Moved House? Updating Your Residence Card Address Within 14 Days and the Risks of Waiting
Between preparing to move into a rental and sorting out the new home, updating the address on your residence card is easy to put off. Many people wonder whether they have to go to an immigration office and how many days they have, and end up missing the deadline.
This article walks through the deadline and where to go, how the moving-out, moving-in and within-city notifications differ, the risks of not reporting, and how to build the step into your renting or buying schedule.
By when and where do you report a new address on your residence card?
Mid- to long-term residents who hold a residence card generally need to report a change of address within 14 days of moving in, at the municipal office for the new address. If you are moving from another municipality, you file a moving-in notification; if you are moving within the same municipality, you file a change-of-address notification.
This filing is generally treated as also serving as the residence report under immigration law, so you do not normally need to visit an immigration office separately. At the counter you show your residence card, and the new address is written on its back. Procedures and required documents differ by municipality, so it is reassuring to check the office's website first.
How do the moving-out, moving-in and change-of-address notifications differ?
When you move to a different municipality, the basic flow is a moving-out notification at the old municipality and a moving-in notification at the new one. As a rule of thumb, the moving-out notification can be filed before you move, though the timing differs by municipality. If only your address within the same municipality changes, a change-of-address notification is enough.
The 14 days are generally counted from the day you actually start living at the new place, not from the start date of the lease. If the contract date and your move-in date differ, put the move-in date on your calendar and count from there.
Numbers worth remembering (general guidelines)
- Deadline to report the new address
- 14days
- Benchmark for the risk of leaving it unreported
- 90days
- Typical filing fee
- 0JPY
Counted from the day you move in
Without a justifiable reason, it can lead to revocation proceedings for your status of residence
Moving-in and change-of-address notifications are normally free at the municipal office
What happens if you forget to report?
The Immigration Act provides penalties for breaching the duty to report your residence, and it also provides that continuing to leave a new address unreported without a justifiable reason can make you subject to revocation of your status of residence. A short delay does not immediately lead to revocation, but it may count against you in a renewal or permanent residence review.
If you miss the deadline, the basic approach is to report as soon as you notice. The office may ask why you were late, so if there was a reason such as hospitalization or a long business trip, be ready to explain it briefly.
Legal basis
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 19-9
- A mid- to long-term resident who changes residence must report within 14 days of moving to the new address, through the municipal office (summary).
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 22-4
- If a new residence is left unreported for a certain period without a justifiable reason, the person may become subject to revocation of their status of residence (summary).
- Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 22
- A person who newly establishes a residence in a municipality files a moving-in notification within 14 days of that date (summary).
- Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 23
- A person who changes address within the same municipality files a change-of-address notification within 14 days (summary).
- Basic Resident Registration Act, Article 24
- A person moving out to another municipality files a moving-out notification in advance (summary).
How does the report fit with your renting or buying schedule?
The address on your resident record is the basis for many procedures after you move into a rental: utility and internet contracts, address changes for bank accounts and mobile phones, and National Health Insurance and pension. Reporting right after you move in keeps the rest of the process smooth.
When you buy a home, you may also be asked whether the address in your mortgage paperwork and the registered address match your resident record. If you plan to move, build the reporting date into the schedule for contract, settlement and move-in from the start.
Main notifications related to moving (general guidelines)
| Procedure | Deadline guideline | Main counter | Examples of what to bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moving-out notification (to another municipality) | Before you move (timing differs by municipality) | Old municipality's office | Residence card, ID |
| Moving-in notification (from another municipality) | Within 14 days of moving in | New municipality's office | Residence card, moving-out certificate (if required) |
| Change-of-address notification (within the same municipality) | Within 14 days of moving | Same municipality's office | Residence card, ID |
| Changes other than residence (name, nationality, etc.) | Within 14 days of the change | Immigration services office | Residence card, passport, documents showing the change |
Common oversights and how to avoid them
✕Assuming the clock starts on the lease date and missing the 14 days from the actual move-in.
→Count from the day you actually start living there, and put the deadline on your calendar to match your move-in date.
✕Handling only your own card and forgetting to have your spouse's or children's cards updated.
→Bring everyone's residence cards and confirm at the counter that all of them are updated.
✕Skipping the moving-out notification, so tax and insurance notices kept going to the old municipality.
→File the moving-out notification before you move, and also tell National Health Insurance, pension, your employer and school your new address.
✕Reporting late after a temporary return home or long trip and struggling to explain why.
→Report right after you are back, and note the dates so you can explain the delay briefly.
Address change checklist
- I confirmed the day I started living at the new place and put the 14-day deadline on my calendar
- I checked whether I need a moving-out, moving-in or change-of-address notification
- I prepared everyone's residence cards and identification
- I confirmed that the new address was written on the back of my residence card
- I told National Health Insurance, pension, my employer and school my new address
- I arranged address changes for banks, mobile phone, insurance and driver's license
Frequently asked questions
- Q. Do I need to visit an immigration office to report?
- A. For a change of residence, a moving-in or change-of-address notification at the municipal office is generally enough. Changes other than residence, such as name or nationality, generally require a procedure at an immigration services office.
- Q. What if I have passed the 14 days?
- A. Report to the municipal office as soon as you notice. You may be asked why you were late, so it helps to be ready to explain briefly.
- Q. What about the address report right after I arrive in Japan?
- A. If you received a residence card on entry, the general flow is to report your new address to the municipal office within 14 days of establishing your residence.
- Q. Can someone else file for me, or can I send it by post?
- A. Handling differs by municipality. We recommend checking in advance whether a family member can file on your behalf and whether a power of attorney is needed.
In the SUMIMOTO Hub app, a 24-hour AI advisor explains the address-change steps before and after a move, and how they fit with renting or buying, in multiple languages. Where an individual judgment is needed, please also check with a qualified professional such as an administrative scrivener, or with the office counter.
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