Your residence card in Fukuoka: the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau, online renewal, a lost card and the Specified Residence Card (2026)

This page is general information from official sources. It is not legal advice. For your own case, ask the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau or the Immigration Information Center.

If your period of stay ends soon, you have moved, or you cannot find your residence card, you need to know where to go and by when. This guide covers the residence card procedures for people who live in Fukuoka City: the immigration bureau, renewing your stay at the counter or online, a lost card, and the optional Specified Residence Card.

In short

For Fukuoka City, applications go to the counter of the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Maizuru, Chuo Ward. The new Tenjin office at ACROS Fukuoka does not accept applications.
If you move, register at your ward office within 14 days. This also counts as your address report to immigration.
Renewal fees changed on October 1, 2026. They now depend on the period of stay you are granted. For stays over 3 months, applying online costs less than applying at the counter.
If you lose your card, report it to the police, then apply for a new card within 14 days. There is no fee.
The Specified Residence Card is optional. You cannot apply for it online.

Checked with official pages on October 6, 2026.

What happened	Where to go	Deadline	Online?
You moved	Your ward office	14 days after moving in	No
Your stay ends soon	Immigration bureau	Before your stay ends	Yes
Card lost or stolen	Police, then the bureau	14 days after you find out	Police report only
Name or nationality changed	Immigration bureau	14 days after the change	No
Specified card	Bureau or ward office	Optional	No

1. Where is the immigration bureau in Fukuoka?

1.1 The main bureau in Maizuru

Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau

The Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) says you apply at the immigration office that covers your address. For Fukuoka City, that is the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau (福岡出入国在留管理局). Applications are taken at the reception counter on the 6th floor of the Fukuoka First General Legal Affairs Building (福岡第1法務総合庁舎).

The counter is open on weekdays from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:00, except public holidays. The bureau says the nearest station is Akasaka on the subway Airport Line (exits 1 and 6, a 5-minute walk). Parking is limited and you may not wait in line at the car park entrance, so the bureau asks visitors to use public transport.

The same page also says the counter works through the lunch hour (12:00 to 13:00), except for bulk applications from companies and organizations. If you plan to go at lunchtime, ask the bureau first.

The Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau is at 3-5-25 Maizuru, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City. Google Maps. Phone for the counter, re-entry and residence card applications: 092-717-7595. Main switchboard: 092-717-5420.

1.2 Can I apply at the Tenjin or Nishijin office?

Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau

No. The bureau’s residence support staff (在留支援担当) moved to a new Tenjin office (天神分室) on Thursday, October 1, 2026. It is on the 3rd floor of ACROS Fukuoka, inside the FUKUOKA IS OPEN Center. The bureau also has an examination office in Nishijin (西新分室). Neither the Tenjin office nor the Nishijin office accepts applications. All applications go to the 6th-floor counter in Maizuru.

The Tenjin office (天神分室) is at ACROS Fukuoka 3F, 1-1-1 Tenjin, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City. Google Maps. Phone: 092-406-0141.

1.3 Is there another office in Fukuoka Prefecture?

Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau

The bureau lists Fukuoka Prefecture among the areas covered by its Kitakyushu Branch Office (北九州出張所). Its counter hours are the same as in Maizuru. The offices at Fukuoka Airport and Hakata Port do not handle residence applications.

The Kitakyushu Branch Office is in the Kokura Joint Government Building (小倉合同庁舎), 5-1 Jonai, Kokurakita Ward, Kitakyushu City, a 10-minute walk from the south exit of JR Nishi-Kokura Station. Google Maps. Phone: 093-582-6915.

2. I moved. Do I need to tell immigration?

Official rule (Japan) + Fukuoka City

Not separately. You report a new address at your ward office, not at immigration. When you register your move at the ward office within 14 days and show your residence card, this also counts as your address report to immigration.

In Fukuoka City, you register at the Citizen Section (市民課) of the ward office or branch office for your new address. The counters are open on weekdays from 8:45 to 17:15. You cannot register before you start living at the new address. See Registering your address in Fukuoka City for what to bring.

3. How do I renew my period of stay?

3.1 When can I apply?

Official rule (Japan)

You apply for an extension of your period of stay (在留期間更新許可申請, zairyu kikan koshin) before it ends. If your period of stay is 6 months or longer, you can apply from 3 months before it ends.

If you apply in time and no decision is made by the end of your stay, you may stay and continue your activities until the decision, or until 2 months after your stay ends, whichever comes first. The agency calls this the special period (特例期間).

