How to Register Your Address in Japan: Residence Card and City Hall Procedures

If you are a mid- to long-term foreign resident in Japan, you normally need to register your address at your local city, ward, town, or village office within 14 days after you decide where you will live. This is the procedure that puts your address on your Residence Card and creates your Resident Record, often called a juminhyo.

This matters soon after arrival, after moving apartments, and when changing municipalities. It is not just paperwork: banks, schools, employers, health insurance desks, phone companies, and immigration procedures may all depend on the address recorded by your municipality.

Quick answer

• Tourists and most short-term visitors do not register an address.
• Mid- to long-term residents should go to the municipal office for the area where they actually live.
• Bring your Residence Card if you already have it; bring your passport if the card will be issued later.
• Moving within Japan may require both an old-city and new-city procedure.
• From June 14, 2026, Japan is scheduled to introduce new Residence Card formats and an optional card linked with My Number functions, but city hall address procedures still matter.

Who Needs to Register an Address in Japan?

Address registration is mainly for foreign residents who are legally staying in Japan for more than three months and are covered by Japan’s resident registration system. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications explains that foreign residents listed in the Basic Resident Registration system include mid- to long-term residents, while tourists and people with Temporary Visitor status are generally outside this system.

In everyday terms, this guide is for people such as:

• students starting school in Japan
• workers arriving with a work status of residence
• dependents joining family in Japan
• long-term residents changing apartments
• people who changed from a short-term status to a mid- or long-term status

It is not aimed at tourists staying in hotels or short-term visitors who do not receive a Residence Card.

What Address Registration Does

Address registration connects three things: your municipality, your Residence Card, and your Resident Record.

The Immigration Services Agency describes the Residence Card as the card issued to mid- to long-term residents as proof of status-related permission. It includes key information such as name, nationality or region, status of residence, period of stay, work permission, and address.

Once your municipality accepts your address notification, the office usually records the address and updates the back of your Residence Card. A Resident Record is also created. A copy of that record can officially prove your address.

You may need a Resident Record when you:

• open or update a bank account
• sign certain housing or phone contracts
• enroll in National Health Insurance
• deal with school, childcare, tax, or pension procedures
• prove the members of your household

Some municipalities charge for printed certificates. Chuo City in Tokyo, for example, lists a fee of 300 yen per copy for a resident record. Other cities may use different fees, so check your local office before assuming the amount.

ここがポイント: The Residence Card is issued through immigration procedures, but your address is handled by the municipality where you live. For address changes, city hall or ward office is usually the first place to check.

The 14-Day Rule

The practical deadline is simple: after you establish your address or move into a new address, file the address notification within 14 days.

Chuo City states that foreign nationals residing in Japan for the medium to long term must register when establishing their first residence or changing address, and must present their Residence Card or special permanent resident certificate. University and municipal guidance commonly gives the same 14-day rule for moving-in procedures.

There is also a more serious immigration risk if no residential address is reported for a long time. The Immigration Services Agency has published guidance on cases where status of residence is not revoked, including cases involving failure to notify a residential address within 90 days when there are justifiable grounds. The important practical point is clear: do not leave address registration unresolved.

If you miss the 14-day period, go to the municipal office as soon as possible and explain the situation. Do not wait because you feel embarrassed or because your documents are not perfect.

Where to Go

Go to the municipal office for the place where you live. Depending on the area, this may be called:

• city hall
• ward office
• town office
• village office
• branch office or resident affairs office

In Tokyo’s 23 wards, you usually deal with the ward office. In other areas, it may be a city hall or town office. Large municipalities may allow some procedures at branch offices, but not every branch handles every resident procedure.

Before going, search your municipality’s official website for words such as:

• moving-in notification
• resident registration
• Residence Card
• foreign residents
• tennyu todoke (moving-in notification)
• jumin ido todoke (resident change notification)

What to Bring

Requirements vary slightly by municipality, but the core documents are usually straightforward.

For your first address registration after arriving in Japan, bring:

• Residence Card, if issued at the airport
• passport, especially if your Residence Card was not issued at the airport
• your address in Japan, written clearly
• completed municipal form, if available online or at the counter

If you are moving from another municipality in Japan, you may also need:

• moving-out certificate from the old municipality, unless the procedure was handled through an eligible My Number Card process
• My Number Card, if you have one
• National Health Insurance card, if enrolled
• documents for children, pension, or other local services, if relevant

If a family registers together, the office may ask for documents proving the family relationship, such as a marriage certificate or birth certificate, sometimes with a Japanese translation. This is especially important when household members have different family names or different nationalities.

Step-by-Step: First Address Registration After Arrival

The first registration is usually the most important because it starts several other Japan procedures.

1. Decide Your Actual Address

You need an address where you actually live. A hotel, temporary stay, school dormitory, company housing, share house, or apartment may be handled differently depending on the municipality and your situation.

If you are in temporary accommodation and will soon move again, ask the municipal office or your school/employer support desk what to do. Do not assume that every short stay counts as a settled address.

2. Visit the Municipal Office Within 14 Days

Go to the office for your address. At the counter, ask for resident registration or moving-in notification.

Useful Japanese phrases:

• Tennyu todoke o shitai desu. I want to file a moving-in notification.
• Zairyu card no jusho toroku o shitai desu. I want to register the address on my Residence Card.
• Juminhyo ga hitsuyo desu. I need a Resident Record certificate.

