If you are planning to move to Japan, you might be wondering what kind of paper work will be necessary once you reach Japan. We will provide details on what to do if you are moving to Japan, or moving to a different location within Japan.
What to do once you arrive in Japan
When arriving in Japan, the following documents or paper work will be required.
- Entry permit ( at airport )
- Application for residence card ( at airport or immigration bureau )
- Registration of residence ( at your the city hall of your residence )
Issuing entry permit and residence card
Once your entry with a visa is approved, you will need to receive your residence card.
After your visa is issued by your home country, a residence card will always be required for mid to long-term residence.
If you enter Japan through specified airports, custom will approve your immigration and a residence card will be issued to you on the spot.
Residence cards will be issued upon your entry permit at the following 7 airports.
- Shin-Chitose airport ( Hokkaido )
- Narita airport ( Chiba )
- Haneda airport ( Tokyo )
- Chubu Internationa airport ( Aichi)
- Kansai International airport ( Osaka )
- Hiroshima airport
- Fukuoka airport
We specialize in high-quality real estate in the Tokyo and Chiba area. However, we cannot introduce you to any real estate without a proper residence card.
That is why we recommend you to enter Japan through any of the aforementioned airports when applying for a residence card. Application will be easier and you can receive you residence card right away.
Receiving your residence card after after settling to Japan
If you enter Japan through other airports, you will receive an entry permit stamp stating that you are to apply for residence card on a later date.
If you are applying for residence card on a later date, you can apply for it at the city hall of your residence. You must first register your place of residence. Your residence card will be sent to your address in roughly 10 days after the date of registration via registered mail.
Registering your address
Starting from 2017, foreign nationals, along with local residents, must register their personal information.
Therefore, it is necessary for people moving into Japan or moving to other places to register their new address within 14 days.
If you have family members living with you, you will need to have them registered as well. If you fail to register properly, you will be penalized.
- criminal prosecutions
- your residential status will be revoked
That is why we recommend you to apply without delay. If you don’t know what to do, don’t hesitate to contact us.
If you plan to move to a different location in Japan
When moving from one city to another, it is important that you submit an application stating that you will move out of the city. You must also register your new residence at your local city hall. If you plan to move to a different location within the same city, you will still need to apply for address change.
If your have family members moving who are moving with you, you will also need to have their residential cards ( or permanent resident card ) and passports during application.
What to do at your city hall of old residence
As mentioned earlier, if you plan to move to a different city, you will need to apply for address change at your old city hall and receive a transfer certificate. You will also need the following documents.
- Residential card ( or permanent resident card )
- Passport
** For families, both residential cards and passorts for all members are required
What to do at the city hall of new residence
Go to the city hall of your new residence and apply for registration. You will need the transfer certificate issued by your old city hall. You will also need the following documents.
- Residential card ( or permanent resident card )
- Passport
** For families, both residential cards and passorts for all members are required
Where to do the paper work
You will notice that certain municipalities have both ward offices and a city hall. What are the differences?
Basically, both ward offices and city halls function in similar manners.
Just keep in mind that big cities with a population of 500,000 or more are referred to as “government designated cities” and have both a city hall and ward offices. The ward offices function as local branches for the city hall. However, certain paperwork and registration can only be done at either the city all or ward office. So we recommend you to check in advance.
If you plan to move to central Tokyo ( or one of the 23 wards ), most of the paper work will be carried out at the ward offices. Just keep in mind that Tokyo’s 23 wards may function differently than the ones of the designated cities.
There are 5 designated cities surrounding the Tokyo area.
- Saitama city ( Saitama pref )
- Chiba city ( Chiba pref )
- Kawasaki ( Kanagawa pref )
- Yokohama ( Kanagawa pref )
- Sagamihara ( Kanagawa pref )
You can see the list of Municipalities whose real estate we deal with.
Tokyo area : https://www.tokyo-icc.jp/guide_eng/gov/01.html ）
Chiba area: https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/english/government/municipalities.html ）
If you have plans to move to Japan or need help getting settled, we’d be glad to assist you. We can also help you from choosing the right apartment to assisting you with the paperwork, as well as provide support for your everyday life.
For details regarding support, refer to: our services
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