# Japanese police certificate & how to get residency record



## Kiwi14 (May 20, 2014)

Hi everyone,
I'm a New Zealand citizen and lived and worked in Japan between 2007 - 2009.

I need to obtain official proof of my previous residency/alien registration in Japan for a Japanese police certificate. I don't live in Japan any longer however I need to go there and get the certificate in order to speed up the process (I.e. 1-2 weeks vs. 2-3 months).

The prefectural police department requests one of the following:
** a) "An Official Copy of Deleted Resident Register issued within the last 6 months
　It is johyo of resident's card within six months from issue date"
** b) "An Alien Registration End Certificate issued within the last 6 months
　Foreign certification on registered matters on the original register that it is closed less than six months from issue date."

Does anyone know how I would obtain these documents? I could go to the authorities in Japan if required. I handed my gaijin card into authorities when I left Japan so don't have it anymore.

I feel like I'm getting the run around from Japanese authorities and that no one knows the new system.

Any assistance asap would be greatly appreciated.

Regards.


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## larabell (Sep 10, 2007)

I'm not sure whether you'd even be in the new system. It wasn't in effect in 2009.

There are two places that could have your records: (a) the ward/city office where you last lived, or (b) the Immigration Dept. It would depend on whether they moved all the archives at the same time the new rules came into effect. If they did, Immigration. If not, the ward/city office probably still has them. If you're going to be in Japan when you make the request, which office you start with may be more a matter of which is more convenient to get to first. Unless, of course, someone else on the forum has had to access their previous records and knows where the records went.

I hope "within the last 6 months" means that the certification of having lived in Japan at some point in time must have been issued no more than six months prior to sending it to the Police Dept because if they mean that your termination of residency has to have been within the last 6 months, that's already passed.

I did a bit of googling and, from what I can tell, they're mostly interested in some official document that proves your residency. If you have trouble squeezing that out of either office mentioned above, ask the Police Dept if you can submit proof of payment of tax instead. Those are usually easy to get from the tax office that covers the area where you last lived and, unlike residency, the tax office hasn't changed systems since you were last here. I believe the tax documents will also contain your registered address.


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