Japan: Residence Card

I’m so much in delight to be exclusively back to blogging. My gratitude to the One who answered my prayer. Got a new laptop computer now! Yay! 🙂

Have got so many things to share and I’m kind of punch-drunk which to write down first. 😀

Well, I guess that shouldn’t be a crunch, right? Why not start from the very first thing I got on the day I made it to Japan? Hence, the title.

The said card is issued to legal foreign residents regardless of the period of stay. Could it be mid to long term. Specifically saying, once you have this card you are legally permitted to reside in Japan, change your residential status, and/or extend the period of your stay. This was formerly called as the “Alien Registration Card” issued by local municipal offices which one must go and get there. Not anymore with the new resident management system. Good news! You can now easily get your residence card at Narita and/or Haneda International Airport (based from a source). Got mine at Narita IA.

It was all done in a blink of an eye. Right after the Immigration officer checked my passport, visa, entry form, and let me do some bio-metric stuff, voilà.. my residence card appeared like magic. Absolutely no sweat! Except for the part when the IO asked me a few questions in Japanese but the hubby came for the rescue. 🙂

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

• You must carry it with you wherever you go.
• In case of any changes like change of address due to moving, change of name, and the like, go to the nearest city hall and have it updated.
• If applied, you need it to be given a “Certificate of Residence”.

Here’s what it looks like:

Yes, I look like a cat here! 😀

*At the back is where your address/ addresses can be seen.