How to get your Japan entry and exit records (and count your days outside Japan)

1. Why you may need your entry and exit records

Many applications ask when you were in Japan and when you were not. Working this out from your passports is often harder than it sounds:

• Some stamps are faint, overlapping or hard to read.
• If you used the face recognition gates, your passport was not stamped unless you asked for a stamp at the airport.
• You renewed your passport and no longer have the old one.

The ISA itself says that if you need proof of your entries and departures, the usual way is to request your entry and exit records.

Permanent residence and time spent outside Japan

The ISA’s Guidelines for Permanent Residence were revised on October 1, 2026. Most of the revised guidelines apply to applications filed on or after April 1, 2027. They now state that if, within the 10 years before the application and without a reasonable reason, an applicant was away from Japan for six months or more in a single trip, or for two years and six months or more in total, this is in principle evaluated negatively.

If you are preparing for permanent residence, it is worth checking your record early, before you rely on your own estimate. For general information on permanent residence, see our permanent residence page.

2. What the records show, and what they don’t

Entry and exit records

• The dates of your departures from and entries into Japan, from November 1, 1970 up to the date of your request.
• Records from 1992 or earlier take considerably longer for the ISA to search.
• The records show your movements in and out of Japan only. They do not prove which other countries you traveled to or stayed in.

Residence procedure records

The request form for foreign nationals has an attachment where you can tick other records you want, such as Certificates of Eligibility, extensions and changes of status, re-entry permits and permission to engage in activities other than those permitted. A record of extensions and changes of status shows, for example, the immigration office that made the decision, the date of the decision, the permission number, and the status and period of stay granted. Applications that were refused can also be identified.

This is a convenient way to put together your residence history, and it is also the key to requesting copies of your past applications. See how to get copies of your past immigration applications.

Checking your time outside Japan

The record lists dates, not totals. To see how long you were outside Japan, add up the periods from each departure to the following entry. Keep the record with your application materials.

3. Where and how to request

Requests to the headquarters go to:

Immigration Information Disclosure Section, General Affairs Division, Immigration Services Agency
Yotsuya Tower 13F, 1-6-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0004
Weekdays 9:00–17:00

• Method: at the counter or by post.
• Fee: ¥300 per request, paid with a revenue stamp (shunyu inshi), sold at post offices. Stick it on the form and do not cancel it.
• Form: the request form for entry and exit records and its attachment for foreign nationals, available on the ISA website (in Japanese). The attachment asks for your name as shown in your passport, nationality and sex, any change of name or nationality, the other records you want, and reference information such as your residence card number, your old alien registration number, the date of your first entry and the numbers of your old passports. The more of these details you give, the easier it is for the ISA to find your records.
• Name or nationality changes: if your name or nationality has changed, attach documents showing the change. If you became a Japanese national and need both your records as a foreign national and as a Japanese national, these are two requests (¥600).

4. What to send if you request it yourself

For a request by post, you will typically need:

1. The completed request form and attachment, with a ¥300 revenue stamp
2. A copy of your ID, front and back, such as your residence card or driver’s license. The address on it must match your certificate of residence. For a My Number Card, copy the front side only.
3. The original of your certificate of residence (juminhyo), issued within the last 30 days and without your My Number
4. A return Letter Pack, or a return envelope with enough stamps. The ISA recommends a Letter Pack because the postage depends on how many pages are sent.

For a request by post, the results are in principle sent to the address on your certificate of residence.

If you live outside Japan

The requirements above assume that you live in Japan. A request sent directly from abroad is possible, but for foreign nationals it involves practical hurdles:

• Certificate of residence: you need a substitute, such as a certificate of residence issued by the manager of the facility where you live. The certificate of residence issued by Japanese embassies and consulates is available only to Japanese nationals.
• Return of the copies: a Letter Pack can be used only within Japan, so return postage to an address abroad has to be arranged separately.

5. How long it takes

By law, the decision on disclosure is to be made within 30 days of the request, but this can be extended. The ISA says that it is currently receiving many requests and that results are taking time. It also asks people not to call to check on progress; the office will contact you by phone or letter if something is missing.

In practice, allow about 1 to 1.5 months from receipt until the copies arrive, and sometimes longer. If you need the record for an application, request it well before your deadline.

6. Asking an agent to request it for you

Since April 1, 2022, you can appoint an agent, such as a gyoseishoshi, to make the request on your behalf. The decision notice and the copies are then sent to the agent. You will need to provide:

• A power of attorney on the ISA’s standard form, as an original, signed by you and made within 30 days before the request is filed
• A copy of your ID (front and back). Your name and address on the ID must match those on the power of attorney.

If you live outside Japan:

• Write your actual overseas address on the power of attorney.
• Your passport alone is not enough, because it does not show your address. You need an official photo ID showing your name and current address, such as a driver’s license or a national ID card with an address.
• If you do not have such an ID, a passport together with documents showing your current address may be considered, but whether the ISA accepts this is not certain. Ask before you send the request.
• Sign the power of attorney and mail the original to your agent with the copy of your ID. Keep the envelope details: a copy of the postmarked envelope or proof of delivery is submitted with the power of attorney to show that it was sent from abroad.
• Allow for international mail time, because the power of attorney must have been made within 30 days before the ISA receives the request.
• If you have them, copies of old passports, old residence cards or a Japanese pension book help the ISA find your records.

7. Our Japan Immigration Records Request service

If you would rather not deal with the Japanese forms, or you live outside Japan, our Japan Immigration Records Request service can make the request for you as your agent. A gyoseishoshi files the request and we deliver the records as PDF files with a summary table in English.

• We request records only for the person themselves, aged 18 or over.
• Residence procedure records before July 2012 are not covered, but you are welcome to ask.
• If you live outside Japan, you will need a photo ID showing your current address. If you do not have one, we will consider a passport together with a document showing your address case by case.

To apply, send us an inquiry. If you have questions about what your records mean for an application, see our written answer service.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information only and is not legal advice on any individual case. The information is based on sources available as of October 28, 2026. Laws, guidelines and their application may change without notice. Some practical points in this article are based on our own inquiries to the ISA and are not published on the ISA website. TKG Immigration Consulting Office accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of this information. In case of any difference between our English descriptions and the original Japanese texts, the Japanese texts prevail.