Information on living in Sapporo for foreign residents

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• Alien registration
• Procedures for extending period of stay / reentry permits
• Registering birth, deaths and marriages
• Seal registration
• Diplomatic missions in Sapporo

Visa / Legal Procedures

In Japan, a personal seal is needed when opening bank accounts, subscribing to cell-phone service and in many other cases.  A number of important procedures and contracts also require a registered seal (jitsu-in) to be affixed.

Seal registration procedures

Seal registration procedures take place at ward offices. The seal to be registered and   your alien registration card are required for the application.  After the registration procedure, a seal registration card (inkan toroku-sho) is issued.

Seal registration certificate (inkan toroku shomei-sho)

After a seal is registered, a seal registration certificate can be obtained by applying at the ward office or the Odori Certificate Issuance Service Center.  There is a handling fee of \350.

The seal registration card is needed for the procedure.  If a proxy performs the procedure, the card must be provided, but power of attorney is not required.

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