Formalities after childbirth in Japan- Part 2

After the formalities at the city office are done, you need to apply for the passport and visa for your little one within 30 days after birth. We had found out the procedure for obtaining a passport for our baby. So we took the necessary documents i.e baby’s birth certificate, our alien registration card copies, our passport copies etc. and proceeded to the embassy.

Now there is one interesting thing which had happened when we were filling the passport application form. It is so fresh in my mind as if it happened yesterday. Richie was 4 weeks old. The application form needed baby’s photo and signature or thumb impression. Now the photo needs to be such that baby’s both ears are seen, fully awake etc. Babies are fidgety. It is difficult to hold them in one position. And Richie has the habit of sleeping on his side. So getting a good photo was difficult thing. I must say my hubby is very patient. He held Richie and even managed to click a good photo of him.

The work was not over. We had to get Richie’s fingerprints on the form. Richie’s dada used to come home late those days. After having dinner we decided to give it a try. We tried putting Richie to sleep first. After that was done, the thumb impression had to be correctly taken without spoiling the form. I was rocking Richie in my arms while dada took the fingerprints. It was not once but 3-4 times on the form. Sighhhhh. It was 2 am by the time we finished.

Next was visa application (residence permission) at the Immigration bureau of Japan. To avoid any penalties, you have to apply within 30 days, whether you have got the child's passport or not. Actually we did not know this as we thought we need to apply only after we get the passport and we crossed the 30 days limit by few days. They expressed their concerns as laws in Japan are very strict. Luckily the penalty was not too much. We had to provide our income tax certificate as well as the certificate of employment (COE) along with other documents (mentioned above). It actually delayed the process, which could have been avoided if we had done within 30 days. I am not sure if there is a payment penalty. If you have applied for a passport but haven't got it yet, take the document showing that you have applied for the passport to the immigration office. It is very important to apply for visa within 30 days regardless of whether you have your baby's passport or not.
Here is the Immigration bureau of Japan site link. You can browse to get all the details.

After all this is done you can sit back and relax and enjoy the time with your little one.

All the very best!!