How to get an "Alien Registration Card"

An Alien Registration Card a.k.a. ARC (in Japanese, 外国人登録証 gaikokujin tourokusyou)  is the photo ID required for all foreigners staying over 90 days in Japan. Japan requires you to carry this with you at all time in lieu of your passport. Unless you have a valid re-entry permit stamped in your passport, you must give up this card upon your exit of Japan. 


To obtain this card, you can visit the nearest city council and fill out the needed paperwork and hand it in to the staff. Generally it takes 2 weeks to receive your ARC, although the staff would give you a receipt indicating the time frame in which your card would be available to pick up. There is no fee for an ARC, however your passport is required to apply.

Information included on the card is your name, date of birth, gender, nationality, address, visa status, date of landing, passport number and date of issuance, and occupation