Visa
The deadline follows establishing the residence
Japan's Immigration Services Agency tells newly arriving mid- to long-term residents to notify their place of residence at the relevant municipal office within 14 days of establishing it. This is a current explanation of an existing obligation, not a newly introduced October rule. The agency's Guidance page for new entrants is the starting resource for someone who has completed entry formalities and is now settling at a Japanese address.
The distinction between arrival and establishing a residence matters when identifying the deadline. The guidance refers to establishing the place of residence, rather than simply counting 14 days from every international arrival. It directs residents to bring their residence card. Where a passport states that the residence card will be issued later, the passport is used for the procedure. New arrivals should contact the municipality responsible for the actual address if the appropriate reporting date or documents are unclear.
Check whether the residence-card system applies
The Ministry of Justice's explanation of the residence-management system identifies categories outside the mid- to long-term resident definition. These include people granted stays of three months or less, Temporary Visitors, and people with Diplomat or Official status. Someone visiting briefly should therefore not assume that a foreign-resident address procedure is required simply because a hotel has requested passport information. Special permanent residents also follow their own certificate arrangements.
The ministry's explanation places address reporting within a wider system that records identity, status of residence and authorised stay. Recording a new address is consequently different from obtaining a new immigration status or extending the permitted period. A student moving accommodation and a person seeking permission to begin a different activity have separate questions to resolve. The address notification records where an eligible resident lives; it does not establish that another proposed activity is authorised.
Yokohama shows the documents needed after an overseas move
Yokohama City's moving procedures page, last updated on 1 March 2025, provides a concrete municipal checklist. For moving in from overseas, it directs the resident to the family registry division of the ward office for the new address within 14 days of moving in. Its list includes the passport and residence card or Special Permanent Resident Card. A passport bearing the residence-card-to-be-issued-later notation is accepted where no card was issued at the airport.
For a household of foreign residents, Yokohama also asks for evidence of the family relationship. A foreign-language document needs a translation identifying the translator. A proxy needs a letter of authorisation. These details make the city resource useful before attending the counter: a family should establish whether relationship evidence and translations must accompany the identity documents. Residents elsewhere should use their own municipality's checklist rather than assume Yokohama's counter arrangements apply throughout Japan.
Moving within Japan involves departure and arrival procedures
Shinjuku City's 2026 Information on Everyday Living guide distinguishes moving from overseas, moving from another municipality, changing address within the city and moving out. For an arrival from another municipality, its table lists a certificate of the move, the residence card or relevant certificate, and the My Number card. It identifies health-insurance documentation in the specified circumstances. The table asks residents to bring original documents, which is useful when preparing for an in-person visit.
Shinjuku instructs residents to complete moving-out notification before departure and explains that notification can be made by post or through Mynaportal. Its moving-in and within-city procedures have their own 14-day reporting periods. Use the guide's relevant row, rather than carrying only the checklist for a first overseas arrival. A move between municipalities can involve both offices, while a move within the same municipality follows the local address-change procedure.
Complete the municipal report without confusing it with a visa application
The Immigration Services Agency's change-of-address procedure explains that filing the applicable resident-register notification at the municipality with the residence card also serves as the immigration address notification. A separate immigration address form is not needed where that recognised procedure is completed. The practical next step is therefore to identify the responsible municipal counter and bring the documents that allow the resident record and card information to be updated together.
For illustration, a resident moving from Yokohama to Shinjuku should check the departure procedure with the former municipality and the arrival requirements with the latter, recording the actual moving date. This is different from applying to renew a period of stay. Neither a landlord's record nor an employer's personnel update replaces the public notification described by the agency. Local arrangements, representation requirements and additional household evidence should be confirmed with the municipal office; this report does not establish a universal fee or appointment rule.
