The deadlines in one table

When you move in Japan, you have to report your new address to the city or ward office. Some deadlines are set by law, and some say only "promptly". Most of the legal ones are 14 days. The table shows the main ones.

How to use the calculator

Enter your moving date and tick the boxes that apply. The box for the residence card is ticked to begin with, because many readers of this page are foreign residents. Untick it if you are a Japanese citizen. If you move within the same city or ward, tick the first box. You then get a change-of-address notification instead of a moving-out and moving-in pair, and the child allowance application is not needed.

The results are listed in order: what to do before you move, the legal deadlines by date, the "promptly" items, and a suggested date for mail forwarding. If a deadline falls on a weekend, a holiday or the year-end closure, the result says so.

Step 1: tell the city you are leaving

If you move to a different city or ward, you file a moving-out notification at the office where you live now. The law says to file it "in advance", and each municipality decides how early it starts accepting it. If you have a My Number Card, you can file the moving-out notification online through the Digital Agency's moving service on Mynaportal, and make an appointment for the visit to your new office. For card holders, the law also says that the first moving-in notification does not need the moving-out certificate attached.

Step 2: the moving-in notification and your residence card

At the new office, you file a moving-in notification within 14 days of the day you move in. If you move within the same city or ward, you file a change-of-address notification within 14 days. Foreign residents with a residence card have one more duty: the new address must be reported to the Immigration Services Agency within 14 days. The agency says that if you show your residence card at the municipal counter and file the notification under the Basic Resident Registration Act, you are treated as having reported the address to Immigration as well. The office records the new address on the card.

Bring your residence card and, for a move between municipalities, the documents the new office asks for. What each office needs and how appointments work differ, so check the website of your new city or ward.

Step 3: health insurance, pension and the child allowance

If you are on National Health Insurance, report the new address within 14 days. The head of the household files it, and it is normally done at the same counter. If you get your insurance through an employer, tell your employer instead. For the child allowance, you must apply again at the new office when you move to a different municipality, within 15 days counting from the day after you move in. If you are late, you lose the payments for the late months.

Cars, dogs, the driver's license and mail

A registered car needs a change of registration within 15 days of the address change. Kei cars follow a different procedure. A registered dog needs its new location reported to the new municipality within 30 days. For the driver's license, the law says to report the new address "promptly", with no set number of days, and you do it at the police station or driver's license center for the new address. Japan Post will forward mail from your old address to the new one for one year, free of charge, counting from the day you file. It takes 3 to 7 business days to register, so file about two weeks before you move.

How the 14 days are counted

This page counts the deadline as your moving date plus 14 days. If you move on April 1, the deadline is April 15. The child allowance and car deadlines are 15 days, so April 16, and the dog deadline is 30 days, so May 1. City and ward offices are usually closed on weekends, holidays and from December 29 to January 3. When a deadline falls on one of those days, the safe course is to file on the previous working day.

What this page leaves out

• Utilities, internet, mobile phone, banks, insurance, and your employer or school are not covered. Most of them have no legal deadline, so do them around the move.
• The documents each municipality asks for, and whether you need an appointment, differ. Check your city or ward website.
• This page explains deadlines. It is not advice on your own case. If your situation is unusual, ask the office or the Immigration Services Agency.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do I have to file the moving-in notification in Japan?

14 days from the day you move in (Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 22). If you move on April 1, the deadline is April 15.

Do I have to report my new address on my residence card?

Yes. Medium- to long-term residents must report the new address within 14 days of moving (Immigration Control Act, Article 19-9). If you show your residence card and file the moving-in or change-of-address notification at the city office, that counts as the report.

When can I file the moving-out notification?

The law says "in advance" and sets no number of days. Each municipality decides when it starts accepting it, so check your current city or ward website. With a My Number Card you can also file it online through Mynaportal.

What if I move within the same city or ward?

You do not need a moving-out notification. File a change-of-address notification within 14 days of the day you move (Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 23).

What about my driver's license?

The law says to report the new address "promptly" at the police station or driver's license center for the new address. There is no set number of days, but it is best to do it soon after the moving-in notification.

Sources

• Immigration Services Agency: Notification of change of address, mid to long-term residents (English)
• Basic Resident Registration Act, Articles 22 to 24 (e-Gov, in Japanese)
• Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 19-9 (e-Gov, in Japanese)
• Enforcement Regulation of the National Health Insurance Act, Articles 2 and 4 (e-Gov, in Japanese)
• Road Transport Vehicle Act, Article 12: change of registration within 15 days (e-Gov, in Japanese)
• Rabies Prevention Act, Article 4: change of a dog's location within 30 days (e-Gov, in Japanese)
• Road Traffic Act, Article 94: change of the items on a driver's license (e-Gov, in Japanese)
• Children and Families Agency: guide to the child allowance, with the 15-day application (in Japanese)
• Digital Agency: online service for moving procedures, with the moving-in notification within 14 days (English)
• Japan Post: mail forwarding service, free for one year, 3 to 7 business days to register (in Japanese)
• Offices count days and take appointments in their own way. Check the website of your city or ward.

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Last updated: 2026-10-04