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.
After you come to Japan and decide where to live, first submit a moving-in notification (転入届: a notification that you have started living there) at the office of the city, ward, town or village where you live, within 14 days. After that come the procedures for My Number, health insurance, pensions and taxes. This article explains, in order, the procedures you do at the city office.
The Overall Flow First
- Decide where to live
- Within 14 days after you start living there, submit a moving-in notification at your city, ward, town or village office (bring your residence card)
- Your resident record (juminhyo) (住民票: the record of people who live in the area) is created, and the address on your residence card is also registered
- Later, the city, ward, town or village sends you a notice of your My Number (a 12-digit number)
- People who do not join a company’s health insurance join National Health Insurance at the office
- People aged 20 or older and under 60 who do not join a company’s Employees’ Pension Insurance join the National Pension at the office
- From the next year, you pay resident tax based on your income in the previous year
For people who work at a company or other employer and join Employees’ Pension Insurance, the company handles the procedure for joining the National Pension. Which procedures you need depends on how you work and on your family. When you submit your moving-in notification, try asking at the counter, “Are there any other procedures I need to do?”
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapters 2, 6, 7 and 8)
Procedures by Situation (A Map of the Whole Picture)
| Situation | Procedure | Where to go |
|---|---|---|
| You came to Japan and decided where to live | Moving-in notification (notification of your place of residence) | The office of the city, ward, town or village where you live |
| You received the notice of your My Number | Apply for a My Number Card | Smartphone, computer, mail, etc. |
| You do not join a company’s health insurance | Join National Health Insurance | The office of the city, ward, town or village where you live |
| You are aged 20 or older and under 60 and do not join Employees’ Pension Insurance | Join the National Pension | The office of the city, ward, town or village where you live |
| You received a document about resident tax | Pay resident tax | By the method written on the document |
| You move | Moving-out notification, moving-in notification, change-of-address notification | The offices of your current and new city, ward, town or village |
| You leave Japan and return to your home country | Moving-out notification, procedures for resident tax and pensions | The office of the city, ward, town or village where you live, etc. |
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working”)
1. Moving-in Notification and Resident Record (Within 14 Days)
- People who have a residence card (mid- to long-term residents) and others notify the city, ward, town or village where they live of their move within 14 days from the day they decided where to live.
- Bring your residence card. If your residence card will be issued later, bring your passport.
- If you live with your family, you also need official documents that prove your family relationship, such as a marriage certificate or birth certificate.
- When you submit the moving-in notification, the notification of the address registered on your residence card (place of residence) is completed at the same time.
- Your resident record is created, and you can get a copy of the resident record (certificate of residence) (a document that proves you live there; there is a fee).
If your period of stay expires without your doing a procedure such as renewing your period of stay, and you lose your status of residence, your resident record is also deleted. Be careful about the expiration date of your period of stay.
What to bring, the steps at the counter, and what happens if you are late 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 to Bring, Steps, and When You Move). How to read your residence card and what to do if you lose it are covered in What Is a Japanese Residence Card? How to Read the New-Style Card and the Specified Residence Card, and Procedures for Renewal, Address Changes, and Loss.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2)
2. My Number and the My Number Card
- When your resident record is created, the city, ward, town or village sends you a notice of your My Number (Individual Number). My Number is a 12-digit number used for procedures related to social security, taxes, disaster response and more.
- My Number is needed when you receive a pension, child-raising allowances or medical services, when you send money abroad or receive money from abroad, when you open a bank account, and so on.
- You can apply for a My Number Card (a card with your photo) using the application form that comes with the notice. Your first application is free.
- For foreign nationals, the expiration date of the My Number Card is the same as the expiration date of the period of stay. Even if you renew your period of stay, the card’s expiration date is not extended automatically. You need to complete the extension procedure at your city, ward, town or village office.
How to apply for the card, how to extend its expiration date, and whom to contact if you lose it are explained in My Number and the My Number Card in Japan: What Foreign Residents Should Know (When It Is Used, Applying, Extending the Expiration Date, and If You Lose It).
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2)
3. National Health Insurance (For People Who Do Not Join a Company’s Health Insurance)
- People under 75 who are registered as residents and are not covered by their workplace’s health insurance join National Health Insurance.
- People whose period of stay is 3 months or less, people with the status of residence “Temporary Visitor,” and others may not join National Health Insurance.
- You complete the procedures to join and to leave at the office of the city, ward, town or village where you live.
- When you move to another city, ward, town or village, or when you join your workplace’s health insurance, you need to complete the procedure to leave National Health Insurance.
How the medical insurance system works, the money you pay at the hospital (your share of the cost), and the systems for when medical costs become high are summarized in When You Are Sick or Injured in Japan: The Basics of Hospitals, Ambulances, Medicine, Medical Insurance and Where to Get Advice.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 6)
4. National Pension (Aged 20 or Older and Under 60)
In principle, everyone aged 20 or older and under 60 who lives in Japan joins the public pension system.
| Who joins | Type | Who does the procedure |
|---|---|---|
| People who work at a company or other employer and are covered by Employees’ Pension Insurance | National Pension Category II insured person | The company |
| Spouses who are dependents of a Category II insured person | National Pension Category III insured person | Through the spouse’s company |
| People who do not fall under either of the above (self-employed people, students, etc.) | National Pension Category I insured person | The person themselves, at the city, ward, town or village office |
- Category I insured persons pay the premiums themselves. You can pay with a payment slip (paid at a bank counter, a convenience store, etc.), by bank account transfer, or by credit card.
