How to Register Your Address in Japan: 14-Day Rule, City Hall, Residence Card & My Number

The correct municipal procedure depends on how your residence changed. Do not use one generic 'address change' form for every situation.

For foreign residents, the municipal resident-registration procedure also serves as the residence-location notification required under immigration law when the residence card is presented as required.

• First address after entering Japan as a mid- to long-term resident
• Moving from one municipality to another
• Moving to another address within the same municipality
• Becoming a mid- to long-term resident after a status-related permission

For a newly arrived mid- to long-term resident, the Immigration Services Agency states that the place of residence must be reported within 14 days after the residence is established.

The important date is when you actually establish the place as your residence, not merely the date you signed a lease, paid a deposit or reserved temporary accommodation.

Take your residence card to the municipal office. If your passport states that the residence card will be issued later, follow the current official instructions for presenting that passport instead.

• Use the municipality responsible for the actual address
• Count from the date the place becomes your residence
• Bring the residence card or the permitted alternative document
• Use truthful dates and complete address information

A move between municipalities normally involves a moving-out notification at the old municipality and a moving-in notification at the new municipality. Completing only one side can delay resident registration and related services.

MyNa Portal allows eligible users to submit a moving-out notification online and notify the destination municipality of the planned visit. The Digital Agency states that this service is available nationwide, but the new municipality still requires the moving-in procedure after you move.

Bring the documents required by the destination municipality, including transfer information or a moving-out certificate where applicable.

• Submit the moving-out notification
• Move to the new residence
• Complete the moving-in notification within the applicable deadline
• Bring your residence card and My Number-related card if applicable
• Confirm whether transfer information is electronic or paper

If the old and new addresses are within the same municipality, you normally use the municipality's moving-within or change-of-address procedure rather than a standard inter-municipality move.

Government-designated cities can have special instructions for moves between wards, so check the city's official page instead of assuming the same process everywhere.

• Confirm that both addresses are in the same municipality
• Check whether a ward-to-ward move has special local rules
• Bring your residence card
• Bring your My Number-related card if you have one

Document requirements vary by municipality and household situation. Check the official municipal page before visiting, especially if you are joining an existing household or registering family members together.

The residence card is central for mid- to long-term residents. A My Number Card or Specific Residence Card should also be brought when relevant so the municipality can process the connected address information.

• Residence card
• Passport when requested or when the residence card will be issued later
• Moving-out certificate or electronic transfer information when required
• My Number Card or Specific Residence Card when applicable
• Complete new address including building and room number
• Family-relationship documents and Japanese translations when required
• Power of attorney and representative ID when the municipality permits representation

Resident registration records household information as well as the address. If you are moving in with a spouse, relative, partner or roommate, the municipality may ask whether you are joining the same household or creating a separate household at the same address.

Do not guess the household relationship. Explain the real living arrangement and provide relationship documents when requested.

• Head of household
• Relationship to the head of household
• Family members moving together
• Whether residents at the same address form one or separate households

Japan introduced the Specific Residence Card system on June 14, 2026. This optional card can combine residence-card and My Number Card functions in one physical card for eligible mid- to long-term residents recorded in the Basic Resident Register.

The Immigration Services Agency states that residence-location notifications continue to be handled at municipal offices even after the integration reform. The card you hold therefore affects what must be updated, but it does not remove the obligation to complete the municipal residence procedure.

If you hold a standard residence card plus a separate My Number Card, bring both when instructed. If you hold a Specific Residence Card, tell the counter staff so the integrated functions are processed correctly.

• Specific Residence Card operation began June 14, 2026
• It can perform residence-card and My Number Card functions in one card
• Residence notifications still go through the municipality
• Follow current instructions for the exact card type you hold

After the notification is accepted, confirm that the registered address and card information reflect the correct residence. The exact visible layout differs between older and newer card formats, so focus on the accuracy of the recorded information rather than assuming one card design.

Pay attention to building names, room numbers and Japanese address order. Small omissions can cause problems with official mail and later applications.

• Prefecture and municipality
• Street or block information
• Building name
• Room number
• Move-in date used for the notification
• Household details

A standard My Number Card must be updated when the address changes. The official My Number Card site states that changed card information such as the address must be updated at the municipal office within 14 days.

For inter-municipality moves, digital certificates can also be affected. Ask the municipality what must be reissued or updated before relying on online government services.

If you have a Specific Residence Card, the combined-card system changes the workflow, so use the municipality's current instructions rather than an older My Number-only checklist.

• Bring the physical card
• Confirm the address update
• Check electronic certificate status
• Confirm PIN-related procedures before leaving

Changing the resident record can trigger or support other procedures, but it does not automatically complete every service. Ask the municipality which additional counters or forms apply to your household.

This is particularly important when changing municipalities because health insurance, benefits and local programs can require closure at the old municipality and enrollment or re-registration at the new one.

• National Health Insurance
• National Pension
• Resident tax records
• Child allowance and childcare services
• School procedures
• Welfare or medical support
• Seal registration
• Garbage and local collection rules

The municipal address notification does not automatically update banks, employers, schools, utilities, mobile carriers, insurers or online shopping accounts.

Use the official registered address consistently. For postal delivery, banking and identity checks, differences in building name or room number can create avoidable problems.

• Employer or school
• Bank and credit-card companies
• Mobile phone and home internet
• Electricity, gas and water
• Insurance
• Japan Post forwarding
• Driver's licence and vehicle records when applicable

If the 14-day period has already passed, go to the municipal office as soon as possible with the real dates and documents. Do not invent an earlier move-in date.

Temporary accommodation can be fact-specific. A hotel, hostel, friend's home or short-term room should not be treated as automatically eligible or ineligible without checking where you actually established your residence.

When the case is unusual, explain the timeline to the municipality and, if necessary, use the Immigration Services Agency's consultation channels.

• Use the real date you established residence
• Bring evidence of the housing timeline when useful
• Do not register a future address before living there
• Ask the municipality when your case does not fit the standard examples