Japan Airport Documents for Your First City Hall Visit | MyKyoten

As of January 2026, the process at Narita and Haneda is streamlined but still paper-heavy. Here's what happens when you clear immigration:

Residence Card (在留カード) (特定在留カード): This is the new merged residence card + My Number card. It's a plastic card about the size of a credit card. They hand it to you at the immigration desk after checking your visa. This card has your photo, name, date of birth, nationality, residence status, and a QR code. This is your most important document. Guard it like your passport.

Passport stamp: They'll stamp your passport with your landing permission and visa category. The stamp includes the date you entered Japan and your permitted length of stay.

Disembarkation card stub (if applicable): Some visa types still use the old ED card system where they staple a small stub into your passport. This is being phased out, but if you get one, don't remove it.

"Welcome to Japan" info packet: This is a folder with pamphlets about trash sorting, earthquake prep, and 911 equivalents (110 for police, 119 for ambulance). Honestly, you can toss this-it's all available online and the city hall will give you updated local versions anyway.

Within 14 days of landing, you need to register your address at your local ward office. The clerk will ask for:

Your Residence Card (在留カード) (to verify your identity and update the back with your address)

Proof of address: This is usually your lease agreement (賃貸契約書), a hotel booking confirmation, or a letter from whoever you're staying with

The vibe at the city hall is weirdly chill. You take a number, wait 10-30 minutes, then sit down with a clerk who speaks minimal English. They'll photocopy your Residence Card (在留カード) and passport, hand you a form to fill out (mostly in katakana), then print a small sticker with your address and stick it on the back of your card. Takes about 15 minutes total.

What If I Lose My Residence Card (在留カード) Before Registering My Address?

Look, this is a disaster scenario but it happens. If you lose the card, you need to report it to the police first (they'll give you a loss report certificate), then go to the immigration office (not the city hall) to apply for a reissue. This costs ¥1,600 and takes 2-4 weeks. During that time, you can't:

Basically, your entire life in Japan is on hold. So: Keep the card in a zippered pocket of your bag. Don't put it loose in your wallet where it can fall out. Don't leave it in your hotel room "for safekeeping." Carry it with you until you've registered your address.

[WARNING BOX] Do NOT throw away the plastic sleeve your Residence Card (在留カード) comes in. Some city halls require you to show the card in the sleeve because it has a barcode they scan. If you tossed the sleeve, you'll waste 20 minutes while they manually input your card number instead.

Honestly, as of 2026, most people don't get an ED card anymore-it's been replaced by digital tracking. But if you're on a working holiday visa or certain long-term student visas, they might still staple that little paper stub into your passport. Don't rip it out. The city hall clerk might ask to see it to confirm your entry date (even though it's redundant with the stamp).

If you accidentally tear it out before your city hall visit, you can usually still proceed-they'll just verify everything against the stamp instead. But it adds 5-10 minutes of confusion.

Reality check: "The Japanese bureaucracy assumes you'll keep every piece of paper they give you, forever. They're not wrong."

Quarantine health check forms: These were a COVID holdover and are basically gone as of 2026, but if you got one, trash it after you exit the airport.

Airport wifi vouchers and tourist brochures: Useless if you're a resident.

Tax refund receipts (if you bought something duty-free at the airport): Only keep these if you're actually planning to leave Japan within 6 months and want to reclaim tax. Otherwise, toss.

The city hall will photocopy your Residence Card (在留カード) and passport for free during your address registration. Do not go to a convenience store beforehand and pay ¥10-30 per page to make copies "just in case." It's wasted money. The only time you need your own copies is if you're opening a bank account or applying for an apartment on the same day as your city hall visit-and even then, most places will make their own copies.

What If My Passport Stamp Is Illegible?

This happens more than you'd think-immigration officers get sloppy with their stamps, especially during rush hours. If your landing permission stamp is smudged or missing info, the city hall clerk might hesitate. Here's what to do:

Bring your boarding pass or flight itinerary email showing your arrival date in Japan. This acts as backup proof. The clerk can cross-reference it with immigration's database. It's not official, but it avoids you having to go back to the airport immigration office to get the stamp re-done (which is a whole nightmare).

✅ Residence Card (在留カード) (in its plastic sleeve if you still have it)

✅ Passport (with landing permission stamp)

✅ Proof of address (lease, hotel booking, or residence letter)

✅ A pen (forms are still paper-based at most ward offices)

✅ Your inkan (personal seal) if you already have one-it's not required anymore but some older clerks still ask for it

2026 Reality Check: What You Actually Get at the Airport

What the City Hall Actually Needs to See

Your passport (to confirm your entry date and visa status)

The Catch: The Disembarkation Card Stub Is Going Away

The Japanese bureaucracy assumes you'll keep every piece of paper they give you, forever. They're not wrong.

Customs declaration form: Once you clear customs, this is done. Toss it.

The Frugal Mindset: Don't Pay for Extra Photocopies

Before you leave for your first city hall visit:

The airport gives you your Residence Card (在留カード) and stamps your passport. Those two items are non-negotiable for your city hall visit. Everything else-the pamphlets, the customs forms, the wifi vouchers-is noise. Keep the important stuff in a dedicated folder or envelope, and don't let it out of your sight until you've got that address sticker on the back of your card.

Passport stamp + Residence Card (在留カード) visual checklist

Document checklist - Passport stamp + Residence Card (在留カード) visual checklist