Act on the Use of Numbers to Identify a Specific Individual in Administrative Procedures

The Agency is to, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, prepare an Individual Number Card for a person recorded in the basic resident register or a person recorded in a family register supplement (limited to a person who has moved out of Japan; the same applies in paragraph (4)), based on the application of that person.

The application referred to in the preceding paragraph is to be filed with the Agency either directly or via the mayor of the municipality that maintains the basic resident register (for a person who has moved out of Japan, the family register supplement; hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph and paragraph (5)) in which the person seeking to receive the Individual Number Card is recorded (or, if there are circumstances specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in which filing the application via the mayor of a municipality other than that municipality contributes to the convenience of the person seeking to receive the Individual Number Card and to the prompt delivery of the Individual Number Card, via the mayor of that other municipality or of the municipality that maintains said basic resident register).

A person recorded in the basic resident register who files the application referred to in paragraph (1) via the mayor of a municipality pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph (limited to a person for whom the measure set forth in paragraph (1), item (ii) of the following Article has been taken by the mayor of that municipality) and who falls under the persons specified by Cabinet Order as persons who need to receive an Individual Number Card promptly may, together with that application, make a request to the effect that the person wishes to have the Individual Number Card sent to them by the Agency.

A person recorded in a family register supplement may, together with the application referred to in paragraph (1), make a request to the effect that the person wishes to receive the handover of the Individual Number Card from a consular officer (including the head of an embassy or legation performing the duties of a consular officer and other persons specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or a person acting on their behalf in those duties; the same applies hereinafter) or from the mayor of a municipality other than the municipality that maintains said family register supplement.

If the Agency has prepared an Individual Number Card (excluding one pertaining to a person who has made a request referred to in the preceding two paragraphs; hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph) based on the application referred to in paragraph (1), the Agency is to send said Individual Number Card to the mayor of the municipality that maintains the basic resident register in which the person who filed that application is recorded.

If the Agency has prepared, based on the application referred to in paragraph (1), an Individual Number Card pertaining to a person who has made the request referred to in paragraph (3) (limited to cases in which the mayor of the municipality referred to in that paragraph has notified the Agency that the measure provided for in that paragraph has been taken for that person), the Agency is to notify the mayor of the municipality that maintains the basic resident register in which that person is recorded that it has prepared said Individual Number Card.

If the Agency has prepared, based on the application referred to in paragraph (1), an Individual Number Card pertaining to a person who has made the request referred to in paragraph (4), the Agency is to notify the mayor of the municipality that maintains the family register supplement in which that person is recorded that it has prepared said Individual Number Card, and is to send said Individual Number Card, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, to the consular officer or the mayor of the municipality to which that request pertains.

The Agency is to conduct, with regard to Individual Number Cards, the management of the status of the preparation and sending of Individual Number Cards (referred to as "issuance of Individual Number Cards" in Article 18-6, paragraph (1) and paragraph (3), item (i)) and of the status of the operation of Individual Number Cards, and other processes specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The mayor of the municipality is to, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, deliver to a person recorded in the basic resident register maintained by that municipality or a person recorded in a family register supplement maintained by that municipality (limited to a person who has moved out of Japan) the Individual Number Card pertaining to that person that the mayor has been sent, or of whose preparation the mayor has been notified, under the provisions of paragraphs (5) through (7) of the preceding Article, either directly or via the Agency or the consular officer or mayor of the municipality to which the request referred to in paragraph (4) of that Article pertains. In this case, the mayor of the municipality who makes that delivery (referred to as the "issuing mayor of the municipality" in the following paragraph through paragraph (5) and in Article 18-6, paragraph (3), item (i)) must take the following measures to confirm that the person is the person themselves:

confirming the name, date of birth and other matters for identifying an individual that are entered in the residence certificate or family register supplement pertaining to that person and are specified by Cabinet Order, and the Individual Number entered in said residence certificate (if the residence certificate pertaining to that person has been deleted, the Individual Number that was entered in said residence certificate); and

at the time of the application referred to in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article or of the handover of the Individual Number Card pertaining to that application, receiving from that person the presentation of a document specified by Cabinet Order that contains the person's name, date of birth and other matters for identifying an individual, and confirming that the person is the person to whom that document pertains (including measures specified by order of the competent ministry as equivalent thereto).

