Moving to Japan checklist

Last checked: 2026-11-06

Your first job after arriving is to register your address at your city or ward office within 14 days of moving in. Health insurance, pension and your My Number are all handled from that step, so do it before the rest.

The checklist by deadline

When	Task	Where	Cost or detail
At the airport	Check you received a residence card. If not, keep the passport that shows it will be issued later.	Immigration	Residence fees
Within 14 days of moving in	Register your address	City or ward office	Bring your residence card and passport, plus family documents with a translation if family is joining you
Same visit, if you can	National Health Insurance, unless you join a company plan	City or ward office	Premiums vary by city
Within 14 days	National Pension, Category I, if you are 20 to 59 and not in a company plan	City or ward office	17,920 yen a month in fiscal 2026 and 18,290 yen in fiscal 2027, or apply for an exemption
After registering	Receive your Individual Number. Decide on a My Number Card.	Sent to your address	First card is free
After registering	Open a bank account	Bank or post office	Japan Post Bank needs more than 3 months left on your stay
When you need it	Phone plan	Online or at a counter	Phone plan prices
If you have children	Child allowance, nursery or school	City or ward office	Daycare costs
If you are 40 or older	Long-term care insurance	City or ward office	Hiroshima says this applies to stays over 3 months. Ages 40 to 64 must also be in public medical insurance.

A proxy can sometimes file for you. Yokohama accepts a household member or someone with a letter of proxy.

Example budget for your first month

This is our own sum using figures from our other pages, each checked on the date shown there, to show the scale. It is one person under 40, not on a company plan, in Kashiwa City. Your costs will differ, and it leaves out food, furniture, utilities and flights.

Item	Amount
Move-in cost at 80,000 yen rent, middle case from our deposit and key money page	320,000 yen
Mobal 5GB plan: SIM 4,950 yen plus one month 3,190 yen, as one example	8,140 yen
National Pension, one month	17,920 yen
National Health Insurance at the Kashiwa flat rate, 60,744 yen a year divided by 12	5,062 yen
Total	351,122 yen

The flat health insurance rate assumes no income is counted. We could not confirm how foreign income is treated in your first year. Ask your city.

Later dates to put in your calendar

January 1. Where you live on this date decides your resident tax for that fiscal year.
February 16 to March 15. If your employer does not withhold income tax, Hiroshima City says to file at this time.
June. Resident tax notices go out.
Each move. Register within 14 days at your new office. Moving to another city also means telling your old office.
Period of stay. If your stay is 6 months or longer, you can apply to extend from 3 months before it ends. Your My Number Card may need updating too.
Before a trip. Check special re-entry or a re-entry permit.
If you want to drive. See license conversion costs.
Once you have a home. Check garbage rules and costs, the NHK fee if you have a TV, and inkan registration if someone asks for a seal.
When you leave for good. See our moving out of Japan checklist.

Mistakes to avoid

Waiting for your employer. The Japan Pension Service says you must be covered as Category I from your entry until you join your employer's plan or become a Category III spouse. Ask your employer when your enrollment starts.
Starting the 14 days too late. The period runs from the day you move in, as Yokohama puts it, or from when you settle at your address.
Applying for a bank account near the end of your stay. Japan Post Bank will not open one if your stay ends within 3 months.
Going to the wrong office. Hiroshima City sends changes to your name, nationality or status to immigration, not the city office.

What we could not confirm

Guidebook. The agency's English guidebook was too large for us to open, so we used city pages and the agency's own page on the 14-day notification.
City differences. Offices, documents and fees vary. Check your own city's English page.
Home internet. We did not verify prices or contract terms, so we left it out.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Your city office can confirm what you need.

Check current plans and prices on Mobal.

See Mobal Japan SIM plans

Check current monthly plans and prices on Sakura Mobile.

See Sakura Mobile monthly plans