What to Do When You Move in Japan: City Hall, My Number & Address Checklist

The city hall procedure depends on whether your new home is inside the same municipality or in a different municipality. The distance between the two homes is not the deciding factor.

A move to another city, ward, town or village generally requires a moving-out notification at the old municipality and a moving-in notification at the new municipality. A move within the same municipality normally uses a change-of-address or moving-within notification. Procedures involving wards inside a designated city can vary, so check the destination ward's official instructions.

• Different municipality: moving-out notification first, then moving-in notification at the destination.
• Same municipality: file the municipality's moving-within or change-of-address notification.
• Moving abroad: use the separate overseas moving-out process; this domestic checklist is not sufficient.
• Do not assume that updating a lease, bank account or postal address updates your resident record.

Japan's Moving Procedures Online Service allows eligible My Number Card users moving within Japan to submit a moving-out notification online through Mynaportal and send the destination municipality advance notice of the planned visit. In normal cases this removes the need to visit the old municipality just to submit the moving-out notification.

The destination step is different: the moving-in or moving-within notification itself is still completed in person at the municipal office. Before going, check that the old municipality has finished processing the online moving-out submission. The service can also show related procedures and items to bring.

• An eligible My Number Card or supported electronic certificate is required for the online service.
• Online moving-out does not make the destination office visit disappear.
• Do not try to file the moving-in notification before you actually begin living at the new address.
• If the online submission has an error or related procedures require it, the municipality may still ask you to visit.

Once you actually start living at the new address, make the municipal address notification promptly. A moving-in notification after crossing a municipal boundary must be filed within 14 days of the move-in date. The same 14-day window is the practical rule to remember for the relevant address-change procedure after a domestic move.

Bring the documents required by your municipality. Common items include identification, residence cards for foreign residents, My Number Cards for people whose card information must be updated, and any documents or information the municipality specifies for your household. Requirements can differ depending on family composition and related benefits.

• Do not use the lease start date automatically if it differs from the date you actually began living there.
• Check office hours and whether your municipality offers appointments or extended service days.
• If you miss the deadline, contact the municipality rather than guessing how to correct it.
• Complete related procedures during the same visit when possible.

Mid- to long-term foreign residents who change their place of residence must notify the new address within 14 days after moving. The normal route is the municipal office, so bring the residence card for each person who needs the address updated.

The municipal residence-address procedure is separate from changes involving your employer, school, status of residence or period of stay. A simple move does not automatically update every record held by immigration, an employer or another organization.

• Carry the residence card rather than packing it in moving boxes.
• Check the municipality's requirements if a household member cannot attend in person.
• If your residence status, employer or school is also changing, check whether a separate immigration notification is required.
• Keep the updated address consistent across official and private records.

If the address printed or recorded on your My Number Card changes, complete the card update at the municipality within 14 days. A change of address also affects the signing electronic certificate because that certificate contains address information, so ask about reissuing or updating it if you use electronic signatures for services such as online government applications.

Health insurance and pension handling depends on your situation. National Health Insurance procedures may be needed when you leave one municipality and join another. Pension address filing is generally unnecessary when your My Number and Basic Pension Number are properly linked, but people whose records are not linked may need a separate notification. Employees should also tell their employer about the move.

• Bring your My Number Card and the PINs required for municipal procedures.
• Check whether National Health Insurance enrollment or withdrawal is needed for your household.
• Confirm pension-record linkage if you are unsure whether a separate address notification is required.
• Update your employer or HR system even when government records update separately.

City hall does not redirect your mail. Japan Post's relocation service can forward eligible mail sent to the old address to the new address for one year from the date the relocation notification is submitted. Japan Post says registration normally takes three to seven business days, so submit it early.

Forwarding is a safety net, not a substitute for changing your address with organizations that need accurate records. Update banks, credit cards, mobile carriers, insurers, subscriptions, schools, employers and other important senders directly.

• Submit the Japan Post relocation notification before important mail is likely to arrive.
• Change addresses directly with banks, cards, insurers and other services that use identity checks.
• Review recurring deliveries and online-shopping address books.
• Keep the old nameplate or mailbox situation in mind if another person remains at the old address.

Electricity, gas, water and internet are not automatically transferred by a city hall address change. Contact each provider, confirm the stop date at the old home and the start date at the new home, and keep confirmation numbers or emails until the move is complete.

Gas service can require an appointment depending on the provider and property. Internet installation can also have a waiting period, especially during busy moving seasons. If a provider asks for a customer number, meter number or previous bill, have that information ready.

• Electricity: confirm old-home stop and new-home start dates.
• Gas: check whether opening service requires an in-person appointment.
• Water: follow the local water bureau or provider's start/stop procedure.
• Internet: book installation early if the new property needs work.
• After moving, confirm that final bills from the old address were actually paid.

A household with a car, children, public benefits or specialized registrations usually has more work than the basic resident-record update. For a registered vehicle, an address change is a separate registration procedure and should not be assumed to follow automatically from the resident record.

Families should ask the municipality about child allowance, school or nursery procedures, medical subsidy certificates and any local programs. The exact steps vary by municipality, so use the destination municipality's official checklist rather than a generic nationwide assumption.

• Registered vehicle: check the required address-change registration and documents promptly; national vehicle-registration guidance uses a 15-day deadline after the change.
• Driver's licence: update the address through the relevant police or licence procedure.
• Children: confirm school, nursery, allowance and medical-subsidy procedures.
• Local benefits: ask whether certificates or eligibility records need to be reissued.