Since 14 June 2026 it has been possible to hold your residence card and your My Number Card as a single card, called a specified residence card (特定在留カード). Immigration bureaus began accepting applications the next working day, 15 June 2026.
It is optional. Nothing expires because you ignored it, and two separate cards work exactly as they did before.
There are now three residence cards in circulation
This is the part that causes confusion at counters, because all three are valid at once:
- The card you already have. Valid until its expiry date. No action needed, ever.
- The new-style card. A redesigned residence card that you receive automatically at your next renewal or reissue. You do not apply for it and you cannot ask for it early.
- The specified residence card. Residence card and My Number Card combined. Issued only on application, and only if you want it.
Who can apply
Mid-to-long-term residents recorded in the resident register. Because it carries My Number Card function, and that card is itself voluntary, this one is voluntary too.
Where to apply
There is no dedicated appointment for it. You apply alongside something you were doing anyway:
- At a regional immigration bureau — together with a status of residence application, or a residence card notification.
- At your municipal office — together with an address notification, such as a move-in or move-out.
That design is deliberate: the point is to remove the second trip to the ward office, not to add a first one.
What to bring
- The application form for a specified residence card
- A PIN-setting request form (暗証番号設定依頼書)
- One photograph taken within the previous 6 months — children under 1 are exempt
- Your passport and your current residence card, to present
If someone else collects the card for you, they will need identification, proof of their relationship to you, and a letter of proxy.
What it costs
First issuance on or after 14 June 2026 is generally free. After that, and in cases such as loss, two separate fees apply: an immigration fee of ¥1,900 (¥2,600 if sent directly to you), and a J-LIS fee of roughly ¥600–800.
The two things worth knowing before you decide
It is slower, and there is no same-day issue
Expect roughly 10 days longer than an ordinary residence card. If you are used to walking out of immigration with a card in your hand, this is not that. Plan it around a renewal you are not filing at the last minute.
Your current My Number Card dies first
This is the one nobody mentions. If you already hold a My Number Card, it is cancelled around a week before your specified residence card is issued.
For that week you do not have a working My Number Card — which, since paper insurance cards ended, is also your health insurance card. If you have a hospital appointment, a prescription to collect, or a chronic condition, that gap is the thing to plan around. Ask at the counter what to do if you need care during it; a Certificate of Eligibility (資格確認書) is the usual answer.
You still have to carry it
A specified residence card is still a residence card, so the obligation to carry it at all times is unchanged, and so is the fine of up to ¥200,000 for not having it on you.
A photograph of it on your phone does not satisfy this. Nor does having the My Number function on your iPhone — that is not a residence card and does not stand in for one. Special permanent residents are the exception here, as their certificate carries no obligation to carry it.
Is it worth it?
If you are due a renewal or a move anyway, and you already hold both cards, it removes a card from your wallet and a trip from your year. If you are not, there is no penalty for waiting — and waiting means the process will have been used by other people first.
Guides are dated rather than undated: last reviewed 7 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.