# Renew your passport in Japan: embassy rules, timing and residence card checks

URL: https://japanhow.com/life/admin/passport-renewal-japan-foreigners/
Author: JapanHow editors
Updated: Oct 29, 2026

## Summary

You renew a home-country passport at your own embassy or consulate in Japan, not at a Japanese office, and the ones we checked want you to attend in person. As of October 2026 the examples we checked cost ¥9,000 for the Philippines, ¥23,000 for Nepal and from ¥4,200 for Pakistan, with waits from four weeks to two months. Immigration's 14-day filing doesn't list a plain renewal, but a name change must be reported within 14 days, and no-permit re-entry needs a valid passport.

## Key facts

- Where: Your embassy, in person
- Fees checked: ¥4,200 (PK) to ¥23,000 (NP)
- Typical wait: 4 weeks to 2 months
- Name change: Report to immigration in 14 days

You renew a home-country passport at **your own embassy or consulate in Japan**. Japanese offices don't handle it, and each mission sets its own booking, fees and waits. As of October 2026 the embassies whose fees we could confirm charge from **¥4,200 (Pakistan, lowest listed) to ¥23,000 (Nepal)** for an adult renewal, with waits of about four weeks to two months.

## What are the general steps?

The steps are similar everywhere, but the details are not. Check your own embassy's page first.

## What do embassies ask for and charge?

These are examples from each embassy's own page, read on 29 October 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm before you go.

| Country | How you apply | Adult fee | Wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | Online appointment, then in person | ¥9,000 | Usually 1 to 2 months |
| Pakistan | In person, 9:30 to 12:30 (Friday to 12:00) | From ¥4,200 (36-page passport; see the embassy's fee table) | At least 20 working days normal, 10 urgent |
| Indonesia | Register online, then in person | See the embassy's page | A one-day express service is listed |
| Nepal | Online pre-enrollment, pick "NE, Tokyo", then in person | ¥23,000 (age 10 and over) | Not stated |
| India | Submit 9:30 to 11:30 on weekdays | Fee page not read | 4 to 6 weeks, issued in New Delhi |

Other details from those pages:

- **Philippines:** bring the passport with a photocopy of its data page and a ¥600 Letterpack. The Embassy usually cancels the old passport when you apply. It encourages renewal at least eight months before expiry and says there is no penalty for renewing an expired e-passport. If your passport isn't an e-passport, you also need a PSA birth certificate on security paper and a valid ID.
- **Pakistan:** bring previous passports with a copy, your original NICOP or CNIC with a copy, and your **residence card**. Photocopies are not accepted in place of originals. The page says delays are due to backlog clearance in Pakistan.
- **Indonesia:** you need a valid residence card and your old passport. The embassy lists a one-day express service (arrive at 10:00, collect at 15:00); check its page for the fee.
- **Nepal:** bring the printed form, your Nepali citizenship certificate and a copy plus the original of the current passport. Upload files in the online form at 300 KB or less each.
- **India:** you can submit for re-issue up to **one year before expiry**. The Tokyo embassy covers Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Shinetsu, Hokuriku, Tokai and Okinawa.

We didn't find official Tokyo pages for Bangladesh, Vietnam or Sri Lanka that we could verify, so they aren't covered here. Check your embassy's site directly.

**Don't book flights before the passport arrives:** The Philippine Embassy advises against buying flight tickets until the new passport is in your hands. Waits can run to two months, and unclaimed passports are cancelled after six months.

