Address change and the 14-day rule for residence card holders

If you move house in Japan, the address change on your residence card (在留カード) must be reported within 14 days of moving, at the city or ward office for your new address. As of October 2026 it is free, and showing your card there counts as the notice to immigration, so you don’t visit an immigration office. This is a duty for every mid- to long-term resident (中長期在留者).

This page covers the immigration side. For the full moving checklist (moving-out notice, My Number card, health insurance, mail), see moving within Japan.

How do I change the address on my residence card?

The Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁, ISA) says you notify the municipal office for your new residence within 14 days of moving there (Immigration Control Act (入管法), Article 19-9). If you bring the card and make your resident registration notice at the same counter, that counts as the immigration notice. You don’t need the separate residence notification form (住居地届出書).

If someone files for you, ISA says you should carry a copy of your residence card.

Who can file for you: you file yourself if you are 16 or older. A relative aged 16 or over who lives with you can file if you are under 16 or can’t come (for illness, a medical certificate), or at your request with a power of attorney (委任状). Koto City says that if you have no card with you on the day, you must come back later with it.

Where is the new address written on the card?

On an ordinary residence card, the registered address is written on the back, according to Koto City. On the specific residence card (特定在留カード), which has My Number card functions and has been issued since 14 June 2026, Koto City says the address is on the front. ISA confirms this card format started on 14 June 2026.

Ota City lists two cases where the back-side entry can’t be made as usual:

• Period of stay or card expired. The address generally can’t be written on the back. The exception is a card with an “application pending” stamp, up to just under two months past the expiry of the period of stay (在留期間).
• Back is full. The city attaches a supplementary sticker (補助用紙), but earlier entries can then no longer be read. To keep them visible, you ask the immigration bureau to exchange the card first; Ota lists a ¥1,600 fee. These rules are one city’s; others may differ.

If your period of stay is near its end, see the visa renewal guide.

Which other changes must I report, and where?

The 14-day deadline applies to several different notices. The address goes to the city office. The others go to immigration.

Name, date of birth, sex, nationality. After a name change (for example through marriage) or a nationality change, you apply at the regional immigration bureau (地方出入国在留管理官署) with the form, one photo, proof of the change, your passport and your current card. Proof is a marriage certificate (a family register copy if you married a Japanese national), documents showing the old nationality was given up plus your new passport, or a birth certificate or court judgment. ISA says a new card is normally issued the same day, though not if your passport hasn’t yet been corrected. Weekday hours are 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00. If you are late, add a written statement of the reasons. Being busy with work or school is not accepted as a reason you can’t come.

Employer or contract organization. If you hold one of these statuses, you must notify immigration within 14 days when your employer changes its name or address or closes, your contract ends, or you start a new one: Highly Skilled Professional, Researcher, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Nursing Care, Skilled Labor, Entertainer (contract-based) and Specified Skilled Worker. You can file online (register first), at a bureau counter with your card, or by mail with a copy of it. ISA’s page doesn’t say whether a fee applies.

Article 19-16 of the Act has more 14-day duties. Holders of statuses such as Student, Business Manager, Medical or Intra-company Transferee must report when their school or organization changes name or location, or when they leave it. Holders of Dependent (as a spouse), Spouse of Japanese National (as a spouse) or Spouse of Permanent Resident (as a spouse) must report a divorce or the spouse’s death within 14 days. We did not confirm how to file these, so ask the Immigration Services Information Center (外国人在留総合インフォメーションセンター) on 0570-013904.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

The Act sets these penalties (as of October 2026):

These are maximums, not what happens in every case. “Can be revoked” means the minister has the power, not that it is automatic.

What if I lose the card while moving?

Losing the card has its own 14-day deadline and a different office. See what to do if you lose your residence card.

More guides: moving within Japan · lost residence card · visa renewal · My Number card for foreigners