most damaging one.
- Bringing the wrong tax certificate. Two different documents, and offices want both.
- Travelling while the application is pending without understanding the re-entry position. Ask before booking.
- Assuming the employer handles it. Some do. The legal obligation is yours.
The phrases
- 在留期間の更新を申請したいです。 — Zairyū kikan no kōshin o shinsei shitai desu. — I would like to apply to extend my period of stay.
- 納税証明書と課税証明書をお願いします。 — Nōzei shōmeisho to kazei shōmeisho o onegai shimasu. — I would like the payment and taxation certificates.
- 審査にどのくらいかかりますか。 — Shinsa ni dono kurai kakarimasu ka? — How long will processing take?
Where to confirm this
Guides are dated rather than undated: last reviewed 13 September 2026. This is an organisational aid, not legal or immigration advice — always confirm anything consequential with your ward office, the Immigration Services Agency, or a qualified professional.