If you are a foreign national working in Japan and have recently changed jobs, it is crucial to notify the Japan Immigration Bureau of your new employment status and that your previous employment has ended.
Many people are not aware of this requirement, and failure to notify the Immigration Bureau can lead to rejection of permanent residency applications or other complications. This is also shared by immigration lawyer Yuki Hirose on LinkedIn in her post here
What does the law say#
According to the Article 19-16 from the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (出入国管理及び難民認定法), foreign nationals who have changed their place of employment must notify the Japan Immigration Bureau within 14 days of the change.
This can be verified from this site which provides useful english translation of Japanese laws Japanese Law Translation. Search for “Article 19-16” or “Notification Relating to the Organization of Affiliation” on the page.
What happens if you notify false information?#
According to Article 71-2 of Penal Provisions,
A person who falls under any of the following items is to be punished with imprisonment for not more than 1 year or a fine not exceeding 200,000 yen:
- (i) a person who submits a false notification regarding the notification pursuant to the provisions of Article 19-7, paragraph (1), Article 19-8, paragraph (1), Article 19-9, paragraph (1), Article 19-10, paragraph (1) or Article 19-16; or
- (ii) a person who violates the provisions of Article 19-11, paragraph (1), Article 19-12, paragraph (1) or Article 19-13, paragraph (3).
What happens if you don’t notify?#
Technically, not notifying is a violation of the law and can lead to penalties. However, in practice, many people may not face immediate consequences for failing to notify. Enforcement can vary, and it may depend on individual circumstances and their history in Japan. However, it can definitely negatively impact your application for permanent residency or can lead to rejection reason for your permanent residency application.
How to notify?#
There are two ways to notify the Japan Immigration Bureau of your job change:
Offline notification send by post.#
This method is tedious as you need to download the form, fill it out and send it to your jurisdiction immigration office.
Here are the links for the notification forms. As these might get updated, please do check directly on the website of the Immigration Services Agency
Notification form for termination of a contract with the contracting organization
Notification form for concluding a contract with a new contracting organization
Notification form for terminating the contract and concluding a new contract
Online notification through this website#
First sign up on the website using your email address. You will receive a confirmation email to verify your email address.
Whenever you change the job you need to submit two notifications.
Notification of termination of contract with the previous organization.
Notification of conclusion of contract with the new organization.
When you fill this form, be careful of half-width and full-width character requirements. If you are seasoned foreigner resident of Japan, you should be familiar with this if not Welcome to Japan!
Other than this if your company name or address has changed or your company ceases to exists, you need to submit the notification of change for those respective changes like below.
You can see the history of your submissions on the website by clicking the bottom most button 届出状況参照 (View notification status)