New Registration System for Foreigners Residents in Japan

2012年7月施行予 ・  外国人住民の住民基本台帳制度がスタートします

2012/05/09 Wednesday Information Videos, News

Starting in July of 2012, a new foreign resident registration system will be introduced. This system will be different from the old Alien Registration System, which will be abolished once the new system takes effect. Under this new system, foreign residents will be issued residence, or zairyuu, cards and will be included in the resident register of their local communities.

Here are some of the benefits of this new system:

1 – Foreign residents will now be able to obtain a residence register, a document that verifies residence, which is identical to those issued to Japanese citizens.

2 – If a foreign resident reports a change of address to their local town or city office, the system will automatically update the corresponding information on their national health insurance registration and other related services.
3 –  If a foreign resident changes their residence status or period of stay at an Immigration Bureau, their town or city offices will automatically be informed of the change. It will no longer be necessary to report these changes directly to your town or city office.

Four. Procudures involving changes in address will be conducted entirely at a resident’s local town or city office. Like Japanese citizens, foreign residents will now be required to obtain a proof of address change certificate, or tenshutsu shoumeisho, from their town or city office before moving. This document may be obtained approximately 2 weeks before your moving date if your new address has not yet been determined. Within 14 days of moving into your new residence, you must submit your proof of address change certificate to the town or city office with jurisdiction over the community that contains your new residence.

If you are moving to a new residence within the city or town in which you currently live, you will need to submit your proof of address change certificate to your current town or city office within 14 days of moving in. Please remember to bring your resident card with you when applying for and submitting these documents.

Starting in May of 2012, town and city offices will begin sending requests to foreign residents asking for confirmation of information contained in their alien registration record. If the information contained within the request is correct, no additional procedures are necessary. If the information sent to you contains errors, or needs to be updated, please visit your local town or city office.

2012 – Car Tax Payment Deadline

2012/05/09 Wednesday Information Videos, News

2012年・自動車税の納期内納付について

If you are a car owner, have you remembered to post your Car Tax Payment Notification Form? This year’s car tax payment deadline is Thursday, May 31st 2012.

You can pay your car tax either using ATMs located in banks or by paying at major convenience stores. Please retain your receipt of payment when you pay your car tax at the bank or convenience store as you will need this for your next vehicle inspection. Please keep it in a safe place.

77% of car owners paid their car tax on time for the Heisei 23 (2011) financial year.

If you do not pay your car tax by the deadline you will incur a penalty fee for each day your payment is delayed.

In addition, those who fail to pay their car tax despite our demands will be means tested and may face repossession of their assets equal to the amount of taxes unpaid. Every year there are thousands of cases where we have had to carry out repossessions to reclaim unpaid taxes.

Car tax makes up 14% of the prefecture’s tax income and is an important source of revenue; it is used to fund the maintenance of roads and rivers, to develop industry and to promote education, culture and sports. Paying tax is one of the duties we all have as members of society. Please pay your tax by Thursday, May 31st 2012.