How to Authorize Someone to Handle City Hall Procedures in Japan

2026年10月21日

How to Authorize Someone to Handle City Hall Procedures in Japan

Yes, someone else can handle certain city or ward office procedures for you in Japan. For an eligible procedure, prepare a 委任状 (ininjō)—a written letter of authorization—and have your representative bring their own identification and the documents required for that specific task.

The important first step is to check whether the procedure allows a representative. A signed letter does not make every service available by proxy, and permission to submit an application does not always include permission to collect the resulting document.

This guide is for foreign residents who need a partner, relative, friend, or other trusted person to visit the office while they are working, away, or unable to attend.

Confirm the exact procedure and its proxy rules before signing.
Use the receiving municipality’s form and completion instructions.
Check whose original identification and supporting documents are needed.
Ask whether the representative can finish everything in one visit.

Official sources checked on October 8, 2026. Requirements below are municipal examples, not a single nationwide document checklist.

TOC

First, check what your representative can actually do

Ask the department handling your task whether it accepts a proxy, and what authority the letter must give.

Search the municipality’s website using the procedure name together with 委任状 (ininjō, authorization letter) or 代理人 (dairinin, representative). Finding a general authorization form is only the beginning: read the procedure page as well.

For example, Yokohama allows a proxy to submit moving notifications with a letter of proxy. Its English guidance also lists the applicant, deadline, counter, and supporting documents for each type of move. Those details matter because the letter alone is not a complete application. See Yokohama’s moving procedures.

Before arranging the visit, ask:

Can this person submit this particular notification or application for me?
Do they need a letter if they belong to my registered household?
Does the authorization cover collection as well as submission?
Are there separate requirements for any related procedure?

A useful question is:

この手続きは代理人でもできますか。必要な委任状と持ち物を教えてください。
Kono tetsuzuki wa dairinin demo dekimasu ka. Hitsuyō na ininjō to mochimono o oshiete kudasai.
“Can a representative do this procedure? Please tell me which authorization letter and documents are required.”

Have the procedure name ready. “City hall paperwork” is too broad for staff to give you a reliable checklist.

A relative and a household member are not always the same thing

Check whether the office’s exception refers to family relationship or to membership of the same registered household.

For example, Kita Ward says no authorization letter is needed for certain National Health Insurance procedures handled by someone in the same household, but a person from a different household needs one. This is a local, procedure-specific exception; do not extend it to every task or every relative. See Kita Ward’s proxy requirements.

Fill out the letter for one clearly defined task

A useful authorization letter identifies both people and states exactly what the representative may do.

These labels help you recognize the relevant fields:

委任者 (ininsha): the person giving authorization—you.
代理人 (dairinin): the person attending on your behalf.
委任事項 (inin jikō): the task or authority being delegated.
自署 (jisho): writing your own name by hand.
本人確認書類 (honnin kakunin shorui): identity documents.

Depending on the form, you may need your name, address, date of birth, telephone number, the representative’s details, and the date the letter was made. Complete the fields required by that office rather than copying a checklist from another city.

Use a specific procedure name

Write the actual task, such as 転居届 (tenkyo todoke, notification of an address change within the municipality), rather than a broad phrase such as “all administrative matters.”

Shibuya’s notification and application form requires the principal’s handwritten name and rejects letters with the representative or delegated task left blank. Birth dates and a daytime telephone number are marked optional, although the ward asks applicants to include them to help with verification. See Shibuya’s authorization form.

As a practical precaution, agree on the completed wording before signing. Keep a copy for your own records so you know exactly what you authorized.

Follow the handwriting and signature instructions

Do not assume every form accepts typed information, a signature alone, or a seal in place of a signature.

Shinjuku’s general form page permits a signature, or a written name with a seal or a copy of the principal’s identification. However, its seal-registration authorization form specifically instructs the principal to complete the letter in non-erasable ballpoint pen. Read both the general download page and the instructions on the form you will actually submit.

If you cannot write the document yourself, contact the department before someone else completes or signs it. Shinjuku’s seal-registration form expressly asks applicants with special difficulties writing to consult in advance.

Pack identification and supporting documents separately

The authorization letter establishes permission; identification and supporting documents satisfy different requirements.

Prepare three groups of paperwork:

Authorization: the completed letter in the format accepted by the office.
Representative’s identification: the accepted, valid identity document of the person attending.
Procedure documents: the application, cards, evidence, or other items needed for your particular task.

