Japan Post for foreign residents: parcels, forwarding and services

As of October 2026, the post office in Japan, Japan Post (日本郵便, Nihon Yūbin), will forward mail and parcels from your old address to a new address in Japan for one year, but not overseas. It holds your mail for 30 days while you are away, and ships parcels abroad with EMS from ¥1,450. Most counter staff speak little English, so the main tools are a translation sheet and an English line for delivery questions.

What can a foreign resident do at a Japanese post office?

How does mail forwarding work after you move?

Japan Post says it can forward mail and parcels sent to a former address for one year. You can register online, but that route is in Japanese only. In person, bring ID that shows your former address: a driver’s license, passport, resident registration card or residence certificate,.

Forwarding overseas is not available. If you are leaving Japan, you still need to update your address with senders. See our leaving Japan checklist and address change guide.

How do I hold my mail while I’m away?

File a notice of absence in advance at your local post office and show ID. Japan Post holds your mail for a total of 30 days, then delivery resumes. The English guide describes this as an in-person step.

How do I send a parcel abroad?

Japan Post lists these main options for goods: EMS, International Air Packet and Small Packets (each for small items under 2 kg), and International Parcel Post (2 kg or more, with a choice of speed and rate).

EMS is the fastest. Japan Post says it takes documents and goods up to 30 kg to over 120 countries and territories, and rates start from ¥1,450. Tracking uses a 13-digit number. The EMS page marks its tracking link “Japanese Version Only,” while the international mail list page does not, so be ready to use a translation tool or the destination country’s postal tracking.

Check rates, delivery days and prohibited items on Japan Post’s fee pages before you go. We did not find delivery times for specific countries on the pages we reviewed, so we give none here.

What if I do not speak Japanese at the counter?

Japan Post offers the Yubisashi translation tool: PDFs in English, Chinese and Korean for sending letters and parcels, asking for redelivery and submitting absence or address-change notices. You point to the phrase you need.

For delivery questions, the English line is 0570-046-111, daily 8:00 to 21:00. The call is chargeable and does not work from PHS or some IP phones.

What do I do when a delivery notice is in my mailbox?

You have three routes, as of October 2026:

Japan Post also lists leave-at-door delivery (置き配), lockers called はこぽす at post offices, convenience stores and stations, post office holding (郵便局留), and a convenience store or post office pickup option for Yu-Pack parcels. These pages are in Japanese. For couriers and time slots, see our parcel delivery guide.

What we could not confirm

We did not find an official domestic holding period for undelivered parcels, so check the slip. We also did not confirm how much English the call center staff speak beyond the “English delivery inquiries” label. Japan Post Bank is a separate bank; see Japan Post Bank for foreigners.