Guides
Every procedure, on its own, with no questions asked first. If you want these ordered around your own situation — and told which ones you can skip — build a roadmap.
Arrival & Registration藍
- Move-out Notification 転出届Tell your OLD city hall you are leaving, and collect the certificate your new city will ask for.From 14 days before moving until 14 days after
- Move-in Notification 転入届Register your address at your new city hall. This is the single most important thing you will do.Within 14 days of moving into your address
- Residence Card Address Update 在留カード裏面住所記載Get your new address printed on the back of your residence card.Within 14 days of moving in
- National Health Insurance 国民健康保険Enrol in public health insurance — required unless your employer enrols you in theirs.Within 14 days of moving in
- National Pension 国民年金Enrol in the national pension scheme — required for residents aged 20 to 59.Within 14 days of moving in
- My Number マイナンバーYour 12-digit national ID number, sent to you by mail after you register your address.
- My Number Card マイナンバーカードThe optional photo ID card version of your My Number. Genuinely worth getting.
- Residence Certificate 住民票The official proof-of-address document that banks, phone shops, and landlords all ask for.
- Seal Registration 印鑑登録Register a personal seal as your legal signature. Needed for big contracts.
Money & Tax山吹
- Open a Bank Account 銀行口座開設Open a personal Japanese bank account so you can be paid, pay rent, and set up direct debits.
- Get a Phone Contract 携帯電話契約Get a Japanese phone number — required by banks, landlords, and almost every online service.
- Residence Tax 住民税The tax bill that arrives a year late and catches everyone. Plan for it in year one so it does not hurt in year two.Billed from June each year, for the previous calendar year
- Filing a Tax Return 確定申告Most employees never file. But if you had big medical bills, two employers, or side income, filing gets you money back.Filing period runs mid-February to mid-March for the previous year
Housing鳶
- Rent an Apartment 賃貸物件の申込みFind a rental, pass the screening, and understand what the up-front money actually is.
- Turn On Electricity, Gas and Water 電気・ガス・水道の開始Electricity and water you can switch on yourself. Gas needs someone to physically come — book it before you move.
- Getting Your Deposit Back 敷金の返還Normal wear and tear is the landlord’s cost, not yours. Most people accept deductions they do not owe.Deal with it at the move-out inspection — not after
Driving露草
Daily Life若竹
Work & Employment紫紺
- Tell Immigration You Changed Jobs 所属機関等に関する届出A 14-day legal obligation whenever you leave, join or change employer. Not a visa application — but skipping it can hurt at renewal.Within 14 days of the change
- Permission to Work as a Student 資格外活動許可Students need this before working at all. Without it, a part-time job is a status violation — not just a rule break.Before you start working
- Unemployment Benefits 雇用保険・失業給付If you lost your job and were enrolled in employment insurance, you can claim. Foreign residents are eligible and most never do.Generally claimable within 1 year of leaving your job — apply as early as you can
Health珊瑚
- High-Cost Medical Expense Benefit 高額療養費A monthly cap on what you personally pay for medical care. A huge hospital bill is almost certainly not the number on the paper.Claims can generally be made retroactively for about two years — but apply in advance if you can
- Getting Medical Help 救急・医療機関の受診Ambulances are free. Read this before you need it, not at 2am on a phone with 6% battery.
Family & Children紅梅
- Childbirth Lump-Sum Payment 出産育児一時金A large one-off payment toward the cost of giving birth, paid by your health insurance. Usually sent straight to the hospital.Claimable for about 2 years after the birth
- Child Allowance 児童手当A monthly payment for each child, paid to foreign residents too. It is not automatic — you have to apply, and quickly.Apply within about 15 days of the birth or of moving in
- Register a Birth 出生届Within 14 days at city hall — plus a second, separate deadline with Immigration that catches everyone.14 days to register at city hall; ~30 days for the child’s status
- Getting a Nursery Place 保育園の申込みLicensed nurseries allocate places by a points system, not first-come. Understand the points or you will not get in.Applications for an April start usually close the previous autumn