Registration, banking and utilities in Tokyo

The status of residence

Almost every route starts with a Certificate of Eligibility, applied for in Japan by your employer, school or other sponsor at the regional immigration bureau, which takes one to three months. With it, the embassy issues the visa in about a week, and the residence card is handed to you at immigration on landing at Narita or Haneda. The status is set by what you do: most office jobs fall under Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services; the points-based Highly Skilled Professional status gives five years at once and a fast track to permanent residence; founders need Business Manager status, which since 16 October 2025 requires ¥30 million in capital, at least one full-time employee and Japanese ability. Remote workers earning ¥10 million or more from abroad can stay up to six months on the digital nomad status.

• Enter within three months of the Certificate of Eligibility being issued.
• Extension and change-of-status fees were raised in April 2025 and further increases have been proposed; check the Immigration Services Agency's current figures.
• Permanent residence normally takes ten years, or one to three for highly skilled professionals.
• Confirm your status and its conditions with the Immigration Services Agency of Japan before relying on this page.

The ward office visit

Within fourteen days of moving into your address you notify the ward or city office, which records your address on your residence card and enters you on the resident register. In the same visit you enrol in national health insurance and the pension scheme if you are not covered through an employer, and you can start the My Number card application. Take everything in one trip: the queues are long and the counters close early.

• Zairyu card, passport and the lease or a proof of your new address.
• Ask for several copies of the juminhyo while you are there — you will need them.
• National Health Insurance and National Pension enrolment happen at the same office.
• Notify the ward office again whenever you move, including within Tokyo.

Hanko, My Number and identity

The inkan or hanko — a personal name seal — is still requested by some landlords, banks and offices, though signatures are increasingly accepted and a government push against seal requirements has removed many of them. A simple ready-made seal covers most needs; a registered jitsuin, recorded at the ward office with a certificate to prove it, is only needed for major transactions. The My Number card is the more important document now: it carries your individual number, functions as photo identification and, since paper health insurance cards stopped being issued in December 2024, is how most clinics check your cover.

• A cheap ready-made hanko covers routine paperwork; have your name carved if it is not a Japanese one.
• Jitsuin registration at the ward office is only needed for large transactions.
• Apply for the My Number card after registering; it is free and takes about a month.
• Without the card, your insurer issues an eligibility certificate (shikaku kakunin-sho) to show at clinics instead.

Bank account and phone

The classic circularity is that some banks want a Japanese phone number and some carriers want a Japanese bank account. The residence card plus a completed ward registration usually breaks it, and Japan Post Bank and the online banks are generally the most accommodating to new arrivals. Note that many banks apply a waiting period before allowing international transfers out, and that a cash card is not a debit card everywhere — Japan remains more cash-dependent than its reputation suggests, though IC cards and QR payment have changed that quickly in the cities.

• Zairyu card, juminhyo, a Japanese phone number and a hanko cover most bank applications.
• Prepaid or eSIM first, then a full contract once the account exists.
• Expect a delay before outbound international transfers are enabled.

Tax, pension and utilities

Income tax is withheld through payroll and reconciled by the employer in a year-end adjustment, while resident tax is levied by your municipality based on the previous year's income — which means your second year in Japan costs noticeably more than your first, a surprise that catches almost everyone. Pension contributions are compulsory, and a lump-sum withdrawal payment is available to some people on leaving Japan, subject to conditions and to any social security agreement with your country.

• Resident tax is billed on the previous year's income — budget for a step up in year two.
• Electricity, gas and water are contracted separately; the gas connection needs someone at home.
• Pension lump-sum withdrawal on departure depends on nationality and bilateral agreements.
• Rules change; confirm your position with the tax office, the pension service or a professional.

In order

1. 1Have your sponsor apply for the Certificate of Eligibility, then get the visa.
2. 2Get a residence card on entry, or collect it at the ward office if issued later.
3. 3Move in, then register your address at the ward office within 14 days.
4. 4Collect several copies of the juminhyo at that visit.
5. 5Enrol in health insurance and the pension scheme if not covered by an employer.
6. 6Buy a hanko and apply for the My Number card.
7. 7Open a bank account, then take out a phone contract.
8. 8Set up electricity, gas and water, booking the gas appointment for a day you are home.