The visa renewal document checklist: what to collect, and in what order

The renewal itself is a short form. Assembling the supporting documents is the actual work, it involves three separate places, and doing it in the wrong order means going back.

From your employer

• Certificate of employment (在職証明書) — confirming role, start date and status
• Withholding tax slip (源泉徴収票) for the most recent year
• Company registration certificate (登記事項証明書) and a recent financial statement, depending on the size and category of the employer — larger listed companies are often exempt
• Your employment contract, if the role or terms have changed

From your municipality

Both of these, from the city or ward office — and they are different documents that people routinely conflate:

• Taxation certificate (課税証明書) — states your assessed income and the tax charged
• Payment certificate (納税証明書) — states that you actually paid it, and when

Also:

• Certificate of residence (住民票) for your whole household, with all members listed and normally without the My Number shown unless asked

With a My Number Card you can print all of these at a convenience store, which is cheaper and available outside office hours.

From you

• Application for extension of period of stay, the correct form for your status
• Passport and residence card
• Photograph to the current specification — check the size and recency rules rather than reusing an old one
• The processing fee, paid by revenue stamp when the result is issued rather than on submission
• Return postcard, if your office uses them to notify you

Depending on your situation

• Pension and health insurance records — increasingly requested. Nenkin Net printouts and insurance payment receipts.
• If you changed employer — the notification receipt, and ideally a certificate of authorised employment
• If you have dependants — documents evidencing the relationship
• If self-employed — your tax return, business registration and financial records
• If a student — enrolment certificate, transcript, attendance record and evidence of funds

Watch the dates

Municipal certificates are generally accepted only within three months of issue. Collect them once you have decided to apply, not months ahead as part of a tidy-up.

Conversely, apply early in your three-month window. Filing before your card expires is what gives you the special period of stay if processing runs past the expiry date.

A sensible order

1. Request employer documents.
2. Check your own record — tax paid, pension paid, notifications filed. Fix anything outstanding now, because both certificates will show it.
3. Collect municipal certificates.
4. Take the photograph.
5. Complete the form and assemble everything.
6. Submit, and keep a copy of the whole bundle.

Keeping a copy matters. If Immigration asks for something additional, you will want to know exactly what you already gave them.

Requirements vary

Document lists differ by status of residence and, in points of detail, by regional bureau. Check the current list published for your specific status before submitting, and if something is unclear, ask the office — they answer this question all day.

The phrases

• 在職証明書をお願いします。 — Zaishoku shōmeisho o onegai shimasu. — Please issue a certificate of employment.
• 課税証明書と納税証明書をください。 — Kazei shōmeisho to nōzei shōmeisho o kudasai. — I would like the taxation and payment certificates.
• 住民票をお願いします。世帯全員分です。 — Jūminhyō o onegai shimasu. Setai zen-in bun desu. — A certificate of residence, for the whole household.

Where to confirm this

• Immigration Services Agency
• Our guide to the renewal itself
• Our guide to the My Number Card, which prints most of these at a konbini

Guides are dated rather than undated: last reviewed 21 August 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.