3. Submit the Form and Show Your ID

The staff will check your Residence Card or passport and the form. If your Residence Card was issued at the airport, your address is usually written or printed on the back during the process.

If your Residence Card was not issued at the airport, your passport may show that the card will be issued later. Some university guidance explains that the card is then sent after the address is registered; timing can vary, so ask the counter how delivery works in your case.

4. Ask About Related Procedures Before Leaving

Address registration often sits next to other procedures. If they apply to you, ask about:

• National Health Insurance
• National Pension
• My Number notification or My Number Card
• child allowance or school enrollment
• seal registration, if needed for contracts
• getting a copy of your Resident Record

You do not always need every procedure on the same day, but doing them together can save a second trip.

Moving Within Japan: Same City vs Different Municipality

Moving after your first apartment is where many people make mistakes. The procedure changes depending on whether you stay in the same municipality.

Situation	Main procedure	Where to go	Timing
Moving within the same city or ward	Change of address notification	Your current municipality	Usually within 14 days after moving
Moving to another city, ward, town, or village	Moving-out notification, then moving-in notification	Old municipality, then new municipality	Moving-out before or around the move; moving-in within 14 days after moving
Moving out of Japan for a long period	Moving-out notification	Your current municipality	Check local timing before departure

The University of Tokyo’s international student guidance notes that moving-out notification can often be done by visiting the office, by mail, or online, while moving-in notification requires an in-person procedure at the city or ward office. That is a useful rule of thumb, but each municipality can set its own forms and handling.

If you have a My Number Card, some moving-out steps may be available online through MyNa Portal. Even then, you normally still need to complete the moving-in procedure at the new municipal office.

What Happens to My Number?

After resident registration, foreign residents registered as residents receive an Individual Number, commonly called My Number. It is used for tax, social security, and disaster-related administrative procedures.

The My Number notice is usually mailed later, not handed to you instantly at the resident registration counter. Keep it carefully. You may need it for employment paperwork, tax forms, health insurance, bank procedures, and other official processes.

If you already have a My Number Card and move, bring it to the municipal office. The card’s address information may need to be updated, and missed updates can make later online procedures harder.

Current Update: New Residence Card System Scheduled for June 2026

As of April 20, 2026, the current address registration process still depends on municipal offices. However, there is one near-term change foreign residents should know about.

The Immigration Services Agency states that from June 14, 2026, Japan will introduce new-style Residence Cards and Special Permanent Resident Certificates. It also plans a Tokutei Zairyu Card system, a specific Residence Card with My Number Card functions added.

For address registration, the practical message is this:

• Before June 14, 2026, continue using the current Residence Card and municipal address procedure.
• On and after June 14, 2026, check whether your municipality or immigration office gives new instructions for cards with My Number functions.
• The new system does not mean you can ignore municipal address registration.
• If you prefer separate cards, official guidance should be checked before choosing the integrated option.

This is a developing administrative change, so foreign residents renewing status or moving around June 2026 should confirm the latest instructions with the Immigration Services Agency and their local municipality.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Address registration is not difficult, but small assumptions can create delays.

Avoid these mistakes:

• Waiting until you need a bank account. Register first, then use the Resident Record or updated Residence Card for later procedures.
• Going to the wrong office. Your office is based on where you live, not where your school, company, or real estate agent is located.
• Forgetting the old-city procedure when moving. If you move to another municipality, you may need a moving-out notification before the new city can fully process you.
• Assuming the post office update is enough. Mail forwarding helps mail reach you, but it does not update your municipal address record.
• Not updating My Number Card. If you have one, bring it when you move.
• Ignoring family documents. Families should check whether proof of relationship and translation are needed.

FAQ

Can I register my address at the airport?

No. Immigration may issue your Residence Card at the airport, but municipal address registration is handled by the city, ward, town, or village where you live.

What if my Residence Card was not issued at the airport?

Bring your passport to the municipal office. If your passport shows that the Residence Card will be issued later, the card is generally sent after your address registration is processed. Ask the municipal office or immigration guidance desk how long it should take in your case.

Do I need a Japanese speaker?

Not always, but it can help. Some offices have multilingual forms, translation tablets, or interpretation support. Smaller offices may have limited English support. Bring your address written in Japanese if possible.

Is address registration free?

Filing the address notification itself is usually not the main cost. Printed certificates, such as a copy of your Resident Record, often have a fee. The amount varies by municipality.

Can a proxy file for me?

Some procedures may allow a household member or proxy, but rules differ. Chuo City states that resident registration must be filed by the person or a family member who lives with them. If you cannot go yourself, check your municipality’s rules for authorization documents.

Practical Takeaway

For most new foreign residents, the first city hall visit should happen soon after housing is settled. Bring your Residence Card or passport, file the moving-in notification, and ask whether you should also handle health insurance, pension, My Number, or a Resident Record certificate while you are there.

The key date is the 14-day deadline. The key place is your local municipal office. The key habit is to treat every move as an address procedure, not only as a housing contract.

Before you go, check three things:

• the correct municipal office for your address
• the documents required by that municipality
• whether any 2026 Residence Card or My Number changes affect your timing

References

• Immigration Services Agency of Japan: What is a Residence Card?
• Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Basic Resident Registration System for Foreign Residents
• Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Resident Record
• Chuo City: Resident Record and Residence Card
• The University of Tokyo: Necessary Procedures When Moving In/Out
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan: Specific examples on revocation and residential address notification
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan: My Number Card information for foreign residents
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan: Tokutei Residence Card application information