Did you know? What is the Residence Card Verification Application?
Foreigners residing in Japan are basically issued a “Residence Card. However, it is not widely known that there is an application to check the resident card. Here, we would like to explain about the application to check the resident card.
What is a residence card?
A resident card is issued to foreign nationals who will stay in Japan for a medium- to long-term period (three months or more). A resident card is issued when a foreigner is newly permitted to land in Japan, when a change of status of residence is approved, or when an extension of period of stay is approved, etc. A resident card is issued to a foreigner who has been granted permission to stay in Japan for more than 3 months.
The resident card certifies that the status of residence and period of stay of the foreigner are legal. Therefore, important information such as name, date of birth, gender, nationality/region, place of residence, status of residence, period of stay, and whether or not the foreigner can work will be recorded on the resident card.
Confirmation of the company
When a company hires a foreigner with a status of residence, the following points are confirmed by the residence card.
(1) Is the card counterfeit?
There have been an increasing number of cases in which foreign nationals have forged their residence cards to work for Japanese companies. Of course, forging a residence card is a crime. Employers are required to visually confirm that the card is legitimate.
(2) Expiration date of resident card
Even if the resident card is genuine, employment is not permitted if the card has expired. However, if you have applied for permission to extend the period of stay or permission to change the status of residence, the expiration date does not immediately become invalid. It is valid until two months from the date of expiration of the period of stay or until the disposition of the application is decided, whichever comes first.
(3) Whether the resident card number has expired or not
If you enter your resident card number and expiration date in the Resident Card Number Expiration Information Inquiry, you can find out whether the number is valid or not.
(4) Whether or not there are any restrictions on employment
(5) Status of residence
(6) Permission to engage in activities other than that permitted under the status of residence
If one of the following is indicated in the “Permission to engage in activities other than that permitted under the status of residence” column, the applicant is allowed to work under the conditions indicated.
Permitted (in principle, within 28 hours/week, except for engaging in adult entertainment business, etc.)
Permitted (activities within the scope described in the Permit to Engage in Activities other than that Permitted under the Status of Residence)” (*Confirm the Permit to Engage in Activities other than that Permitted under the Status of Residence as well)
What is a confirmation application?
The Immigration and Residence Management Agency, which handles residence status, has been providing an application since December 25, 2020 that allows you to check whether your residence card has been forged or tampered with. The application can be used to check both types of residence cards and special permanent resident certificates.
By downloading the free “Resident Card Reader Application” to your smartphone, you can read the contents of the IC chip on the card and check the resident card number to see if the identification and photo have been forged or tampered with.
Recently, the sale and distribution of counterfeit residence cards has become a problem, and many cases have been uncovered. Companies that employ foreigners with residence cards are advised to use this system to check.
Summary
A resident card is an identification card issued to foreigners who are permitted to stay in Japan for more than three months. Because of this, crimes such as buying and selling counterfeit residence cards are on the rise. Companies that hire foreigners with residence cards should use a verification application to check whether the card is counterfeit or not.
