Resident Registration in Tokyo: The 14-Day Ward Office Visit
If you arrived in Japan on a mid- to long-term status and were handed a residence card at the airport, one errand comes before everything else.
Within 14 days of settling into an address, you register it at the local city or ward office.
That single visit is what turns you from “a person with a visa” into a registered resident. Bank accounts, phone contracts, health insurance and your My Number all flow from it.
In Tokyo, your address is not a detail. It is the key that opens almost every other door.
Who this applies to (and who it does not)
The rule covers mid- to long-term residents: people with a status of residence who have been granted more than three months and received a residence card.
Short-term visitors are not included. Neither are people granted three months or less.
This matters for nomads. Japan’s digital nomad status (a type of “Designated Activities”) is granted for six months, but the Immigration Services Agency states that a residence card is not issued for it.
Without a residence card, you are generally outside resident registration. That is one reason renting and banking are harder on that status. Our Japan digital nomad visa guide covers the trade-offs in detail.
If you are on a work, business manager, spouse or similar status, read on. This is your errand.
The 14-day rule, in plain terms
According to JETRO’s summary of the rules, newly arriving residents notify their place of residence at the municipal office where they live, within 14 days of establishing a residence.
The same 14 days applies every time you move afterwards.
Moving between two Tokyo wards? You file a moving-out notice at the old ward, then a moving-in notice at the new one. Moving within the same ward is a single change-of-address notice.
Missing the deadline can lead to penalties, and it also delays everything that depends on registration. So it is worth treating day one in your apartment as day one of the clock.
What to bring
For people moving in from overseas, Shinjuku City’s English guide lists the basics: your residence card and passport, as originals.
If you are registering with family members, documents showing your relationship to the head of household may be needed. Foreign-language documents usually need a Japanese translation that names the translator.
A few practical extras that tend to save a second trip:
- Your exact address written in Japanese, including building name and room number
- Your lease or a note from your landlord, in case the address is questioned
- A Japanese phone number if you have one, for forms that ask for it
- A pen, and some patience
Requirements differ slightly by ward. A quick look at your own ward’s foreign resident page before you go is time well spent.
What actually happens at the counter
Most Tokyo ward offices run on numbered tickets. You take one at the resident registration section, fill in the moving-in form, and wait to be called.
Once registered, your address is printed on the back of your residence card. Keep the card on you. Mid- to long-term residents are required to carry it.
From there, a few things usually happen in the same building, sometimes at the next window.
My Number. Every registered resident is assigned a 12-digit Individual Number. A notification is mailed to your registered address by simple registered mail without forwarding, so make sure your name is on the mailbox.
That notice cannot be used as proof of your number on its own. Many people then apply for the My Number Card, which works as photo ID.
National Health Insurance. If you are not covered by an employer’s health insurance, registered residents are generally required to join NHI. Nerima City’s guide puts it plainly: joining is not optional, and late enrollment still means premiums are owed back to when you should have joined.
With NHI, most adults pay 30 percent of medical bills at the counter. For finding a clinic once you are covered, see our healthcare and pharmacies guide.
National Pension. Residents aged 20 to 59 who are not in an employer plan are generally expected to enroll in the National Pension. Ask at the counter; staff will usually point you to the right window.
The errands that unlock next
Registration is the first domino. Once your address is on your card, a lot gets easier.
Opening a Japanese bank account typically requires a registered address. So do most long-term phone contracts. Our banking and money guide explains which banks to try first.
A useful habit: ask for one or two copies of your certificate of residence (juminhyo) while you are there. Landlords, banks and employers sometimes ask for it, and you will already be in the right building.
One morning at the ward office saves a month of “we need proof of address” emails.
When you leave or move
Moving out of a ward is filed before you move, not after. Shinjuku City lists the residence card, health insurance certificate and My Number Card among the items to bring, and also allows notice by mail or through Mynaportal.
Leaving Japan has its own loose ends, such as resident tax. Our leaving Tokyo checklist walks through them.
FAQ
Can someone else register for me? Shinjuku City says address notifications can be made in person or through someone acting on your behalf. A proxy usually needs a letter of authorization. Check your ward’s page for the exact form.
Are ward offices open on weekends? Mostly weekdays, roughly 8:30 to 5:00. Some wards run extended hours on certain evenings or Sundays, but moving-in from overseas is not always handled in those slots. Confirm before you go.
I’m on the digital nomad visa. Do I need to do this? The Immigration Services Agency states that no residence card is issued for that status, so the standard residence registration process generally does not apply. If you are unsure, ask the immigration bureau or your ward office directly.
Rules and procedures change. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Always check the Immigration Services Agency and your own ward office for current requirements.