Moving to a new apartment in Japan involves more than booking a van. You may need to notify two municipal offices, update the address associated with your residence card, arrange mail forwarding and transfer utilities. The order depends on whether you are moving within the same municipality or to another one.
This checklist is for foreign residents moving within Japan. Your city or ward’s instructions are the final guide for forms, documents and online options. For a move into Japan from overseas or a permanent departure, use the municipality’s separate procedure.
First: are you changing municipalities?
| Your move | Before moving | After moving |
|---|---|---|
| Within the same city, ward, town or village | Usually no municipal moving-out notice | Submit a 転居届 (tenkyo-todoke), a change-of-address notice, to the same municipality |
| To a different municipality | Submit a 転出届 (tenshutsu-todoke), a moving-out notice, to your old municipality | Submit a 転入届 (tennyū-todoke), a moving-in notice, to the new municipality |
In Tokyo, moving from Shinjuku City to another ward counts as a move to a different municipality even though you remain in Tokyo. Shinjuku’s official English change-of-address guide separates moves within Shinjuku from moves into or out of it.
If you are ending a rental lease as well as changing addresses, use our apartment move-out checklist for the separate notice, inspection and deposit steps.
Before moving: file a moving-out notice if needed
If your new home is in a different municipality, check how to file 転出届 with the old city or ward. As one example, Shinjuku City accepts its moving-out notice from 14 days before a move or within 14 days after it. Its paper process issues a 転出証明書 (tenshutsu shōmeisho), a moving-out certificate, for a move to another municipality. Some eligible My Number Card processes work without a paper certificate. Check your own municipality’s method rather than assuming every counter or online route is the same.
Also arrange the practical parts of the move:
- Tell your landlord or property manager according to your lease and arrange keys, inspection and any final cleaning.
- Contact electricity, gas, water and internet providers about stopping service at the old address and starting it at the new one. Confirm whether the new home needs an appointment for gas activation.
- Check the local rules for disposing of bulky items (粗大ごみ, sodai gomi). Collection and fees vary by municipality.
- Record the address and postal code exactly as shown on your new lease.
After moving: register the new address within 14 days
For a move to another municipality, file the 転入届 with the new city or ward after you actually begin living there. For a move within the same municipality, file 転居届. The standard period is within 14 days of moving. Shinjuku’s moving-in and within-city move pages both say the notice cannot be filed before you start living at the new address.
Bring your residence card (在留カード, zairyū kādo) or other applicable status document, identification, and your My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) if you have one. If changing municipalities through the paper process, take the moving-out certificate too. Additional documents may be needed for family members, health insurance or a representative filing for you. Check the new municipality’s list before visiting. The Immigration Services Agency also instructs mid- to long-term residents to notify their new residence through the municipal office with their residence card within 14 days.
At the counter, ask about updating the card information and any municipal services you use, such as National Health Insurance, pension, child-related services or a My Number Card. Which extra procedures apply depends on your enrollment and household. A new 住民票 (jūminhyō) may be useful later for a bank or other application; see our guide to getting a jūminhyō.
Japanese words to recognize at city hall
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 引っ越し | hikkoshi | Moving home |
| 住所変更 | jūsho henkō | Change of address |
| 転出届 | tenshutsu-todoke | Moving-out notice |
| 転出証明書 | tenshutsu shōmeisho | Moving-out certificate |
| 転入届 | tennyū-todoke | Moving-in notice |
| 転居届 | tenkyo-todoke | Change-of-address notice within a municipality |
| 在留カード | zairyū kādo | Residence card |
| 本人確認書類 | honnin kakunin shorui | Identity document |
| 委任状 | ininjō | Letter of authorization for a representative |
A simple opening line is 引っ越したので、住所変更の手続きをしたいです。 (Hikkoshita node, jūsho henkō no tetsuzuki o shitai desu.) — “I moved, and I would like to complete my change-of-address procedure.” Tell the clerk your old and new municipalities so they can direct you to the right form.
Mail forwarding is a separate application
City-hall registration does not automatically forward mail. Submit a 転居届 to Japan Post too; it uses the same Japanese name as the within-municipality address notice but is a different service. Japan Post’s English forwarding guide says eligible mail sent to the former address is redirected free for one year from submission of the postal form. Apply in good time, bring identification and proof of the old address if visiting a post office, and update important senders directly. Japan Post’s forwarding does not send mail overseas.
For the counter and postal vocabulary, see our guide to using a post office in Japan.
After the address change: use the right next guide
The city-hall notice is one step in a move. These guides help with separate tasks; completing one does not automatically complete the others.
- Mail: Submit Japan Post’s forwarding request and update important senders directly. Postal forwarding and municipal residence registration are different procedures.
- Utilities: Arrange electricity, gas and water at the new address, and check the final bills for the old home.
- Proof of address: If an employer or another organization asks for one, see how to request a jūminhyō (住民票). Confirm exactly which details the recipient needs on the copy.
- Your new building: Record the room’s condition with the move-in inspection checklist and use your municipality’s garbage collection rules for the new address.
Keep the new address in a consistent format when updating your employer, bank, phone provider and insurance contacts. If a procedure depends on your household or residence status, check the municipality’s current instructions before submitting it.
One-page moving checklist
- Before: Check your lease, book the move, arrange utilities and internet, dispose of bulky items, and file 転出届 if changing municipalities.
- Moving day: Keep your residence card, My Number Card, moving-out certificate if issued, and new address details accessible.
- Within 14 days after: File 転入届 at the new municipality or 転居届 if staying in the same one; ask which related services need updating.
- Separately: Apply for Japan Post forwarding and change your address with your employer, bank, phone provider, insurer and other important senders.
Procedures may differ by household, municipality and type of residence status. If you are unsure, show the old and new addresses to the municipal counter and ask which forms apply to your move.
