Since July 2012, foreign nationals with mid- to long-term status in Japan carry a residence card instead of the old alien registration card. The front shows the name, nationality, residence status, period of stay and an indication of work permission: unrestricted, restricted to the activities of the status, or not permitted. The back records changes of address and any permission to work outside the status, such as up to 28 hours a week for students.
The employer must check it. That means seeing the original, not a copy, confirming that the residence status allows the work offered, that the period of stay has not expired, and that the card is genuine. The Immigration Services Agency offers an online number check and a reader app that verifies the card's chip.
The penalties fall on the employer. Facilitating illegal employment, which includes hiring someone whose status does not allow the work, was made punishable by up to five years' imprisonment, a fine of up to 5 million yen, or both, from June 2025, up from three years and 3 million yen. An employer cannot avoid liability by saying it did not know if it failed to check the card. Separately, employers must notify Hello Work when they hire or lose a foreign employee. Permanent residents and family-based statuses are included; only special permanent residents and holders of Diplomat or Official status are exempt.
What it means for a foreign employer
- Check before the first day, not after. Build the card check into onboarding for every non-Japanese hire.
- Track expiry dates. An employee whose period of stay lapses without a renewal application cannot keep working. Keep a calendar and remind people early.
- Make sure the job fits the status. A professional work visa does not cover moving someone into warehouse or retail floor work, even temporarily.
- Do not hold the card. Keeping an employee's residence card or passport is not permitted; take a copy for the record and return the original.
Sources
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Articles 19-3, 23 and 73-2, as amended (penalty increase in force June 2025).
- Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labour Policies, Article 28 (foreign employment status notification).
- Immigration Services Agency, residence card validity check and reader app.