If the application referred to in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article (excluding an application pertaining to a person who has made the request referred to in paragraph (4) of that Article) was filed via the mayor of a municipality other than the issuing mayor of the municipality, said mayor of the municipality may, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, take the measure set forth in item (ii) of the preceding paragraph in place of the issuing mayor of the municipality.

The delivery of an Individual Number Card under the provisions of paragraph (1) to a person who has made the request referred to in paragraph (3) of the preceding Article (limited to a person for whom the measure set forth in paragraph (1), item (i) has been taken by the issuing mayor of the municipality and of whom the issuing mayor of the municipality has notified the Agency to that effect) is effected, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, by the Agency sending said Individual Number Card to that person.

The delivery of an Individual Number Card under the provisions of paragraph (1) to a person who has made the request referred to in paragraph (4) of the preceding Article (limited to a person for whom the measure set forth in paragraph (1), item (i) has been taken by the issuing mayor of the municipality and of whom the issuing mayor of the municipality has notified the consular officer or mayor of the municipality to which that request pertains to that effect) is effected by the consular officer or mayor of the municipality who has been sent the Individual Number Card pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (7) of that Article handing over said Individual Number Card to that person. In this case, if that person is a person other than a person for whom the measure set forth in paragraph (1), item (ii) has been taken by the issuing mayor of the municipality and of whom the issuing mayor of the municipality has notified said consular officer or mayor of the municipality to that effect, said consular officer or mayor of the municipality is to, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, take the measure set forth in that item in place of the issuing mayor of the municipality.

The mayor of a municipality or consular officer who has taken the measure set forth in paragraph (1), item (ii) in place of the issuing mayor of the municipality pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2) or the preceding paragraph is to notify said issuing mayor of the municipality to that effect.

If a person who has received an Individual Number Card submits the notification under Article 22, paragraph (1) of the Residential Basic Book Act or a notification of moving out of Japan, the person must submit said Individual Number Card to the mayor of the municipality at the same time as submitting those notifications.

The mayor of the municipality who receives an Individual Number Card pursuant to the preceding paragraph must change Card Information, take the necessary measures to ensure the appropriate use of said Individual Number Card, and return it.

If a person who has received an Individual Number Card makes a change to Card Information, the person must notify the mayor of the municipality that maintains the basic resident register in which the person is recorded (referred to as the "mayor of the municipality of domicile" in the following paragraph and paragraph (11)) thereof and submit said Individual Number Card within fourteen days from the day of the change, except in the cases prescribed in paragraph (6). In this case, the provisions of the preceding paragraph apply mutatis mutandis.

If a person who has received an Individual Number Card loses said Individual Number Card, the person must notify the Mayor of the Municipality of the Place of Domicile thereof immediately.

When an Individual Number Card expires or in other cases provided for by Cabinet Order, it ceases to be effective.

When an Individual Number Card expires or in other cases provided for by Cabinet Order, the person who had said Individual Number Card issued must return said Individual Number Card to the Mayor of the Municipality of the Place of Domicile pursuant to Cabinet Orders.

With regard to the application of the provisions of paragraph (8), paragraph (9) and the preceding paragraph to a person who has moved out of Japan, the phrase "within fourteen days from the day of the change" in paragraph (8) is deemed to be replaced with "promptly, either directly or via a consular officer"; the phrase "basic resident register" with "family register supplement"; the phrase "mayor of the municipality of domicile" with "mayor of the municipality administering the family register supplement"; and the phrase "mayor of the municipality of domicile" in paragraph (9) and the preceding paragraph with ", either directly or via a consular officer, the mayor of the municipality administering the family register supplement".

In addition to what is provided for in the preceding paragraphs, the necessary matters concerning the procedures for the reissuance of an Individual Number Card and other procedures that the mayor of the municipality and a person who has received an Individual Number Card carry out with regard to Individual Number Cards (referred to as "matters concerning reissuance, etc." in this paragraph) are specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and the form of Individual Number Cards, the period until an Individual Number Card expires and other necessary matters concerning Individual Number Cards (excluding matters concerning reissuance, etc.) are specified by order of the competent ministry.