Important

You cannot apply online on the last day of your stay or after it has ended. On the last day, apply at the bureau’s counter. If your stay has already ended, go to the bureau as soon as possible and ask what to do.

3.2 How much does it cost from October 2026?

Official rule (Japan)

New fees started on October 1, 2026. The fee depends on the period of stay you are granted, and you pay it after the decision. Applications received by September 30, 2026 pay the old fee (¥6,000 at the counter, ¥5,500 online), even if the decision comes later.

Period granted	At the counter	Online (total paid)
3 months or less	¥10,000	¥10,330
Over 3 months to 6 months	¥18,000	¥15,330
Over 6 months, under 1 year	¥25,000	¥21,330
1 year	¥33,000	¥27,330
Over 1 year, under 3 years	¥48,000	¥42,330
3 years to under 5 years	¥64,000	¥56,550
5 years or more	¥75,000	¥65,550

The online amounts include a payment fee of ¥330 or ¥550 (tax included). If you apply at the counter, you pay with revenue stamps (収入印紙, shunyu inshi). The amount is on the postcard the bureau sends you. Revenue stamps are sold for cash only, and the agency asks you to buy them in advance at a large post office because shops in immigration buildings have limited stock.

The fee may be reduced or waived for some people because of financial difficulty or other special reasons. A reduced fee is ¥10,000, whatever period you are granted. The online system does not handle reductions, so apply at the counter. The agency’s fee page links to the guidelines.

3.3 Can I renew online?

Official rule (Japan)

Yes, if you are a mid- to long-term resident aged 15 or older. You use the Online Residence Application System (在留申請オンラインシステム), which accepts applications 24 hours a day. The agency says you need these first:

A My Number Card with both electronic certificates (for signing and for user identification)
A computer. The agency recommends Microsoft Edge and does not guarantee the system works in a smartphone browser.
A smartphone with the Mynaportal app, to read your My Number Card

Register as a user. Enter your email address and open the link you receive within 24 hours.
Apply to use the system. You confirm your identity with your My Number Card. A completion email usually arrives within a few minutes.
Send your application. Attach your photo and the documents for your status of residence, as PDF files (up to 20 files, 25 MB in total). Some statuses, such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Student and Dependent, also need a form filled in by your employer, school or supporter.
Choose how to receive your card. You can collect it at the bureau or receive it by post. The agency says posting currently takes some time, and it recommends choosing the counter if you want the card sooner.
Pay the fee after the decision. You receive a payment email and pay at a convenience store or by bank payment (Pay-easy at an ATM, or internet banking). Credit cards and QR code payments are not accepted, and no paper bill is sent.

Important

The agency says payment emails come only from addresses ending in @service-dgft.com and @veritrans.jp. Emails from any other address asking you to pay are scams. Do not open their links.

A few more rules from the agency’s Q&A: you cannot apply on the same day you register a move at the ward office (apply the next day or later), and you cannot apply from outside Japan. On September 28, 2026, the agency reported that heavy traffic was stopping people from logging in. It suggests avoiding the daytime or applying at the counter if you are in a hurry. For a longer guide to the system, see Renewing your period of stay online. That guide was written for Kumamoto, but the system and the rules are national.

4. I lost my residence card. What do I do?

4.1 Report it to the police

Fukuoka Prefecture

Make a lost property report (遺失届, ishitsu todoke) at a police station or police box (交番, koban). The National Police Agency says Fukuoka Prefecture also takes reports online through its shared police portal. An online report may take time to be accepted, so if you are in a hurry, go to a police station or police box in person.

Write down the report number (届出受理番号). The immigration bureau asks for it whether the card was lost or stolen.

4.2 Get a new card within 14 days

Official rule (Japan)

Apply for a new card at the bureau within 14 days of the day you found out. If you found out while outside Japan, the 14 days start on the day you next enter Japan. If you apply later, the agency asks for an extra document explaining why.

Print the two forms. You need the reissue application form (PDF) and the statement about the loss or theft (陳述書, PDF). Write the police report number on the statement.
Prepare one photo. It must be 4 cm tall and 3 cm wide, taken in the last 6 months. No photo is needed for a baby under 1 year old.
Bring your passport to the counter. If you cannot show it, the agency asks for a letter explaining why and another document that shows who you are.
Apply at the bureau. Depending on your case, the bureau may also ask for a certificate of your police report.

There is no fee, and the card is issued on the same day in principle. If you are 16 or older, you apply yourself. For a child under 16, a relative aged 16 or older who lives with the child can apply.

