Japan deadlines for foreign residents
Last checked: 2026-11-06
Search the dates and time limits that matter when you arrive, live in or leave Japan. Each row shows who it is for, how firmly we could confirm it, and the page we took it from.
38 entries
| Task | Deadline or limit | Who | Evidence | Caveat or detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Register your address | Within 14 days of moving in | New arrivals | Official page | The agency says within 14 days of settling at your address, at the municipal office, with no fee. Yokohama counts from the day you move in. | Immigration address notice |
| Register again after a move | Within 14 days, at your new office | Anyone who moves | City page | Moving to another city also means telling your old office. Offices and documents vary by city. | City of Yokohama |
| Enroll in National Pension, Category I | Within 14 days, at the municipal office | Ages 20 to 59, not in a company plan | Official page | You must be covered from your entry until you join your employer's plan or become a Category III spouse. Ask your employer when your enrollment starts. | Japan Pension Service |
| Join National Health Insurance after leaving employees' insurance | Complete the procedure within 14 days | People leaving employees' health insurance | Official page | The MHLW leaflet states no deadline for people who have just arrived. Our checklist suggests the same visit as registering your address. | MHLW leaflet |
| Open a Japan Post Bank account | Your stay must not end within 3 months of applying | Japan Post Bank applicants with a residence card | Official page | Renew first, then apply with your new card. The bank can still refuse. We checked only this bank. | Japan Post Bank |
| Close your Japan Post Bank account | Before you leave Japan | Japan Post Bank customers leaving Japan | Official page | The bank asks you to close it. It also says passing or selling your passbook or card to someone else is a crime. | Japan Post Bank |
| Apply to extend your stay | On or before the day your stay expires. From 3 months before, if your stay is 6 months or longer. | People extending a period of stay | Official page | Go to the regional immigration office for your address, or apply online. | Immigration extension page |
| Apply to change your status | When the reason arises, no later than the day your stay expires | People changing status of residence | Official page | Fees depend on the period of stay granted. | Immigration change of status page |
| Permanent residence: new guideline rules | Applications from April 1, 2027 | Permanent residence applicants | Official page | The guideline was revised on October 1, 2026. The income and public charge sections also cover applications filed up to 6 months before the revision and still pending on that date. | Immigration PR guideline |
| Permanent residence: years in Japan | Generally 10 years, including 5 on a work or resident status | Permanent residence applicants | Official page | Shorter periods apply in some cases, such as spouses of Japanese nationals and highly skilled professionals. Check the guideline for your case. | Immigration PR guideline |
| Permanent residence: absences from Japan | A single trip over 6 months, or over 2.5 years in total in the past 10 years, generally counts against you | Permanent residence applicants | Official page | Plan your re-entry with this in mind. | Immigration PR guideline |
| Naturalization: years in Japan | In principle 10 or more years in practice, since April 1, 2026. The law's 5 years stays as a precondition. | Naturalization applicants | Sources differ | The Ministry of Justice nationality page still leads with 5 years. We rely on the Minister's dated statement. Ask the Legal Affairs Bureau. | Minister's press conference |
| Return under special re-entry | 1 year after you leave, or the end of your period of stay if that comes first. Special permanent residents: 2 years. | Residence card holders, with exceptions | Official page | Without a permit or special re-entry, your status lapses when you leave. The agency's Q and A says special re-entry cannot be extended overseas. | Immigration special re-entry |
| Return under a re-entry permit | Up to 5 years, within your current period of stay. Special permanent residents: up to 6 years. | People on longer trips | Official page | Apply before you leave. The extension rules for ordinary permits are unconfirmed. | Immigration re-entry permit |
| Return your residence card after a late return | Within 14 days of the card lapsing | People who did not return in time | Official page | The agency's page names people who left on a re-entry permit and did not return within its validity. Its special re-entry page does not cover this. Ask immigration before a late return. | Immigration card return page |
| Update your My Number Card after an extension | Before the card expires, which is the end of your period of stay for most foreign residents | Most foreign residents with a card | City page | Otaru says a missed date makes the card invalid, and that it can extend the card by 2 months while immigration decides. We read the 2 months only on Otaru's page. | Otaru City |
| Renew your card's electronic certificate | Usually the 5th birthday after issue. Inagi says it ends with your period of stay if that comes first. | Card holders | Sources differ | The general Digital Agency page does not mention the period of stay rule. Use the city and immigration pages for your case. | Inagi City |
| Return or keep your My Number Card when leaving | When you leave Japan | Card holders moving abroad | Sources differ | The Digital Agency FAQ says people without Japanese nationality must return it. The official site's FAQ says you can keep using it after procedures if you move overseas. Ask your city office before you move out. | Digital Agency FAQ |
| January 1 address for resident tax | January 1 each year | Residents | City page | Where you live on this date decides your resident tax for that fiscal year. With no Japan address that day, you generally owe none for that fiscal year. | Higashi-Hiroshima City |
| Resident tax through your salary | June to the next May | Most employees | City page | Called special collection. Notices go out in June. | Higashi-Hiroshima City |
| Resident tax paid directly | June, August, October and January in Higashi-Hiroshima | People who pay directly | City page | Called ordinary collection. Dates are for this one city. Check your own notice. | Higashi-Hiroshima City |
| File an income tax return | February 16 to March 15 of the next year | People whose employer does not withhold tax | City page | As stated by Hiroshima City. Employees with tax withheld may have other reasons to file. Ask the tax office. | Hiroshima City |
