Mail Forwarding When You Move in Japan (Japan Post Change-of-Address Notification): Free for 1 Year, 3 Ways to Apply, ID Checks and Mail That Is Not Forwarded

This article was written by the NIPPON VISA & LIFE editorial team based on information from public organizations such as the national government and local governments. Rules and fees may differ depending on the city, ward, town or village where you live.

When you move in Japan, submit a change-of-address notification (転居届, tenkyo todoke) to the post office. Once you do, mail and other items sent to your old address will be delivered to your new address free of charge for 1 year from the day you submitted the notification. There are 3 ways to submit it: at a post office counter, through a mailbox, or online (e-Tenkyo, e転居).

For an overview of all the procedures when you move, see Checklist of Procedures When You Move in Japan: Moving-Out Notification, Moving-In Notification, Residence Card, Electricity, Gas, Water and Mail Forwarding.

The Short Answer: How to Forward Your Mail

1. Once your move is decided, submit the change-of-address notification to the post office early. It takes 3 to 7 business days from submission until it is registered.
2. Choose how to submit it: at a post office counter / through a mailbox (using the special envelope) / e-Tenkyo (website or the Post Office app).
3. Prepare an identity document (residence card, My Number Card, driver’s license, etc.).
4. From the “desired forwarding start date” (転送開始希望日) you wrote on the notification, mail sent to your old address will arrive at your new address.
5. Forwarding lasts 1 year. During that time, tell your bank, mobile phone company, workplace and others your new address.

(Source: Japan Post, “Change of Address and Forwarding Service”, Japan Post, “How many days after submitting a change-of-address notification does forwarding start?”)

This Is Separate from the Notification You Submit to the City Office

There are 2 procedures with the name “転居届 (tenkyo todoke).” Please submit both.

	Post office change-of-address notification	Notification to the city, ward, town or village office
Purpose	To have mail sent to your old address delivered to your new address	To change the address on your resident record (juminhyo, the record that you live in that municipality)
Where to submit	Post office (counter, mailbox or e-Tenkyo)	The office of the city, ward, town or village of your new address
When to submit	Registration takes 3 to 7 business days, so submit it early	Within 14 days after you start living there

If you show your residence card at the counter when you submit the notification to the city office, this also counts as notifying the change of address on your residence card (notification of change of place of residence, 住居地の変更の届出).

For how to submit the notification to the city office, see Moving-In Notification and Resident Record in Japan: Go to Your City Office Within 14 Days After Your Address Is Decided (What to Bring, Steps, and When You Move).

(Source: Japan Post, “Change of Address and Forwarding Service”, Immigration Services Agency, “Notification of Change of Place of Residence”)

How Forwarding Works

Item	Details
Fee	Free
Forwarding period	1 year from the day you submitted the notification (the submission date), not from the desired forwarding start date
Until forwarding starts	3 to 7 business days from submission until registration
What is forwarded	Mail and parcels handled by Japan Post that are addressed to your old address
After 1 year	Mail is returned to the sender. If you want forwarding to continue, submit the change-of-address notification again

(Source: Japan Post, “Change of Address and Forwarding Service”, Japan Post, “How long is the period during which mail addressed to my old address is forwarded to my new address?”, Japan Post, “e-Tenkyo”)

Way 1: At a Post Office Counter

• Change-of-address notification forms are available at post offices. Fill one in and hand it in at the counter.
• At the counter, staff will check the identity of the person submitting the form (提出者), and also of 1 of the people moving (転居者).
• Examples of identity documents: My Number Card, driver’s license, residence card, etc.
• If the person submitting the form and the person moving are different, a photocopy of the moving person’s document is acceptable.

(Source: Japan Post, “I’m moving and want my mail and parcels forwarded. What should I do?”, Japan Post, “Change of Address and Forwarding Service”)

Way 2: Through a Mailbox

If you cannot go to a post office, you can submit the notification by putting it in a mailbox.

1. Get a change-of-address notification form, which is available at post offices and other places.
2. Fill in the required information.
3. Attach a photocopy of the submitter’s identity document with glue or tape in the box on the form labeled “本人確認書類（写）貼付欄” (space for attaching a copy of your identity document).
4. Put the form in the special envelope that comes with it, and drop it in a mailbox without a stamp.

Documents you can use as identification (photocopy):

• Residence card
• Special Permanent Resident Certificate (特別永住者証明書)
• My Number Card (no copy of the back side is needed)
• Driver’s license, or Certificate of Driving History (運転経歴証明書)
• Health insurance eligibility certificate (資格確認書) (hide the insurer number, symbol, number and the QR code before copying it)

If anything is missing, such as forgetting to attach the copy, you may have to submit the form again.

(Source: Japan Post, “Can I submit a change-of-address notification by putting it in a mailbox?”)

Way 3: Online (e-Tenkyo)

• You can apply 24 hours a day from a smartphone or computer, on the website or in the Post Office app (郵便局アプリ).
• To apply, you need to log in with a “Yu ID” (ゆうID, Japan Post’s membership ID) whose identity verification has been completed. You can register for a Yu ID and complete identity verification as part of the e-Tenkyo steps.
• If you use a Yu ID that has not yet been verified, you verify your identity online with a smartphone.
• One application can cover up to 6 people.
• It may take about 1 week from acceptance until forwarding starts.
• With e-Tenkyo, the submitter and everyone moving must agree that post office staff may visit the old or new address and tell the people living there about the move, to the extent necessary. If you cannot agree to this, submit the change-of-address notification at a post office.

