When you arrive in Japan and have a fixed address or are residing in a service apartment where their address can be recorded as yours, the first thing you should do is go to the municipal office and register your address. This article will explain how to register your address in Japan and how to change it while you're there.

Registering Your Address in Japan

Address registration can be done while living in a service apartment that allows you to do so, or when you acquire a permanent residence in Japan. Within 14 days of moving to your permanent location, you must register your address with the local municipal office.

To register your address you will need to bring Your Passport and Residence Card to the municipal office and fill out a Form (similar to the one pictured below).

You will need to provide a translated Marriage/Birth Certificate if you would like to register your family members as well. For the translation, no apostille is required (you can ask your friend or colleague for help as well).

Once you register your address, they will issue your "My Number (individual number)".

When You Cannot Go to the Municipal Office

Your attorney will be able to record your address on your behalf at most municipal offices. Your passport, residency card, and letter of proxy (- Ininjo) will be required to be brought by your attorney. Also required is the attorney's identification. The letter of proxy has its own format in each municipal agency.

 

 

How the Residence Card Looks Like

Once your have completed the registration process, your new address will be printed on the backside of your residence card.

If you would like to know more about Japanese residence card, please read Japan’s Residency Management System for Foreign Nationals.

Changing Your Address in Japan

If you change your residence while living in Japan, you must notify your former municipal office and your new municipal office within 14 days of your move. You might also request that your attorney handle the processes on your behalf. Your attorney will need to present your Residence Card, the Letter of Proxy (委任状 - Ininjo), and the attorney's ID, to register your new residence on your behalf.

> Japanese Addresses: How to Read, Write, Say & Understand Them

Changing your address when moving to another city

The first step in changing your address after moving to another city is to go to the municipal office where your prior address was registered and inform them that you have relocated out of the city. After that, you'll need to get a Certificate of Change of Address.

To obtain this certificate, you must submit a Moving Out Notificationat (転出届 Tenshutsu-todoke) to the municipal office where your previous address was registered. You will not be able to register your residence at the new municipal office unless you have the certificate.

After receiving a Certificate of Change of Address from the previous municipal office, you can go to the new municipal office and submit the form for Moving-In. Please bring your Residence Card and My Number Notification Letter. Once finished, your new address will be printed on your Residence Card and My Number Notification.

The procedure may change depending on the area you move to, but usually follows the pattern below.

Step 1: Going to your previous municipal office

1. Bring Your Residence Card
2. Submit "Moving Out Notification"
3. Aquire a "Certificate of Change of Address"

Step 2: Going to your new municipal office

1. Bring Your Residence Card, My Number Notification, and Certificate of Change of Address
2. Submit your "Certificate of Change of Address"
3. Submit form for Moving-In
4. Your new address will be printed on your Residence Card and My Number Notification

Changing your address when moving within the same city

When changing your address, after moving within the same city, you will need to go to the municipal office (same as your previous address) and declare that your address has changed. As you are moving within the same city, you will not need a Certificate of Change of Address. To change your address you will simply have to go to the municipal office and declare that your address has changed within the same city. Your new address will be printed on your Residence Card and My Number Notification.

Moving within the same city

1. Bring Your Residence Card and My Number Notification
2. Inform them that your address has changed
3. Your new address will be printed on your residence card and My Number Notification.