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What is a "gaijin-card"?
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2008/9/12 11:30
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I was reading a forum somewhere where foreigners were asked for their "gaijin-card." They were stopped randomly by police and asked to show a card, but they never explained on the forum what it was exactly. How do you get it? How is it used exactly? Do I really need it if I decide to travel to Japan?
Thanks
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by J
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"Gaijin card" is of course not the official name - it is "Alien Registration Card," so you might see the abbreviation ARC here and there as well.
This does not apply if you are just coming as a tourist.
If you come to Japan and stay/live for 90 days or longer, and hold a fixed address, you will need to register with the local city hall as a resident. And you get this card issued as an ID. On it is information like name, gender, date of birth, address, visa status & validity date, occupation/employer, etc., and as a resident if you move within Japan or change occupation, you report the change to the city hall and it gets updated.
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by AK
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rate this post as useful
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just to add
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2008/9/12 13:00
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In Japanese language, this card is called "gai-koku-jin-toroku-shomeisho", so in short it is called "gai-jin card" among expats. It proves you're not an illegal resident. If you are a tourist and asked to show your ID, you can just show them your passport instead.
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by Uco
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