Within 14 Days of Moving: The Words You’ll Meet in Japan’s Resident Registration System
In Japan, once you settle at an address in a municipality, you file a notification of moving in (tennyū todoke) within 14 days. If a medium- to long-term resident files this notification with their residence card, it also completes the notification of residence required under the Immigration Control Act at the same time. This article explains the terms you'll encounter at the counter — juminhyo, a copy of the juminhyo, a certificate of moving out, My Number, appointment booking for moving in — in the order you'll meet them.
At Japanese municipal counters and guidance, words such as juminhyo, notification of moving in, place of residence, and residence card appear one after another. Many of the terms are similar, which makes it hard to tell what refers to what. Below, they are arranged in the order you’ll meet them: when you arrive in Japan, and when you move. Explanations of deadlines and procedures are based on the text of the relevant laws and on what could be read on the official pages of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, and the Digital Agency as of September 23, 2026.
This article does not determine whether you are subject to a given notification, or how you will be treated under a particular status of residence. Please confirm at your municipal counter or at a counter of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan.
The Basic Resident Register and the Juminhyo
The Basic Resident Register (住民基本台帳, jūmin kihon daichō) is a register in which a municipality compiles records of its residents. Each individual’s record within it is the juminhyo (住民票, certificate of residence). According to MIC, foreign residents have been covered by this system since July 9, 2012, and since then a juminhyo has been created for them in the municipality where they live.
Among people who have an address in a municipality, MIC lists the following as covered:
- Medium- to long-term residents (people who are issued a residence card. MIC writes: “People with the status of residence ‘Temporary Visitor’ or a period of stay of ‘3 months’ or less, etc., are not included”)
- Special permanent residents
- People granted permission for temporary refuge or provisional stay
- People in transitional residence due to birth or loss of Japanese nationality
A foreign resident’s juminhyo records their name, date of birth, and address, as well as their nationality/region, status of residence, period of stay, the date their period of stay expires, and their residence card number, among other items (MIC). Matters relating to eligibility for National Health Insurance and the National Pension are also recorded. MIC explains that notifications such as a notification of moving in consolidate notifications for various administrative services such as National Health Insurance, simplifying the procedures. We have covered insurance matters for when you see a doctor in the article on preparing before you go to a hospital in Japan.
“Address” (jūsho) and “Place of Residence” (jūkyochi)
The Basic Resident Register Act uses the word address (住所, jūsho), while the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (the Immigration Control Act) uses the word place of residence (住居地, jūkyochi). Medium- to long-term residents are required, under the Immigration Control Act, to notify the Director-General of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan of their place of residence. The counter for that notification is the municipality where you live.
Article 19-7, Paragraph 3 of the Immigration Control Act provides that, when a person submits their residence card and files a notification under the Basic Resident Register Act, that notification is deemed to be the notification of place of residence under the Immigration Control Act. The Immigration Services Agency’s own procedural guidance likewise states that if you show your residence card (or, for those issued one later, a passport bearing a note to that effect) at a municipal counter and file a notification of moving in, you are deemed to have filed the notification of place of residence, and you do not need to separately submit a notification-of-place-of-residence form. In other words, if you bring your residence card to the municipal counter and file a notification of moving in, resident registration and the notification of place of residence are completed at once. At the counter, your residence card is returned to you with the place of residence recorded on it (same article, Paragraph 2).
Notification of Moving In, Notification of Moving Within, Notification of Moving Out
The name of a moving notification changes depending on where you’re moving from and to. The deadlines are set out in law.
| Notification | Situation | Deadline (as worded in the statute) | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notification of moving in (転入届, tennyū todoke) | Moving in from another municipality, or from abroad | Within 14 days of the day of moving in | Basic Resident Register Act, Article 22. For medium- to long-term residents, etc. coming from abroad, Article 30-46 |
| Notification of moving within (転居届, tenkyo todoke) | Moving within the same municipality | Within 14 days of the day of moving | Basic Resident Register Act, Article 23 |
| Notification of moving out (転出届, tenshutsu todoke) | Moving to another municipality or abroad | In advance | Basic Resident Register Act, Article 24 |
| Notification of place of residence | A medium- to long-term resident settles a place to live after coming to Japan | Within 14 days of the day the place of residence is settled | Immigration Control Act, Article 19-7. Deemed filed if you submit your residence card with a notification of moving in |
| Notification of change of place of residence | A medium- to long-term resident moves | Within 14 days of the day of moving to the new place of residence | Immigration Control Act, Article 19-9. Deemed filed if you submit your residence card with a notification of moving in/moving within |
MIC explains the steps for moving to another municipality as follows. You file a notification of moving out at your current municipality, and are issued a “certificate of moving out” (転出証明書, tenshutsu shōmeisho). At the new municipality, within 14 days of settling your address, you bring this certificate of moving out and file a notification of moving in. If you leave Japan to live abroad, you are, in principle, also required to file a notification of moving out at the municipality where you live.