For Shinjuku’s seal-registration proxy procedure, the form requires the original authorization letter and the representative’s original, valid identification. Copies, faxed letters, and emailed letters are not accepted for that form. See the seal-registration authorization instructions.

This makes timing important if you are overseas: confirm the original-document requirement before relying on a scan sent to your representative.

Moving notifications can require your residence card too

Your representative’s ID does not replace documents required for the residents whose records are being changed.

Kameyama’s bilingual moving-notification form requires the residence cards of all moving members, except for moving-out notifications. It also requires the representative’s official identification and says the principal must complete the authorization letter themselves. The form directs applicants to contact the responsible department separately about related National Health Insurance procedures. See Kameyama’s English and Japanese form.

For foreign residents, this distinction is especially useful: ask explicitly whether the office needs your original residence card, the representative’s original ID, or both. Do not send a substitute copy without checking.

Check deadlines, fees, and whether another visit is needed

Delegating the task does not remove its deadline or guarantee completion that day.

Yokohama’s guidance gives a 14-day notification period after moving in or changing address within the city. For a move from overseas, it also lists passports and, when registering a family of non-Japanese residents, documents proving family relationships with a translation identifying the translator. A proxy must still bring the applicable documents.

Plan the representative’s visit around the notification deadline, not just the date you signed the letter.

A letter can be too old—or needed more than once

Kita Ward’s guidance, updated September 24, 2026, requires authorization letters made within three months. It also generally keeps the letter and asks for one per procedure. These are Kita Ward conditions, not a nationwide validity period.

If your representative will visit several departments, ask each one whether it needs a separate original. Do not assume the first counter will return the letter for reuse.

Ask about the actual service charge

The practical cost question is the fee for the procedure or document you need. Ask the receiving department for the amount, payment methods, and whether any delivery charge applies.

If you are considering a paid representative, confirm their service charge separately. An office’s administrative fee does not tell you what an outside service will charge.

Also ask whether the result will be handed to the representative, sent to you, or require a later visit. Submission and collection can have different rules.

Some procedures need more than an ordinary authorization letter

A routine proxy letter is not enough for every identity-sensitive service.

My Number Card collection is an important example. Shinjuku allows collection by a representative in specified circumstances, including illness, disability, hospitalization, institutional residence, and other unavoidable reasons. Its guidance includes certain work circumstances such as a long business trip. Eligibility and the additional evidence must be checked before the visit. See Shinjuku’s My Number Card collection guidance.

If your only reason is that ordinary office hours are inconvenient, ask about available appointments or alternative opening hours before preparing a proxy application. Do not assume that having a signed letter settles eligibility.

Likewise, when a move involves several tasks, ask about each one separately:

Address registration.
Any card-related procedure.
National Health Insurance changes.
Any additional application or document collection.

One accepted notification does not prove that all related work has been completed.

Avoid the mistakes that cause a second trip

Most preparation problems can be caught by checking the completed packet against the receiving office’s instructions.

Using another municipality’s form without checking: download the receiving office’s current form where available.
Leaving the proxy or task blank: complete the authorization before signing.
Having the representative write everything: check whether the principal must complete the whole form personally.
Bringing only the principal’s ID: the person attending may also need their own original identification.
Taking a scan when an original is required: check this before the appointment or overseas mailing.
Assuming family relationship creates an exemption: confirm the rule for that procedure and registered household.
Expecting every related task to finish at one counter: ask each responsible department about its documents and collection rules.

If staff cannot accept the application, ask them to identify the missing requirement: the wording, signature, original letter, identification, supporting evidence, or proxy eligibility. Request the relevant form or procedure page so you can correct the actual problem.

For language help, ask whether the municipality offers an interpreter or foreign-resident consultation service. Someone accompanying you to interpret and someone submitting paperwork in your absence perform different roles; explain which help you need.

Before your representative leaves home

The final check should establish that the person, paperwork, and task all match the office’s requirements.

Confirm these five points with the responsible counter:

The representative is eligible to handle the named procedure.
The letter follows the current completion and signature instructions.
Both people’s required documents are included.
The visit is within the applicable deadline and the correct counter is open.
You know who receives the result and what remains to be done afterward.

The most useful last question is: “With these documents, can my representative complete the whole procedure, or only submit the application?” The answer tells you whether to arrange one visit, a later collection, or a separate step involving you.

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