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 within Japan, you need to submit notifications at the office of your city, ward, town or village (the moving-out notification, moving-in notification, or change-of-address notification) and contact the electricity, gas and water companies, the post office, and others. The notification at the office must be made within 14 days after you start living in your new home. This article sums up what to do, divided into “before you move” and “after you move.”
The Short Answer: Checklist
Before you move
- Check the contract for the room you live in now, and tell your landlord or management company that you are moving out
- Decide the days to stop electricity, gas and water, and contact each of them
- Submit a “change-of-address notice” (転居届) at the post office (so that mail sent to your old address is delivered to your new address)
- If you are moving to a different city, ward, town or village, submit a “moving-out notification” (転出届) at your current city, ward, town or village
- Check with your current city, ward, town or village how to throw away large garbage (oversized garbage, 粗大ごみ) from the move
After you move
- Within 14 days after you start living there, submit a “moving-in notification” (転入届) (if you came from a different city, ward, town or village) or a “change-of-address notification” (転居届) (if you moved within the same city, ward, town or village) at the office of the city, ward, town or village of your new address
- Hand in your residence card at the counter (the address on your residence card is changed at the same time)
- If you have a My Number Card, also hand in the card at the counter
- Check at the counter about city, ward, town or village procedures such as National Health Insurance and child allowance
- Tell your bank and other places where your address is registered about your new address right away
- If you have a driver’s license, change the address with the police promptly
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “How to Submit a Notification of Change of Resident Record” (leaflet))
Notifications at the Office: They Depend on the Type of Move
| Type of move | Before you move | After you move (within 14 days) |
|---|---|---|
| To a different city, ward, town or village | Moving-out notification at your current city, ward, town or village | Moving-in notification at your new city, ward, town or village |
| Within the same city, ward, town or village | None | Change-of-address notification at your current city, ward, town or village |
| From Japan to another country | Moving-out notification at your current city, ward, town or village | None |
- When you submit a moving-out notification, you receive a “moving-out certificate” (転出証明書, tenshutsu shōmeisho: a document showing that you moved from your previous address). Bring it when you submit the moving-in notification at your new city, ward, town or village.
- If you have a My Number Card, you do not receive a moving-out certificate. Instead, show your My Number Card when you submit the moving-in notification.
- If you have a My Number Card, you can also submit the moving-out notification through Mynaportal (マイナポータル: the national government’s online service). In this case, you do not need to go to the office counter for the moving-out notification. Submit the moving-in notification at the counter of your new city, ward, town or village.
(Sources: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “How to Submit a Notification of Change of Resident Record” (leaflet), Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “Move in / Move out”, Basic Resident Registration Act Articles 22 to 24)
What to bring for the moving-in notification and the steps at the counter are explained in detail in Moving-in Notification and Resident Record: Go to Your City Office Within 14 Days After Your Address in Japan Is Decided.
What happens to the address on my residence card?
When you submit the moving-in notification or change-of-address notification, hand in your residence card at the counter. If you bring your residence card and submit the notification, it is treated as also having made the notification of change of place of residence (the notification to change the address on your residence card) to the Immigration Services Agency. There is no fee. You do not need to go separately to immigration (the Regional Immigration Services Bureau).
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Notification of Change of Place of Residence”, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “Basic Resident Registration System for Foreign Residents”)
Other residence card procedures are summarized in What Is a Residence Card? How to Read the New-Style Card and the Specified Residence Card, and Procedures for Renewal, Address Changes, and Loss.
Change the address on your My Number Card too
Your new address needs to be written on your My Number Card. Bring the card to the counter of the city, ward, town or village you moved to, and do the necessary procedure. The procedure differs by city, ward, town or village, so search the website of your new city, ward, town or village with words such as “マイナンバーカード 住所変更” (My Number Card, change of address).
What if I am late with the notification?
The Basic Resident Registration Act states that people who do not submit a notification without a legitimate reason may be subject to an administrative fine (karyo) (過料: a penalty in which you pay money) of up to 50,000 yen. If more than 14 days have passed, go to the office as soon as possible.
(Sources: Basic Resident Registration Act Article 52, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “How to Submit a Notification of Change of Resident Record” (leaflet))
Electricity, Gas and Water
When you move, contact the companies to stop electricity, gas and water at your current home, and apply to start using them at your new home. Contact them with plenty of time to spare.
| Stopping (current home) | Starting (new home) | |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | Decide the end date and apply to the electricity company to cancel, online or by phone | Decide the start date and apply to the electricity company. On the day, switch on the breaker (the box with the electricity switches). Depending on the contract and the equipment in the home, someone from the electricity company may need to come (in that case, the electricity company will tell you) |
| Gas | Decide the end date and apply to the gas company. Telling them the “customer number” on the monthly notice makes the procedure smoother | Decide the start date and apply to the gas company for your new address. On the day, someone from the gas company comes and checks the equipment, and then you can use the gas |
| Water | Contact the water department of the city, ward, town or village or the water supplier | Apply in advance to the water department of the city, ward, town or village or the water supplier to start using water |
- For electricity, you basically do not need to be present (at home) on the last day. For gas, you need to be present if the worker cannot get to the gas meter.
