Hey there! I'm Shouq, and I've been living in Japan for almost four years now. I've got a bit of a situation with my middle name on official documents – it's quite long. If you've spent a good amount of time in Japan, you'll know that dealing with a middle name here can be a hassle, especially if it's a really long one. It messes up online forms, and I've even been rejected for credit cards because my identity couldn't be confirmed due to the mismatch between cards with and without my middle name.
Recently, I found out about something called a "通称名" (tsuushoumei), which is like a legal alias you can register in Japan. This can help solve the middle name issue. You can register a simplified name without your middle name or even use your spouse's last name if you're married. I know some foreign residents here who prefer using their middle name as their first name just because it's easier to pronounce – you can get that registered too.
Before I got into this process, I looked around a lot for information but didn't find much. So, I decided to write this to fill in the gaps. Let's get into the nitty-gritty of how to register a legal alias in Japan! When you head to the city hall, they'll give you a list of documents you need:
- Your Passport.
- Your Residence Card.
- Proof that you are already using the name in real life. They usually want at least two of the following documents:
- If you work at a company:
- Employee ID card (社員証)
- Proof of employment (在職証明書)
- Health insurance card (社会保険証)
- If you're a student or a child of a long-term resident:
- Student ID (学生証)
- Certificate of enrollment (在籍証明書)
- Graduation certificate (卒業証明書)
- If you're married to a Japanese citizen or adopted:
- Family register or acceptance certificate showing the connection.
Now, even though these requirements might sound simple, the reality is a bit more complicated. It took me four trips to the city hall before I could finally get my legal alias registered. Let me break down the documents I needed for my own application:
- Filling out the application form
- Writing a short explanation for the reasons for wanting to register that name
- My Employee ID card (社員証)
- Proof of employment (在職証明書)
- A bunch of work-related emails showing I used that name. They wanted emails from different companies, so I provided around 10 A4 pages of these.
- Delivery receipts for both work and personal stuff, including orders from Amazon and various couriers like EMS Japan Post, Sagawa, and Yamato – another 10 proofs.
- Receipts from vendors I worked with like 作業完了確認書
- Personal letters and mail from friends
By the way, your name on your residence card won't change, and you won't get any official paper acknowledging the alias. The only place your alias will appear is on your MyNumber card, and it's not very prominent.
As for whether this helps with credit card applications and so– that's the next puzzle I'm looking to solve!
I hope sharing my experience makes your own journey of getting a legal alias in Japan a bit smoother!