Mid- and long-term foreign residents of Japan have until Wednesday to upgrade their now-defunct alien registration certificate cards to new residence cards or face possible criminal penalties.

Subject to the ID update are foreign residents, such as those married to Japanese nationals or working for Japanese companies, exchange students, foreign technical interns and permanent residents.

Justice Ministry official Masahiro Yamagata said most permanent residents who have yet to exchange their ID card may not have realized they need a new card because their existing alien registration certificate card is valid for up to seven years.

As of the end of June, about 28,000 foreign permanent residents had yet to get the new residence card, the ministry said.

Failing to acquire the new card, which was introduced under a 2012 revamp of the immigration management system, by the July 8 deadline can result in up to a year in prison or a fine of ¥200,000, the ministry said.

However, penalties are applied on a case-by-case basis, Yamagata said, adding that Immigration Bureau officials will still accept applications for the new card after the deadline.