- On the day you start using gas at your new home, someone from the gas company comes and checks the equipment, and then you can use the gas. When you apply, check with the gas company what time they will come.
- Use gas appliances (such as stoves) that match the type of gas (city gas, LP gas, etc.). Using appliances that do not match is dangerous and can cause fires and other accidents.
- Apply for gas to the gas company in the area where you live, and for water to the water department of the city, ward, town or village or the water supplier. For electricity, you can choose a contract that suits how you use it. You can find your current provider on the monthly usage notice (sometimes it is on the web). If you do not know where to apply for your new home, ask your landlord or management company.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 12, 3-3)
Mail Forwarding (the Post Office Change-of-Address Notice)
If you submit a “change-of-address notice” (転居届) to the post office, mail sent to your old address is delivered to your new address free of charge for 1 year from the day you submitted it.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Period | 1 year from the day you submitted it |
| Fee | Free |
| How to submit | At a post office counter / In a mailbox (with a special envelope) / Online with “e-tenkyo” (e転居) |
| Identity check | Residence card, My Number Card, driver’s license, etc. (depends on how you submit it) |
- It takes about 3 to 7 business days from submission until forwarding starts. Submit it early, before you move.
- If you want forwarding to continue after 1 year, submit the change-of-address notice again.
- The post office change-of-address notice is a separate procedure from the notification at your city, ward, town or village office. You need both.
(Sources: Japan Post “Change of Address and Mail Forwarding Service”)
Other City, Ward, Town or Village Procedures
When you submit the moving-in notification or change-of-address notification at the office, you may be able to do other procedures at the same time. At the counter, ask, “Are there any other procedures I need to do?”
- National Health Insurance: If you are enrolled in National Health Insurance and move to a different city, ward, town or village, do the procedure to leave it at your current city, ward, town or village, and the procedure to join it at your new city, ward, town or village. These procedures are done at the city, ward, town or village where you live.
- Child allowance: If you receive the allowance for children (child allowance, 児童手当), you need to apply again at your new city, ward, town or village after moving to a different city, ward, town or village.
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications explains that notifying the address for your resident record is an important procedure that is connected to things such as confirming your eligibility for National Health Insurance and National Pension.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapters 6 and 4, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “How to Submit a Notification of Change of Resident Record” (leaflet))
Banks, Driver’s Licenses and More
Banks
When your address changes, tell the bank where you opened your account right away. If you do not tell them, or do not respond to what the bank asks you to do, your account may become unusable.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 12, 3-5)
Driver’s license
If you have a driver’s license and your address changes, promptly notify the Public Safety Commission of the area where you live (the prefectural police) and have the new address written on your license. This is handled at police stations, driver’s license centers and other places; the locations, hours and what to bring differ by prefecture.
(Sources: Road Traffic Act Article 94, example: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department “Change of Recorded Information (for Changes of Address, Name, or Registered Domicile (Nationality, etc.))”)
Others
Also tell your new address to other places where your address is registered, such as your mobile phone company, your workplace and your school.
Troubles and Common Questions
What should I do with large garbage from the move?
Large garbage such as furniture (oversized garbage, 粗大ごみ) often cannot be put out on normal garbage days, and you may need to apply to the city, ward, town or village. The rules differ by city, ward, town or village, so search the website of the city, ward, town or village where you live now for “粗大ごみ” (oversized garbage). The basics of putting out garbage are summarized in How to Sort and Put Out Garbage in Japan.
What if I do not understand Japanese at the office counter?
Some cities, wards, towns and villages offer interpreters or guidance in multiple languages. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications call center (multilingual interpretation service, 050-1720-0849) answers questions about the basic resident registration system (the resident record system), and also interprets between foreign residents and staff at the counter when requested by the staff of a city, ward, town or village. Hours are 8:30 to 17:30 (except Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays and the year-end and New Year holidays).
What about cleaning and the deposit when I leave the room?
The rules for leaving the room (how many days in advance you must tell them, costs for cleaning and repairs, etc.) are written in your rental contract. First check the contract, and ask your landlord or management company about anything you do not understand.
Primary Sources Used for This Article
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “How to Submit a Notification of Change of Resident Record” (leaflet)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “Basic Resident Registration System for Foreign Residents”
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “Basic Resident Registration System for Foreign Residents | Move in / Move out”
- Immigration Services Agency “Notification of Change of Place of Residence”
- Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working”
- Japan Post “Change of Address and Mail Forwarding Service”
- e-Gov Laws and Regulations Search “Basic Resident Registration Act” (住民基本台帳法)
- e-Gov Laws and Regulations Search “Road Traffic Act” (道路交通法)
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department “Change of Recorded Information (for Changes of Address, Name, or Registered Domicile (Nationality, etc.))”
This article is a translation of the original Japanese version.