(Source: Japan Post, “e-Tenkyo”, Japan Post, “How do I get the Yu ID needed to apply for e-Tenkyo?”, Japan Post, “Can I not use e-Tenkyo without a smartphone?”, Japan Post, “If I apply through e-Tenkyo, will the information in my change-of-address notification be passed on to the people living at my old address?”)

After You Submit the Notification

• The post office may check whether you have really moved. For example, post office staff may visit, may ask someone living with you if the person who moved is not there, or may send a confirmation letter to your old address (if your identity as the submitter and your old address were confirmed at the counter, no confirmation letter is sent).
• You can check the status of your application with the change-of-address notification receipt number (転居届受付番号) written on the “customer copy” (お客さま控, okyakusama-hikae) of the notification. Do not lose this copy.

(Source: Japan Post, “Change of Address and Forwarding Service”, Japan Post, “How many days after submitting a change-of-address notification does forwarding start?”)

Mail That Is Not Forwarded

• Mail marked “転送不要” (tenso fuyo, “do not forward”) is not forwarded even if you have submitted the notification. This is because the sender has decided, “If this person does not live at this address, return it to me.”
• Parcels delivered by companies other than Japan Post are not covered by this forwarding service. Only mail and other items handled by Japan Post are forwarded. Also tell the companies and shops that send you parcels your new address.

(Source: Japan Post, “Are there any items that are not forwarded with a change-of-address notification?”, Japan Post, “e-Tenkyo”)

What to Do in These Cases

Can mail be forwarded if only 1 family member moves?

Yes. Write the name of the person who is moving in the “name of person moving” (転居者氏名) box of the notification.

(Source: Japan Post, “If 1 person in a family of 4 moves, can their mail be forwarded?”)

What if you want forwarding to continue after 1 year?

If you go through the procedure again, forwarding can continue for another year. However, Japan Post asks you to tell senders your new address as much as possible.

(Source: Japan Post, “How long is the period during which mail addressed to my old address is forwarded to my new address?”)

What if mail still arrives at your old address after you submitted the notification?

Have the “customer copy” (お客さま控) of the notification at hand and contact a nearby post office. You can also check the status of your application with the receipt number on the copy.

(Source: Japan Post, “I submitted a change-of-address notification, but mail is still being sent to my old address. What should I do?”)

What if mail for the previous resident arrives at your new home?

Contact the post office in charge of delivery. Post office staff will check who lives there, for example by visiting.

(Source: Japan Post, “Mail and parcels addressed to the previous resident are being delivered. What should I do?”)

What if you want to stop forwarding?

Here is an example where mail addressed to Address A is being forwarded to Address B.

• If you want to stop forwarding and receive mail addressed to both A and B at A, submit the change-of-address notification again with B as the “old address” and A as the “new address.”
• If you want to stop forwarding and receive mail addressed to A at A and mail addressed to B at B, ask at the counter of a nearby post office.

(Source: Japan Post, “I submitted a change-of-address notification but want to stop forwarding”)

What if you are returning home (moving outside Japan)?

• Mail in Japan cannot be forwarded to an address abroad.
• If you do not want mail delivered in Japan after you move, submit a change-of-address notification with everything filled in except the new address box, at a post office counter or through a mailbox. Only the person who is moving can submit it. e-Tenkyo cannot be used.

For what to do before returning home, also see Closing Your Bank Account When You Leave Japan: What to Do with Your Remaining Money, and Why Giving Your Account to Someone Else Is a Crime.

(Source: Japan Post, “I’m moving abroad. Can my mail be forwarded?”)

What if you will be away from home for a long time because of travel or a temporary trip home, not a move?

Submit a “notice of absence” (不在届, fuzai todoke) instead of a change-of-address notification. The post office will hold your mail and other items for up to 30 days and deliver them after the period ends. It covers all mail addressed to your home; you cannot choose only some family members or only certain types of mail. Submit it to the post office that delivers to your home or a post office near your home. Bring an identity document.

(Source: Japan Post, “Please tell me about mail delivery when I will be away for a long time”)

Where to Get Help

• About the change-of-address notification and forwarding: the counter of a nearby post office
• If you want to ask by phone: Japan Post Customer Service Center (お客様サービス相談センター) (for mail and parcels; every day from 8:00 to 21:00). Check the phone number in “FAQ / Contact Us” (よくあるご質問・お問い合わせ) on the Japan Post website.
• Notifications to the city office (resident record and residence card address): the office of the city, ward, town or village of your new address

(Source: Japan Post, “Q&A on Change of Address, Moving and Absence”)

Primary Sources Referenced in This Article

• Japan Post, “Change of Address and Forwarding Service”
• Japan Post, “e-Tenkyo”
• Japan Post, “Q&A on Change of Address, Moving and Absence” (100, 101, 102, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 129, 130, 131, 700, 701, 702)
• Immigration Services Agency, “Notification of Change of Place of Residence”