- If it is hard to pay the premiums because your income has gone down or you have lost your job, there are systems for exemption from or postponement of premiums. Talk to your city, ward, town or village office or a pension office.
- If you leave the premiums unpaid, the pension you receive in the future may become smaller, and you may not be able to receive the Disability Basic Pension if you become disabled.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 7)
5. Resident Tax (From the Next Year)
- Resident tax is a tax paid to the prefecture and the city, ward, town or village where your address is on January 1.
- It has an “income-based portion” calculated from your salary and other income in the previous year (January 1 to December 31), and a “per-capita portion,” a fixed amount that does not depend on your income.
- There are 2 ways to pay.
| Way to pay | How it works |
|---|---|
| Special collection | Your company deducts resident tax from your salary and pays it to the city, ward, town or village. In principle, this applies to people who work at companies or factories |
| Ordinary collection | You pay it yourself by the method written on the document sent by the city, ward, town or village |
- When you quit your company, you will pay any resident tax that has not yet been paid yourself. You can also ask your company to deduct it from your last salary or your retirement allowance.
- Even if you leave Japan on or after January 2, you still need to pay the resident tax for that year.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 8)
6. Procedures Only for People Who Need Them
- Seal registration: A procedure to register your personal seal (hanko, inkan) with the city, ward, town or village. It may be needed for important occasions, such as signing a contract to buy or sell real estate. Bring the seal registration application form, your seal, and an identity document (such as your residence card) to the city, ward, town or village where you live.
- Marriage: When you get married in Japan, you submit a notification of marriage to the city, ward, town or village. Foreign nationals need documents such as a certificate of legal capacity to marry, obtained from their country’s embassy or consulate. For details, check the website of the city, ward, town or village where you will submit the notification.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2)
7. When You Move or Leave Japan
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You move to another city, ward, town or village | Before moving, submit a moving-out notification at your current city, ward, town or village → Within 14 days after moving, submit a moving-in notification at your new city, ward, town or village |
| You move within the same city, ward, town or village | Within 14 days after moving, submit a change-of-address notification |
| You leave Japan and move abroad | Before moving, submit a moving-out notification at the city, ward, town or village where you live |
- The procedures for electricity, gas, water and mail when you move are summarized in Checklist for Moving Within Japan: Moving-out and Moving-in Notifications, Residence Card, Electricity, Gas and Water, and Mail Forwarding.
- If you cannot pay your resident tax before leaving Japan, choose someone living in Japan to handle the tax procedures for you (a tax agent, 納税管理人), and notify the city, ward, town or village.
- People of foreign nationality who have 6 months or more of periods such as time covered by Employees’ Pension Insurance or time for which they paid National Pension premiums can claim a Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment after leaving Japan if they meet the conditions. You must claim it within 2 years from the day you no longer have an address in Japan. If you receive it, your past periods of coverage in Japan’s pension system are lost. For details, check the Japan Pension Service’s page.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapters 2, 7 and 8, Japan Pension Service “Lump-sum Withdrawal Payments”)
When You Have Trouble: Common Questions
Where Is the Counter at the City Office?
The names of the counters (such as the Citizens Division or Residents Division) and the reception hours differ depending on the city, ward, town or village. Before you go, search the website of your city, ward, town or village with words such as “転入届 外国人”, “国民健康保険 加入” or “国民年金 加入”.
What If I Do Not Understand Japanese?
Some cities, wards, towns and villages offer interpreters or information in multiple languages. You may also be able to get advice at the international association in your area. Questions about the resident record system are answered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ call center (multilingual interpretation service). When asked by city, ward, town or village staff, it also interprets at the counter. Its phone numbers and hours are given in Moving-in Notification and Resident Record: Go to Your City Office Within 14 Days After Your Address in Japan Is Decided (What to Bring, Steps, and When You Move).
(Sources: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “Basic Resident Register System for Foreign Residents”, Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working”)
Where Can I Get Advice About Residence Procedures?
Procedures for your residence card and status of residence are handled not by the city, ward, town or village but by the Immigration Services Agency. You can get advice by phone at the Immigration Information Center for foreign residents (外国人在留総合インフォメーションセンター).
- Phone number: 0570-013904 (from IP phones and from abroad: 03-5796-7112)
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 1)
Primary Sources Used for This Article
- Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” (Chapter 1 Immigration and Residence Procedures, Chapter 2 Procedures at Municipal Offices, Chapter 6 Medical Care, Chapter 7 Pensions and Welfare, Chapter 8 Taxes)
- Japan Pension Service “Lump-sum Withdrawal Payments”
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “Basic Resident Register System for Foreign Residents”
This article is a translation of the original Japanese version.
