Procedures for Those Who Are Affected by a Disaster

What should you do if your house was damaged or you lost your passport/driver’s license because of a disaster like an earthquake or typhoon? You can receive relief money or have necessary documents reissued by following the required procedures.

Necessary Procedures if the House You Live in Is Destroyed or Burnt Down

Obtain a “Disaster Victim Certificate” at your local government office, which proves that your house was damaged due to a disaster. The disaster victim certificate can be obtained at a fire station if your house was burnt down because of a fire. A disaster victim certificate may be needed for various procedures, including application for reissuance of certificates, fire insurance claim and tax exemption. Only one disaster victim certificate will be issued per household. Make sure to keep it in a safe place.

What to Do if You Lose Your Passport, Visa or Alien Registration Card

For passport reissuance, you need to go through certain procedures at your country’s embassy. Contact the embassy for documents required for the procedures.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan; List of Embassies and Consulates in Japan:

If your visa has expired, follow the visa renewal procedures at an Immigration Bureau’s office. Contact (visit, call or email) the Immigration Information Center for details:

TEL：0570-013904

(IP, PHS, International call: 03-5796-7112)

Hours: Weekdays 8:30 am – 5:15 pm

Supported Languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Nepali, Indonesian, Thai, Khmer (Cambodian), Burmese, Mongolian, French, Sinhalese, Urdu

For Alien Registration Card reissuance, follow the procedures at your local government office. Go to a police station for driver’s license reissuances. Both procedures require your personal identification such as passport, alien registration card, driver’s license, insurance card, photo proof, student ID. Ask for advice at the service desk if you lost all your identification due to the disaster.

How to Receive Relief Money

Those who are registered as a resident (holding alien registration), are applicable to receive the relief money. Take your identification certificate to the local government office and follow necessary procedures.