The official proof-of-address document that banks, phone shops, and landlords all ask for.
Not verified yet
Drafted from general knowledge of national procedure. Not yet checked against the official source — confirm details with your city hall before relying on them.
Why it matters
This is the currency of Japanese bureaucracy. You will be asked for it repeatedly, it usually has to be recently issued, and you will kick yourself for only getting one copy. Get two or three while you are at the counter.
- Deadline
- No legal deadline
- Cost
- Set by your city
- Time
- 15–45 minutes at the counter, or minutes at a convenience store
Do these first
What to bring
- Residence Card在留カード·zairyū kādo
How it goes
- 1
Request it at city hall, or print it at a convenience store
If you have a My Number Card you can print these from a convenience store multi-function copier, which is dramatically faster than queueing.
Say this
住民票の写しをお願いします。
Jūminhyō no utsushi o onegai shimasu.
I would like a copy of my residence certificate, please.
- 2
Decide what goes on it
You will be asked whether to include your My Number and your household members. Some institutions require these fields shown, others require them hidden — check what the requester wants before you order.
- 3
Get more than one copy
They are cheap and each one gets consumed by whoever you hand it to. Institutions often will not accept one older than about three months.