If you’re unsure how to count the days or which day counts as “the day you moved,” don’t decide for yourself — ask at the counter.
When You Arrive in Japan: Your Residence Card and Passport
According to the 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working, supervised by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Japanese-language 8th edition), people who newly receive landing permission and enter Japan through Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, New Chitose, Kobe, Hiroshima or Fukuoka airport are issued a residence card at the airport. People who enter through any other airport or port receive their residence card by mail after filing a notification of place of residence (notification of moving in) at their municipality.
What you bring to file the notification of moving in is your residence card (or, for those issued one later, your passport). For people living together with family, MIC advises that you will need a document proving your relationship to the head of household (an original birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc. issued by a public institution such as your home country’s government) together with a Japanese translation of it. If you came with family, checking beforehand whether you have these documents on hand reduces having to make a second trip to the counter.
Under the Immigration Services Agency’s guidance, the notification is filed by the person themselves (except those under 16), and if the person is under 16 or unable to go in person due to illness or another reason, a relative aged 16 or over living with them may file it on their behalf. There is no fee.
What the Law Says Happens If You Don’t File
The law also sets out what happens if you fail to file a notification. Here we introduce only what is written in the text of the statutes. This article does not judge whether your own circumstances constitute “justifiable grounds.”
- Basic Resident Register Act, Article 52, Paragraph 2: a person who, without justifiable grounds, fails to file a notification such as a notification of moving in is subject to a civil fine of not more than 50,000 yen.
- Immigration Control Act, Article 71-5: a person who fails to notify their place of residence or new place of residence is subject to a criminal fine of not more than 200,000 yen.
- Immigration Control Act, Article 22-4, Paragraph 1, Items 8 and 9: it is listed as one of the grounds for revocation of a status of residence if a medium- to long-term resident fails, without justifiable grounds, to notify their place of residence within 90 days of the day they received landing permission, etc., or the day they left the place of residence they had notified.
If you have missed a deadline, or had circumstances that prevented you from filing, don’t leave it as it is — consult your municipality or an Immigration Services Agency counter.
Copy of the Juminhyo, and the Certificate of Matters Recorded in the Juminhyo
The juminhyo itself is a record held by the municipality. When a procedure asks you to “submit your juminhyo,” what you hand over is a copy of the juminhyo (住民票の写し, jūminhyō no utsushi). Article 12 of the Basic Resident Register Act provides that you may request a copy of your own juminhyo, or that of someone in the same household, and a certificate of matters recorded in the juminhyo (住民票記載事項証明書) certifying some of the matters recorded on it. According to the Guidebook on Living and Working, issuance of a copy of the juminhyo carries a fee. The party you are submitting it to may specify which items need to be included (everyone in the household, or just yourself, etc.), so it’s reassuring to check before you request it.
The same guidebook and MIC’s own guidance materials caution that when a status of residence lapses — for example, when your period of stay expires without your having renewed it — your juminhyo disappears.
My Number and the My Number Card
Once your juminhyo is created, the municipality notifies you of a 12-digit individual number (My Number). According to MIC, since May 25, 2020, this has been given via an “Individual Number Notification” document. Foreign residents who have a juminhyo can apply for a My Number card.
MIC explains that, for foreign residents, the validity period of a My Number card is, in principle, up to the expiration date of their period of stay (except for Highly Skilled Professional (ii), permanent residents, and special permanent residents). MIC’s own guidance materials caution that even after you receive a new residence card at Immigration, the validity period of your My Number card is not automatically extended — you need to go through a procedure at your municipality to extend it.
Counter Appointments and “Notification of an Upcoming Visit for Moving In”
Booking systems designed to avoid congestion at the counter differ by municipality. Whether you can book, and how, needs to be confirmed on the official website of the municipality where you live.
As a national system, there is the Digital Agency’s “Online Moving Procedure Service.” Since February 6, 2023, every municipality nationwide has allowed you to file a notification of moving out online through Mynaportal, and to send notice of an upcoming visit to the counter (a moving-in appointment) to the municipality you’re moving to. The Digital Agency’s FAQ, on whether this applies to people who don’t hold Japanese nationality, answers: “Even people of foreign nationality can use it if they have a My Number card.”
However, this doesn’t complete the whole procedure. For the moving-in procedure itself, you still need to go to the counter of the municipality you’re moving to and present your My Number card. Moving abroad is not covered by the service, and it also cannot be used if, among other things, your signing electronic certificate is not valid.