## Does renewing affect your residence card or visa?

Your **residence card** and your **passport** are separate documents with separate expiry dates. Renewing the passport doesn't extend your stay. A few points from the Immigration Services Agency (ISA):

- **Plain renewal:** the 14-day filing for changes to your card covers name, date of birth, sex and nationality/region. A new passport number isn't on that list.
- **Name or nationality changed:** report it in person at the immigration bureau for your address within **14 days**. It's free. Bring the new passport and proof. The ISA says that if the passport hasn't been corrected or reissued first, the new card may not be issued the same day.
- **Stamps in your old passport:** if the old passport holds valid landing, re-entry or activity-permission stamps, you can ask the bureau to copy them into the new one with a transfer form (証印転記願出書).
- **Leaving and re-entering Japan:** the no-permit system (みなし再入国許可) needs a valid passport and, for mid- to long-term residents, a residence card. It lasts one year from departure or until your stay expires, if sooner. See [the re-entry permit guide](/visa/visas/re-entry-permit-japan/).
- **At your next visa renewal:** you can apply for an extension from three months before your stay expires, and the bureau doesn't keep your passport while it decides. See [visa renewal](/visa/visas/visa-renewal-japan/).

If you can't get a valid passport because of your home country's circumstances, the ISA says you can still apply for an extension with a reasonable explanation. A long embassy queue is a different case, so ask the bureau how it would treat yours.

## What if you also need documents from your home country?

Some embassies ask for a birth certificate or citizenship certificate, and these may need a Japanese translation or apostille for other purposes. See [certificate translation](/life/admin/certificate-translation-japan-foreigners/) and [apostille](/life/admin/apostille-documents-japan-foreigners/). If your passport is lost rather than expiring, see [lost passport in Japan](/life/admin/lost-passport-japan-foreigners/).

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your own visa questions, ask the immigration bureau or an immigration specialist (行政書士).

## Questions people ask

### Where do I renew my passport in Japan?

At your own country's embassy or consulate in Japan. Japanese offices don't issue or renew foreign passports. Each mission sets its own booking, fees and documents, and some cover only certain prefectures, as India's Tokyo embassy lists.

### Do I need to tell immigration about my new passport?

The Immigration Services Agency's 14-day filing covers changes to name, date of birth, sex and nationality, not a new passport number. If your name or nationality changes, file in person at the bureau for your address. Old permission stamps can be copied to the new passport.

### Can I still leave Japan if my passport has expired?

Not under the no-permit re-entry system. It requires a valid passport and, for mid- to long-term residents, a residence card. Renew before you travel, and check whether your embassy can finish in time.

### Can I renew my passport online from Japan?

Only the first step in some cases. Nepal and Indonesia use online pre-enrollment or registration, and Nepal still asks you to attend the embassy. Philippine renewal needs an online appointment and personal appearance.

### How early should I renew?

Embassies set their own windows. The Philippine Embassy encourages renewal at least eight months before expiry, and India's Tokyo embassy accepts re-issue applications up to one year before. Allow for waits of up to two months.

## Sources

- [Passport renewal (adult)](https://tokyo.philembassy.net/?p=10452), Embassy of the Philippines, Tokyo (accessed Oct 29, 2026)
- [Apply for a Philippine passport](https://tokyo.philembassy.net/consular-section/services/passport/), Embassy of the Philippines, Tokyo (accessed Oct 29, 2026)
- [Tokyo Machine Readable Passports (MRP)](https://mofa.gov.pk/tokyo-machine-readable-passports-mrp), Embassy of Pakistan, Tokyo (accessed Oct 29, 2026)
- [Persyaratan Paspor WNI](https://kemlu.go.id/tokyo/pelayanan-perwakilan/layanan--keimigrasian/persyaratan-paspor-wni), Embassy of Indonesia, Tokyo (KBRI Tokyo) (accessed Oct 29, 2026)
- [Passport](https://jp.nepalembassy.gov.np/pages/passport-27), Embassy of Nepal, Tokyo (accessed Oct 29, 2026)
- [Consular Services](https://www.indembassy-tokyo.gov.in/eoityo_pages/MjA), Embassy of India, Tokyo (accessed Oct 29, 2026)
- [出入国審査・在留審査Q&A](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/immigration/faq/kanri_qa.html), Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 29, 2026)
- [みなし再入国許可（入管法第26条の2）](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/immigration/procedures/minashisainyukoku_00001.html), Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 29, 2026)
- [住居地以外の在留カード記載事項の変更届出](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri10_00009.html), Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 29, 2026)