Moving to Japan Checklist for Visa Holders (2026)

Use this moving to Japan checklist as a visa holder to prioritize your arrival tasks: check your immigration documents, establish a residence, and register that address. A newly landed mid- to long-term resident must notify the municipality within 14 days from the day the residence is determined, after which you can confirm the health, pension, tax, My Number, banking, phone, and renewal steps that apply to you.

At the airport: check residence card issuance

After completing arrival procedures, determine whether you received a 在留カード (zairyū kādo), or residence card. If no physical card was issued, check whether your passport contains a notation stating that a residence card will be issued later.

The official address-registration procedure recognizes both documents: you may present either the residence card or a passport bearing the later-issuance notation. Keep the relevant original accessible, make a legible copy for your records, and avoid packing it in luggage that will be difficult to retrieve.

The supplied official guidance does not identify which airports issue cards immediately or promise that every arriving resident will leave with one. Your practical task is therefore to inspect what you actually received and preserve the passport notation if your card is pending.

Register your address with the municipality

Once you determine where you will live, visit the municipal office responsible for that address and file the 住居地の届出 (jūkyochi no todokede), or residence notification. The deadline starts on the day you determine your residence, rather than automatically being calculated from your flight date.

If you are unsure whether your current accommodation counts as the residence you have determined, do not guess. Show the municipal office your circumstances and ask when it considers the notification clock to have started.

At the counter, present your residence card or your passport with the later-issuance notation. When you complete the relevant municipal registration while presenting that document, the Immigration Services Agency says you are treated as having completed the immigration residence notification, so a separate immigration address form is unnecessary.

There is no fee for the official residence-notification procedure. Keep any paperwork the municipality gives you and note the date on which you completed the filing.

Ask about health insurance and pension enrollment

Use the municipal visit to ask which national health insurance and pension procedures apply to your situation. The two supplied official sources concern residence notifications and do not establish eligibility, contribution amounts, required enrollment dates, or exceptions for these programs.

A useful question at the counter is: “I have registered my address as a new resident. Which health insurance and pension procedures must I complete, and what documents do you need?” Ask the clerk to identify any separate counter, application, or follow-up action rather than assuming address registration completes everything.

Add these items to your personal checklist:

• Confirm whether you must complete a national health insurance procedure.
• Confirm whether you must complete a pension procedure.
• Request the current document list for each applicable procedure.
• Record the office or counter responsible for any follow-up.
• Keep copies of forms and notices you receive.

Do not rely only on what another visa holder was asked to do. Obtain instructions based on your own records and circumstances from the responsible office.

Confirm your address for tax and My Number purposes

Address registration is also the right opportunity to ask the municipality about tax records and My Number. The official sources provided for this guide confirm the residence-notification procedure, but they do not say that it automatically completes every tax or My Number action.

Ask the municipal clerk to check whether you need a separate procedure, document, or visit for either subject. If something will be sent or issued later, request clear instructions about what to expect and which office to contact with questions.

Review the address format used on any paperwork before you leave. Using the same recorded address when dealing with other organizations can reduce avoidable confusion, although each organization may set its own document requirements.

Use the residence card for banking and phone applications

Treat your residence card as the key starting document when approaching a bank or phone provider. Show it and ask for that provider’s current application checklist, but do not assume that the municipal rules described above determine what a commercial provider must accept.

If your card is still pending, keep your passport and later-issuance notation available. The official source confirms that this passport notation works for the municipal residence notification; it does not guarantee that every bank or phone provider will accept it for a commercial application.

A practical application folder can contain:

• Your residence card, if issued.
• Your passport and any residence-card notation.
• Paperwork received after municipal address registration.
• The provider’s own current application instructions.
• Copies of documents you submit, where permitted.

Check that the name and address you enter follow the documents you present. If a provider requests something you do not have, ask it to identify the acceptable alternative instead of submitting an improvised substitute.

Update your address if you move later

Your relocating to Japan checklist remains relevant after the initial move. A mid- to long-term resident who changes residence must notify the municipality responsible for the new address within 14 days from the day of moving there.

Present your residence card at the municipal counter. Completing the relevant municipal procedure with the card is treated as completing the immigration change-of-address notification, and the official procedure carries no fee.

This is a different clock from initial registration. The initial deadline begins when you determine your first residence after landing, while the later deadline begins when you move to the new residence.

Plan visa renewal before expiry

Do not confuse the address-registration clock with your visa or residence renewal planning. The official sources used for this article establish when initial and changed-address notifications are due, but they do not establish a renewal filing window.

Record the expiration information exactly as it appears in your current immigration documents. Then consult the current Immigration Services Agency instructions for your category and confirm when you may apply, which office or application route to use, and what documents are required.

The important distinction is that neither your landing date nor your municipal registration date should be treated as a renewal rule merely because it appears elsewhere in this checklist. Renewal or extension must be planned against the applicable immigration instructions and the validity information in your own documents.

Step-by-step moving to Japan checklist

Follow this order to keep the document-dependent tasks manageable:

1. Inspect your arrival documents. Confirm whether you hold a residence card or a passport notation saying the card will be issued later.
2. Determine your residence. Record the date because it starts the official initial address-notification period.
3. Locate the responsible municipality. Identify the office serving the address where you live.
4. Register the address on time. Present the residence card or qualifying passport notation and retain any paperwork provided.
5. Ask about health insurance and pension. Obtain instructions for the procedures that apply to you rather than assuming enrollment is automatic.
6. Confirm tax and My Number actions. Ask whether separate forms, documents, or follow-up visits are needed.
7. Approach banks and phone providers. Use the residence card as your starting document while checking each provider’s requirements.
8. Create a renewal reminder. Record the expiration information in your immigration documents and obtain current renewal instructions before expiry.
9. Update the municipality after a later move. Present the residence card at the office responsible for your new address within the applicable address-change period.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have 14 days from landing to register my address?

Not necessarily. The official rule for a newly landed mid- to long-term resident runs from the day you determine your residence, so the landing date and the start of the deadline are not automatically the same.

What if I did not receive a residence card at the airport?

Check your passport for a notation stating that a residence card will be issued later. The Immigration Services Agency permits that passport notation to be presented instead of the physical card for the initial municipal residence notification.

Does registering my address enroll me in health insurance and pension?

The cited address-registration guidance does not say that these procedures are automatic. Ask the municipal office which health insurance and pension actions apply to you and request the current document list.

When does the renewal clock start?

The two official sources used here do not define a visa or residence renewal filing window. Use the expiration information in your immigration documents, check the current renewal instructions for your category, and plan to complete the applicable process before expiry.

Common questions