If you find the old card after you receive a new one, return the old card within 14 days of finding it. You can take it to the bureau or post it. The address is on the agency’s page about returning cards.

4.3 What if it was a Specified Residence Card?

Official rule (Japan)

A Specified Residence Card is also a My Number Card, so you do the steps for both. First, stop the My Number function by calling 0120-95-0178 and choosing option 2. J-LIS, the body that runs the My Number Card system, says this line is free and open 24 hours a day, every day, in English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese. Then report to the police and apply at the bureau as above. You first receive a normal residence card. If you want a Specified Residence Card again, you can ask for one later.

5. My name or nationality changed

Official rule (Japan)

If your name, date of birth, sex or nationality changes, report it to the immigration bureau within 14 days of the change. There is no fee, and you need a photo. If you changed your name after marriage, bring a passport showing the new name and your marriage certificate. The agency says a new card may not be issued on the same day if your passport has not been updated first. This report cannot be made online.

6. Should I get a Specified Residence Card?

6.1 What is it?

Official rule (Japan)

The Specified Residence Card (特定在留カード, tokutei zairyu kado) is a residence card with the functions of a My Number Card. It started on June 14, 2026. With one card, you do not need to go to the ward office to update your My Number Card after an immigration procedure. It is optional. You can keep two cards, and older residence cards stay valid. If you do not ask for a Specified Residence Card, you receive the new-style residence card.

6.2 Where and when can I apply?

Official rule (Japan)

You apply at the same time as another procedure. At the immigration bureau, you can apply with a renewal, a change of status, a reissue or a change of card details. If you only want to switch your current card, apply for a new card on request (交換希望による再交付) at the bureau. At your ward office, you can apply when you register a move from abroad or within Japan.

Points to know from the agency’s page:

You cannot apply online. If you renew online, you receive a normal residence card.
It takes at least about 2 weeks to issue, about 10 days longer than a normal card. It is not issued on the same day.
The electronic certificates on your current My Number Card stop working about a week before the new card is issued. This may affect using it as a health insurance card.
To keep a Specified Residence Card, you must apply for it again with every procedure that issues a new card.

The first Specified Residence Card is free in principle if you hold a card issued on or before June 13, 2026. Other cases may cost ¥1,900 for immigration and ¥600 for J-LIS (¥800 with electronic certificates). The agency’s fee table shows which case applies. For more detail, see Specified Residence Card (2026). That guide was written for Kumamoto, but the rules are national.

7. Where can I ask questions in English?

Official rule (Japan) + Fukuoka City

The Immigration Information Center (外国人在留総合インフォメーションセンター) answers questions about procedures and documents. Call 0570-013904 on weekdays, 8:30 to 17:15. From an IP phone or from abroad, call 03-5796-7112. Its languages include English, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

The Information Center also has an in-person desk at the Fukuoka bureau in Maizuru. It is open on weekdays from 9:00 to 16:00, in Japanese, English and Chinese (Korean is sometimes possible).

The Fukuoka City International Foundation (福岡よかトピア国際交流財団) holds a free consultation with gyoseishoshi lawyers (行政書士, licensed administrative scriveners) on the second Sunday of every month, 13:00 to 16:00. It is at the Fukuoka City International Center, 4th floor. English and Chinese interpretation is available without an appointment. For other questions about life in Fukuoka City, see Help in your language in Fukuoka City.

8. Common questions

Can I leave Japan while my online renewal is being examined?

Yes. The agency says you can leave on a re-entry permit, but you must come back and receive the decision within 2 months after your original period of stay ends. You cannot receive your card while you are outside Japan.

Can I leave Japan while my card is being posted to me?

Not on a special re-entry permit (みなし再入国許可). The agency says you must have a valid residence card to leave Japan that way.

My new card does not show my period of stay. Where can I see it?

New-style cards issued from June 14, 2026 no longer show the period of stay or the permission date. These details are stored on the card’s IC chip. The agency’s Residence Card Reader app shows them from the version released on August 19, 2026.

Do I have to carry a Specified Residence Card?

Yes. The agency says a Specified Residence Card is a residence card, so you must carry it at all times.

Which office handles my online application?

It depends on your address. The first character of your application number shows the office. Applications handled by the Fukuoka bureau start with 福オン.

Who can help with problems using the online system?

The Online Residence Application System help desk: 050-3786-3053, weekdays 9:00 to 17:00. The agency’s page does not say which languages the help desk uses.

Next steps

Your residence card in Fukuoka: the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau, online renewal, a lost card and the Specified Residence Card (2026)