Part of our Visas & Moving to Tokyo guide. Last reviewed: October 2026.
Of all the bureaucratic steps in moving a family to Tokyo, this is the one with a hard deadline attached: once you move into your home, you have 14 days to register your address at your local ward office (kuyakusho). Get this visit right and most of your first month falls into place.
Why this one visit matters so much
The move-in notification (転入届, tennyu todoke) isn’t just an address update. It creates your resident record (jūminhyō), and that record unlocks National Health Insurance enrollment, the child medical subsidy certificate, child allowance, hoikuen/daycare applications, public school enrollment, and most other family services. It’s also what you’ll need for a bank account and phone contract. Families who delay this visit find themselves stuck waiting on paperwork for everything else.
What to bring
- Every family member’s Residence Card
- Passports for every family member
- Your lease or other proof of address (not always required, but useful)
- Any existing visa/COE documentation, in case it’s requested
- Marriage and birth certificates (with translations), which some benefit applications ask for
- Employer health insurance details if you’re covered through work
- A bank account in Japan, if you have one, for allowances and subsidies (you can usually add this later)
- Children’s vaccination records, if you’ll visit the health center
One adult can often register the whole household, but some later applications need the applicant’s own signature or presence. Going together the first time saves repeat trips.
What to actually ask for while you’re there
Don’t treat this as a single-purpose visit. Work through the counters in this order:
- Resident registration (move-in notification). Your address is printed on the back of each Residence Card. This is the step with the 14-day deadline.
- My Number. Each registered resident is assigned a 12-digit individual number. You’ll receive a notice by post and can apply for the My Number card, which several online services rely on.
- National Health Insurance if it isn’t provided through an employer, and National Pension for adults aged 20–59 not enrolled through work.
- Child medical subsidy certificate (maru-nyū / maru-ko / maru-ao). It’s a separate application from insurance and isn’t issued automatically.
- Child allowance (jido teate). Apply within 15 days of moving in. Payments generally start from the month after you apply, so a late application can cost you months.
- Childcare section — pick up the ward’s daycare guide if you’ll need hoikuen or yochien, since application windows and points criteria are set at the ward level.
- School enrollment for school-age children who will attend a Japanese public school.
- Health center — infant checkups, vaccination vouchers, and the Maternal and Child Health Handbook if you’re pregnant.
- Foreign-resident support window, if your ward has one. Wards with larger international populations, like Minato, tend to offer multilingual staff and can point you toward English-speaking clinics and next steps.
Expect the visit to take several hours, with waiting time at each counter. Go early on a weekday, and avoid the busy weeks around late March and early April if you can. Some wards also open on selected weekends.
Ask for copies of your resident record
Request two or three copies of your resident record certificate (jūminhyō no utsushi), including all household members. Banks, schools, employers and some benefit applications ask for them, and getting extras on day one saves another trip.
What happens next
- Health insurance cards (or the digital equivalent linked to the My Number card) and the child medical subsidy certificate typically arrive by post.
- Child allowance is paid every other month into your bank account.
- Apply separately to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for 018 Support — 5,000 yen per month per child aged 0–18, with no income limit.
- You’re now eligible to formally apply for daycare when the relevant window opens.
- Pick up the ward’s garbage-sorting guide. It sounds minor, but rules are strict and vary by ward.
If you move again
- Within the same ward: file a change-of-address notification (tenkyo todoke) within 14 days.
- To a different ward or city: file a move-out notification (tenshutsu todoke) at the old ward, then a move-in notification at the new one within 14 days, and reapply for child allowance and the child medical subsidy there.
- Leaving Japan: file a move-out notification before you leave.
FAQ
What happens if we miss the 14-day deadline?
You should still register as soon as possible. Late notification can lead to a fine and, more practically, delays everything that depends on registration. Explain the reason for the delay at the counter.
Do we need a Japanese speaker with us?
It helps but isn’t essential in central wards, which often have English forms, multilingual staff or interpretation services. Bring a written checklist of everything you want to apply for.
Can we register at a temporary address?
You register where you actually live. If you’re in short-term accommodation, ask the ward whether it can be registered; hotels usually can’t.
Sources and official information
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government — 018 Support (English information)
- Children and Families Agency — child allowance
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan — Residence Card information
- Your ward office’s English pages, e.g. Minato City
Procedures differ by ward. See our editorial policy for how we research and update guides.
