Losing your wallet or bag in a foreign country is stressful. In Japan, losing your Residence Card (在留カード, Zairyu Card) adds immediate legal pressure: foreign residents are required by law to carry their physical residence card at all times, with statutory fines of up to ¥200,000 for failing to produce it upon request.
Fortunately, Japan has a well-defined, straightforward replacement procedure. Here is the exact step-by-step process to stay legally compliant and get a brand-new card printed on the same day.
The 14-Day Legal Deadline
Under Article 19-12 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, you must apply for a re-issuance of your residence card within 14 days from the day you became aware that it was lost, stolen, or destroyed.
A card that is still in your possession but badly damaged, soiled, or whose IC chip has stopped working is a different provision — Article 19-13. That replacement is free as well, but it is optional rather than compulsory and carries no 14-day clock, so do not panic about a deadline over a cracked card. The one exception: if Immigration orders you to replace it, you have 14 days from the order.
While your card is missing, carry your physical passport and the official police loss report slip with you at all times. If stopped by a police officer, presenting these documents proves that your card was lost and that you are actively pursuing statutory replacement.
Step 1: File a Police Report at the Koban (交番)
Before you can step foot inside Immigration, you must report the loss to the Japanese police. Walk into any neighborhood police box (koban) or police station (警察署, keisatsusho):
- Lost by accident: File a Lost Property Notification (遺失届, Ishitsu-todoke). Ask the officer for an Acceptance Certificate of Lost Property Notification (遺失届出受理証明書, Ishitsutodoke Juri Shōmeisho) or write down the official Loss Report Number (受理番号, juri bangō) with the police station's official stamp.
- Stolen or pickpocketed: File a Theft Report (盗難届, Tōnan-todoke) and request the theft report acceptance certificate.
- Destroyed by fire or disaster: Obtain a Disaster Damage Certificate (罹災証明書, Risai Shōmeisho) from your local municipal ward office or fire department.
Step 2: What If You Lost It Outside Japan?
If your residence card was lost or stolen while traveling abroad, you cannot enter Japan without documentation proving your ongoing residence status:
- Report the loss to the local police department in the country where it occurred and obtain an official police report.
- Visit the nearest Japanese Embassy or Consulate with your passport and police report to apply for a Certificate of Re-entry Permission Status (再入国許可期限証明書).
- Upon landing in Japan, visit your regional immigration bureau within 14 days to obtain a replacement residence card.
Step 3: Visit Regional Immigration for a Free Replacement
Take your documents to your regional Immigration Services Agency bureau (e.g. Shinagawa in Tokyo, Tachikawa, Yokohama, Osaka, etc.). No prior appointment is required for card replacements.
Required Documents:
- Application for Re-issuance of a Residence Card (在留カード再交付申請書), available at the counter or downloadable online.
- Your valid Passport.
- Police report evidence: the Ishitsutodoke Juri Shōmeisho or your official police report acceptance number.
- One ID Photo (40mm x 30mm) taken within the last 3 months with a plain white background, showing no hats or head coverings.
Cost and Issuance Time
- Fee: ¥0 (Free). Re-issuance costs nothing whether the card was lost, stolen, destroyed, or badly damaged. A revenue stamp fee of ¥1,900 applies only if you are swapping a perfectly good card by choice — wanting a newer photograph, say — which Immigration treats as a separate procedure.
- Time: In almost all cases, replacement cards are printed and handed over on the same day, typically within 1 to 2 hours of submitting your paperwork at the counter.
What Happens If You Find Your Old Card Later?
If you find your original residence card after a new replacement has already been issued, the old card is legally void. Under Article 19-15 of the Immigration Control Act, you must return the old card to an Immigration bureau within 14 days of finding it (or send it by registered post with a brief explanation note).
Useful Japanese Phrases for Card Loss
- 在留カードを失くしてしまいました。 — Zairyū kādo o nakushite shimaimashita. — I have lost my residence card.
- 遺失届出受理番号をいただけますか。 — Ishitsu todokede juri bangō o itadakemasu ka? — Could I please have the lost property report acceptance number?
- 在留カードの再交付申請をしたいです。 — Zairyū kādo no saikōfu shinsei o shitai desu. — I would like to apply for the re-issuance of my residence card.
Where to confirm this
- Immigration Services Agency: Re-issuance of Residence Card due to Loss
- Our guide to the 14-day city hall rules
- Our guide to the new specified residence card
- Our guide to standard residence card renewal
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.