Settling in · Moving in
Moving into a Japanese apartment: what to do first
Three things have legal deadlines, and you can do all three in one city office visit. Everything else can wait.
Moving-in tasks: deadline, where to go, what to bring, fine
The first three are due within 14 days of moving in, and one city office visit with your residence card covers them. The last two have no move-in deadline.
Printed from setupinjapan.com/moving-in/, sources checked October 3, 2026.
| Task | Deadline | Where | What to bring | If you miss it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move-in notification (転入届) at the city office Sources: 1, 2, 3 | Within 14 days of moving in, from abroad or from another city You cannot file before the day you start living there. If day 14 is a day the office is closed, the next day it opens counts (Toshima-ku). | The resident registration counter at the city or ward office for your new address. Toshima-ku, for example, is closed on Sundays, holidays and 29 December to 3 January. |
| A non-criminal fine of up to ¥50,000, unless you had good reason (Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 52) |
| Residence card address update Sources: 4, 5 | Within 14 days. Filing the move-in notification with your residence card counts as this update. | The same counter, at the same time as the move-in notification. |
| A criminal fine of up to ¥200,000 (Immigration Control Act, Article 71-5). After 90 days without good reason, your status of residence can be revoked (Article 22-4). |
| National Health Insurance enrollment Sources: 6, 7, 8 | Within 14 days, at the same visit, if no employer health insurance covers you | The National Health Insurance counter at the city or ward office. Skip it if an employer's health insurance covers you. |
| Premiums are backdated to the month you became eligible (Toshima-ku in Tokyo says up to 2 years), and medical bills in between are yours in full. The law also lets your city set a fine of up to ¥100,000 (National Health Insurance Act, Article 127). |
| National Pension enrollment (国民年金) Sources: 9 | No separate deadline is stated for new arrivals. Leaving an employer's pension starts a 14-day deadline. | The city or ward office for your address. |
| None stated by the Japan Pension Service. |
| My Number letter (マイナンバー) Sources: 10 | Nothing to file. The letter arrives about 2 to 3 weeks after your first resident record is made. | By registered mail, at your registered address. |
| None stated. |
Toshima-ku (豊島区) in Tokyo is our example office: its pages were read in full on October 3, 2026. Other offices word things differently and keep their own hours, so check yours before you go.
Sources
- Toshima-ku (豊島区), move-in notification from abroad
- Toshima-ku, move-in notification from another Japanese city
- Basic Resident Registration Act, Articles 22 and 52
- Immigration Services Agency, change of residence
- Immigration Control Act, Articles 22-4 and 71-5
- Toshima-ku, National Health Insurance procedures
- Toshima-ku, National Health Insurance FAQ
- National Health Insurance Act, Article 127
- Japan Pension Service, joining National Pension
- My Number guide for new residents (PDF)
To print the table, use your browser's print command. The page prints without the menu, the other sections and the footer.
For the day-by-day order and the fines, see your first 14 days in Japan. If a landlord asks for a guarantor, see guarantor companies for foreigners.
For the premium in your ward, see what National Health Insurance costs.
On this page
Also at the city office: pension and My Number
If you are 20 to 59, live in Japan and are not in an employer's pension (厚生年金, Employees' Pension Insurance), you are in National Pension (国民年金, kokumin nenkin). Unless you are the dependent spouse of someone in an employer's pension, you sign up at your city or ward office and pay the contributions yourself (Japan Pension Service). Students with a low income can apply to postpone them under the student payment special rule (学生納付特例) (Japan Pension Service, for foreign residents).
You do not apply for a My Number (マイナンバー, your 12-digit individual number). About 2 to 3 weeks after your first residence record (住民票, juminhyo) is made, a letter with the number arrives by registered mail (簡易書留) at that address. If you are out, the post office leaves a notice and you arrange redelivery. The letter cannot be used as ID or as proof of your number, and it has a QR code for applying for a My Number card (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Digital Agency guide).
Do in week one
- Internet: order it firstA home router works the day it arrives; fiber can take weeks and needs your landlord's permission. The GMO options on that page both need a credit card.
- A SIM with a Japanese numberBanks and many landlords ask for a Japanese number. Prepaid SIMs have no credit check.
- Utilities: electricity and gasGas usually needs someone present to open the supply.
- A bank accountIf you work at an office in Japan, you don't wait six months.
Bank, phone and internet forms ask for your new address, some in Japanese and some in roman letters. The Japanese address converter gives you both.
Can wait
None of these has a deadline:
- FurnitureOr skip it: see our Leopalace review for furnished rooms from 30 days. To price 1 to 12 months in a furnished apartment against a lease, see monthly apartment in Tokyo or a lease.
- A credit cardCard companies count having no Japanese credit history as one factor when they screen an application, the credit bureau CIC says, and several say foreign residents can apply: see credit cards that accept foreign residents.
- Checking your first payslipSee what should arrive with the take-home pay calculator.
- Sending money homeRegister early: every company needs your My Number, and some take a week. See how to send money home from Japan.
- A monthly budgetSee what your salary leaves after rent and bills with the cost of living calculator.
- Phone number portability
- Anything involving a hanko
Moving-in FAQ
How long do I have to register my address after moving to Japan?
You must file the move-in notification within 14 days of the day you start living at the new address, and you cannot file before that day. Not filing without good reason can bring a non-criminal fine of up to ¥50,000 (Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 52).
What do I bring to the city office when I move in?
Your passport and residence card, plus the moving-out certificate (転出証明書) if you move from another Japanese city. If you arrive from abroad and your passport has no entry stamp, bring something that shows your entry date, such as a flight ticket stub (Toshima-ku). Other offices may ask for more, so check yours.
Do I update the address on my residence card separately?
No. Bringing your residence card to the city office when you file the move-in notification counts as the update (Immigration Services Agency). Without a report within 14 days you can face a criminal fine of up to ¥200,000, and your status of residence can be revoked after 90 days without good reason.
Do I have to join National Health Insurance?
Yes, if no other public health insurance covers you: Toshima-ku calls it compulsory. Notify within 14 days. If you are late, premiums are charged back up to 2 years in Toshima-ku, and medical bills in between are yours in full.
Do I need to apply for a My Number?
No. About 2 to 3 weeks after your first resident record is made, a letter with your number arrives by registered mail at that address.
Source
Checked against the law text and official pages.
Last reviewed October 3, 2026. How this site is checked.