| Appoint a tax agent for resident tax | Before you leave Japan | People who cannot receive notices or pay from abroad | City page | Higashiosaka says the agent does not need to be a relative. Leaving does not cancel a year's tax if you had an address on January 1. | Higashiosaka City |
| Leaving between January 2 and the notice date | January 2 to the date the notice is issued | People leaving Japan in Higashiosaka | City page | Higashiosaka says you are also taxed for the following fiscal year. Rules can differ by city, so ask yours. | Higashiosaka City |
| Resident tax after leaving a job, Saitama | June 1 to December 31: ordinary or lump-sum collection. January 1 to April 30: lump-sum collection. | Employees leaving a job | Sources differ | Higashiosaka gives January 1 to May 31 for a lump sum. Dates differ by city, so ask yours. | Saitama City |
| Resident tax after leaving a job, Higashiosaka | January 1 to May 31: a lump sum is generally required | Employees leaving a job | Sources differ | Saitama gives January 1 to April 30. Dates differ by city, so ask yours. | Higashiosaka City |
| Apply for a National Pension exemption for past months | Up to 2 years and 1 month back, if the payment deadline is within 2 years | Category I members | Official page | You must apply. An approved exemption is not the same as simply not paying. Income limits apply. | Japan Pension Service |
| Apply again for an exemption or deferral | Each fiscal year. The student deferral runs from April to March. | Category I members | Official page | A full exemption or deferral can continue automatically if you ask. | Japan Pension Service |
| Pay exempt or deferred months later | Within 10 years | Category I members with exempt months | Official page | For the student deferral, a surcharge applies from the third fiscal year after the approved year. | Japan Pension Service |
| Claim the pension lump-sum withdrawal | Within 2 years of the date you no longer had an address in Japan | People without Japanese nationality who meet the conditions | Sources differ | The English web page says within two years of leaving Japan. We use the wording on the claim form. Claiming cancels all your earlier Japanese pension periods. | Japan Pension Service form |
| Lump-sum withdrawal: months that count | At least 6 months, and under 120 months of eligibility. Calculated on 60 months at most. | People without Japanese nationality | Official page | The cap is 36 months if all your periods ended by March 2021. With 61 months or more, you still lose every month if you claim. | Japan Pension Service |
| File a tax agent notification for the lump-sum refund | Before you leave Japan. If you did not, file it with the return. | Employees' Pension claimants seeking a refund of the 20.42% withholding | Official page | You may be able to get a refund through the tax office for your last address in Japan. Ask the tax office about your case. | Japan Pension Service form |
| Planned lump-sum changes | No start date found. MHLW says within four years of the law's promulgation. | Future claimants | Planned change | Not yet in force. The cap would rise from five to eight years, with no payment to someone leaving with a valid re-entry permit. Check again before you claim. | MHLW overview |
| Get a resident record for license conversion | Issued within 6 months | Foreign license conversion applicants | Official page | It must be an original and show items such as nationality, status of residence, period of stay and residence card number. Ask for these at the city office. | Tokyo Metropolitan Police |
| Time in the country that issued your license | A total of 3 months after the license was issued | Foreign license conversion applicants | Official page | Old passports may be needed. Kanagawa says stamps are not enough for some countries, such as EU countries. | Tokyo Metropolitan Police |
| Pass both tests in Kanagawa | While your foreign license is valid | Kanagawa applicants who need both tests | Official page | Stated by Kanagawa. Ask your own test center. Some countries and regions have the tests waived. | Kanagawa Police |
| Free daycare period, ages 3 to 5 | From the April after the child turns 3 until starting elementary school | Families using eligible care | Official page | Meals, transport and events are usually extra. Some care types have caps and need a certificate of need. | Children and Families Agency |
| Apply for daycare in Fukuoka City | At least one month before the start date. Start dates are the 1st, 11th or 21st. | Fukuoka City families | City page | Other cities have other deadlines, so ask your own ward office early. | Fukuoka City |
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How to read this data
- Stage groups rows by arriving, living in Japan, and traveling or leaving.
- City rows are examples. Rows marked "City page" come from one city or a few cities. Your city may differ.
- Evidence. "Sources differ" means pages disagree, so ask the office. "Search excerpt" means we could not read the document itself. "Planned change" is not in force yet.
- Check who it is for. A row does not mean a rule applies to you. Read the Who column and ask the office named on the guide.
Worked example
These two examples use our own dates and the rules in the table.
- A trip. You leave on November 10, 2026, and your stay ends on March 31, 2027. Special re-entry ends on March 31, 2027, not in November 2027, because the earlier date applies.
- First resident tax. You arrive in February 2026. Your first January 1 in Japan is January 1, 2027, so your first tax is based on 2026 income and your first payment comes in June 2027.
What it leaves out
- Dates with no stated limit. Japan Post Bank asks you to tell it quickly when your card or address changes, but we found no number of days.
- New arrivals and health insurance. We found no stated deadline, so we show only the 14 days for people leaving employees' insurance.
- Income earned abroad. We could not confirm how it counts for tax, health insurance or the pension exemption in your first year.
- Private services. Phone contracts and money transfer limits are not listed.
For the first steps in order, use our moving checklist. For what these procedures cost, see the government fees database. Before a long trip, read special re-entry or a re-entry permit. Before you leave for good, read about the pension lump-sum withdrawal and resident tax.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change. Check the official page and ask the office for your own case.