If You’re Stuck on the Language
MIC operates a multilingual interpretation call center (050-1720-0849, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed on weekends, public holidays and the New Year period; open from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027) for the Basic Resident Register system as it applies to foreign residents. It supports 12 languages, but as of September 23, 2026, Ukrainian and Russian are not among them. For questions about a specific entry on a juminhyo, it says it will direct you to the contact information for the municipality where you live.
The multilingual edition (7th edition) of the Guidebook on Living and Working has a Ukrainian version, and its chapter on municipal procedures can also be read there. However, the Japanese edition is the 8th edition, a different edition from the multilingual one. Where to go and where you can consult in Ukrainian is covered in where to consult when you start living in Japan.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Basic Resident Register | The register in which a municipality compiles records of its residents |
| Juminhyo | Each individual’s record within the Basic Resident Register |
| Copy of the juminhyo | A certificate copying the content of the juminhyo. For submission in procedures |
| Certificate of matters recorded in the juminhyo | A document certifying some of the matters recorded on the juminhyo |
| Notification of moving in | The notification filed when moving in from outside the municipality (including from abroad) |
| Notification of moving within | The notification filed when moving within the same municipality |
| Notification of moving out | The notification filed before moving out of the municipality |
| Certificate of moving out | Issued after a notification of moving out, and brought to the notification of moving in |
| Place of residence | A term from the Immigration Control Act. Where a medium- to long-term resident lives |
| Head of household, relationship | The representative of a household, and their relationship to that person (spouse, child, etc.) |
| Individual Number Notification | The document notifying you of your My Number |
| Notice of an upcoming visit (moving-in appointment) | A system for notifying the municipality you’re moving to, via Mynaportal, of your planned visit |
One last thing. How a status of residence is treated, and how a missed deadline is handled, differs from person to person. Use this article’s explanation of terms as preparation before you talk to someone at the counter. It is the staff member who actually looks at your documents at the counter who decides.
Sources and article record
Sources and references
- 住民基本台帳法the text of Articles 12, 22, 23, 24, 30-45, 30-46, 30-47, 52
Published by e-Gov Law Search (Digital Agency) · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 出入国管理及び難民認定法the text of Articles 19-7, 19-8, 19-9, 22-4 Paragraph 1 Items 8 and 9, 71-5
Published by e-Gov Law Search (Digital Agency) · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 外国人住民に係る住民基本台帳制度effective from July 9, 2012; who is covered; the Individual Number Notification; the validity period of the My Number card; the consolidation of the notification of moving in with notifications for administrative services; the call center's phone number, hours, operating period and 12 supported languages
Published by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 転入・転出the 14-day deadline for a notification of moving in; the original document proving your relationship plus its Japanese translation; the certificate of moving out; moving abroad
Published by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 住民票items recorded on a foreign resident's juminhyo; requesting a copy of the juminhyo
Published by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 外国人住民の方へpoints to note on juminhyo and My Number card procedures; that a juminhyo disappears if a status of residence is lost; that a My Number card's validity does not automatically extend with a new residence card
Published by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 新規上陸後の住居地の届出（中長期在留者）the filing period, the deeming provision, who files and by proxy, no fee
Published by Immigration Services Agency of Japan · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 住居地の変更届出（中長期在留者）the filing period, the deeming provision
Published by Immigration Services Agency of Japan · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 在留資格変更等に伴う住居地の届出中長期在留者
Published by Immigration Services Agency of Japan · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 生活・就労ガイドブック 日本語版 第8版the 8 airports where a residence card is issued on arrival; what to bring to a notification of moving in; that a copy of the juminhyo carries a fee; that a juminhyo disappears if a status of residence is lost
Published by Immigration Services Agency of Japan · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 外国人生活支援ポータルサイトpublication of the 7th edition multilingual Guidebook on Living and Working; a Ukrainian PDF of the chapter on municipal procedures
Published by Immigration Services Agency of Japan · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 引越し手続オンラインサービスsince February 6, 2023, all municipalities allow a notification of moving out and notice of an upcoming visit; who can use it; presenting the My Number card at the destination counter
Published by Digital Agency · Checked: 2026-09-23 - FAQ マイナポータルを通じたオンラインによる転出届・来庁予定の連絡（転入予約）についてQ6, moving abroad is not covered; Q7, foreign nationals can use it if they have a My Number card
Published by Digital Agency · Checked: 2026-09-23 - 本サービスを利用できない主なケース一覧PDF
Published by Digital Agency · Checked: 2026-09-23
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