What does United States require?
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The United States has no single "residence card" system; foreigners follow one of two tracks. Lawful permanent residents hold Form I-551, the Permanent Resident Card ("Green Card"), issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Nonimmigrant visa holders (H-1B, F-1, and others) are instead tracked through Form I-94, issued by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at admission, which records the authorized period of stay and visa classification. 8 U.S.C. § 1304(e) requires every registered alien aged 18 or over to carry with them, at all times, proof of their registration (such as the I-551); violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100 and/or up to 30 days' imprisonment. 8 U.S.C. § 1305(a) requires a registered alien to notify in writing of any change of address within 10 days of the change. Unlike the other six countries here, the U.S. has no national municipal residence-registry office — the address-reporting duty is a stand-alone federal rule, not a local registration system. On work authorization, the Green Card itself serves as evidence of the right to work with no separate document needed, while certain categories — such as F-1 students on OPT, asylum applicants, and some dependent spouses — must separately file Form I-765 for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
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Taiwan's Alien Resident Certificate, issued by the National Immigration Agency, must be applied for within 30 days of entry, and an address change reported within the same 30-day window — miss it and the Immigration Act sets a fine of NT$2,000–10,000.
Japan's Residence Card runs on a tighter clock: 14 days, whether it's the first address registration or notifying a change of employer, both fixed by the Immigration Control Act.
Mainland China gives registered residence-permit changes 10 days (Exit-Entry Administration Law, Article 33), and staying somewhere other than a hotel only 24 hours (Article 39).
The United States has no national residence-registration office at all, but a registered alien's change of address is still bound by federal law — 8 U.S.C. § 1305 — to the same 10-day window, in writing.
India runs on visa category rather than a single residence card: an Employment or Student visa valid over 180 days must be registered with the FRRO within 14 days of arrival.
Indonesia caps an address change at 14 days, with the sponsor jointly responsible for reporting it.
Brazil is the most generous: a temporary-visa holder has 90 days to register with the Federal Police.
On whether the work permit and the residence permit are the same document, the seven countries split two ways: Taiwan, China, and Indonesia issue two documents from two agencies; Japan builds work eligibility directly into the residence status itself; and in the United States, the Green Card is itself the proof of work authorization.
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