Choose the responsible information source

Osaka’s guide links the Immigration Services Agency and its information centres for residence-related questions. It also links the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directory for diplomatic missions. Use these official routes to distinguish a national immigration matter from a task handled by your Osaka ward office.

Prepare the exact wording of your current residence status, document expiry dates and the change you are planning. Describe work, study, family or travel plans factually. A question such as whether you need a particular application is easier to assess when the intended activities and dates are clear.

Record the answer and next action

Before contacting a service, list the questions you need answered and the documents you have. Avoid sending passport or residence-card photographs through an unverified account. Ask how to provide private information safely if it is needed, and confirm whether the service can address your individual circumstances or is providing general procedural information.

During the inquiry, note the official procedure name, relevant page and any outstanding uncertainty. Confirm whether an appointment or application is still required. Receiving information does not itself submit a notification, extend permission or suspend a deadline. If you are referred to another office or an authorized specialist, take the same factual timeline so the discussion starts from consistent information. Recheck current official instructions before filing, particularly if your plan or circumstances have changed since the original inquiry.

Adapted and rewritten by Japanese.Pink from the City of Osaka’s Immigration Services Agency and Immigration Information Center. The wording and organization have been edited. Source checked: 9 November 2026.