How to Get a Juminhyo in Japan: Certificate of Residence

Introduction

We often hear the same story: your company asks you to bring in a juminhyo, you go to the city office, and the clerk immediately starts asking questions. Do you want My Number (Individual Number) included? The whole household? Plenty of people freeze in that moment, say yes to everything without fully understanding what’s being asked, and walk out with a juminhyo that doesn’t match what the recipient actually wanted.

A juminhyo turns out to come up in more situations than you’d expect once you’re living in Japan.

• Starting a job
• Opening a bank account
• Buying a car or motorbike
• Handling paperwork for a child

Each time means another trip to the city office, and each request actually involves a few choices you get to make. Choose wrong, and you’ll be back again to get it redone.

Here’s the part we most want you to know. If you’re not a Japanese national, your juminhyo can show your residence status (the reason and category under which you’re allowed to be in Japan, what people usually call your “visa type”) and your Residence Card number, and you get to decide whether those lines appear. The catch is that what happens when you say nothing differs from one municipality to the next. Some leave those fields off unless you ask for them; others print everything by default and only omit on request. So whether you want them shown or hidden, say so out loud when you make the request. Convenience store issuance is different again: in some municipalities it prints those fields automatically, with no way to remove them.

Below, we’ll walk through how to get one at the counter, a convenience store, by mail, or online, along with tips for each, and the notifications you’ll need to file when you move or leave Japan.

When You’ll Need a Juminhyo

A juminhyo is the municipal government’s proof that a specific person lives at a specific address. Here are the situations where it usually comes up.

As you can see, what’s required depends on the situation, which is exactly why it pays to ask the recipient beforehand: do they need My Number included, and do they need the whole household?

One more thing to keep in mind: a juminhyo itself has no expiration date. That said, a recipient may set its own condition, such as requiring one issued within the last three or six months. Getting yours too early can mean it’s already considered expired by the time you actually submit it.

Who Appears on a Juminhyo, and What It Shows

Whether you’re registered on a juminhyo

Anyone living in Japan is registered on a juminhyo regardless of nationality, though not absolutely everyone qualifies.

People who are registered

• Mid- to long-term residents: anyone who holds a Residence Card (Zairyu Card) and has been in Japan for more than three months
• Special Permanent Residents: people who hold special permanent residency status for historical reasons
• People granted temporary refuge or provisional stay, such as those with a pending refugee application, allowed to remain in Japan temporarily
• People in transitional status due to birth or loss of nationality, such as a baby just born in Japan or someone who has just lost Japanese nationality, allowed to remain for a limited time under these circumstances

People who are not registered

• Anyone on a “Temporary Visitor” status
• Anyone without a residence status

This system began on July 9, 2012. Before that date, residents without Japanese nationality were managed under the former Alien Registration system (gaikokujin toroku), kept apart from Japanese nationals’ records. Today everyone is included in the same Basic Resident Register (Juminhyo Kihon Daicho), the framework that manages resident records as a whole.

(Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Basic Resident Registration System for Foreign Residents: Resident Record")

When you arrive in Japan and file a Moving-in Notification (Tennyu Todoke), which tells your municipal office that you’re starting to live there, your juminhyo is created for the first time. That’s also the moment your 12-digit My Number is assigned. In principle, you keep the same My Number for life: even if you leave Japan and come back later, you’re issued the same number again.

We explain the “Specified Residence Card,” which combines your Residence Card and My Number Card into one, here.

Visa & Legal Japan’s Specified Residence Card Launches June 2026: Benefits, How to Apply, and What to Know About the Combined Card A plain-English guide to Japan's Specified Residence Card, launching June 14, 2026. What changes when your Residence Car… Read related article

What’s printed on the document

On top of the same fields found on a Japanese national’s juminhyo, a few residence-related items are added if you’re not a Japanese national.

Fields shown regardless of nationality

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Address
• Relationship to the head of household (such as “husband,” “wife,” or “child”)
• Date you moved in

Fields added if you’re not a Japanese national

• Nationality/region
• Residence status
• Period of stay and its expiration date
• Residence card number

In other words, handing over a juminhyo with these fields on it also tells the recipient exactly which visa you hold and when it expires. That’s rarely an issue when it’s going to an employer. But you might also end up submitting it to a real estate agency or a shop, recipients who have no real need for that level of detail. Which is exactly why the next section matters.

You can choose what gets printed

Every item listed above can be included or left off at the time you make your request. What isn’t consistent is the default when you don’t specify anything. Shinjuku City lists nationality, residence status, period of stay, and Residence Card number as omitted as a matter of course, with inclusion available on request. Okayama City describes the opposite: for residents who aren’t Japanese nationals, it issues a copy with essentially everything printed, and omits fields on request.

(Source: Shinjuku City, "Certificates Related to Resident Records"; Okayama City, "What is written on a juminhyo?")

The practical upshot is that you don’t need to memorize which approach your city takes. Say “please include this” or “please leave this off” when you request it, and you get the same result either way. Leave it to the counter’s default and you risk a mismatch with what the recipient wanted.

Use the table below as a rough guide for which fields to include in which situations.

When you’re unsure, the question to ask is simple: does this particular recipient actually need this particular piece of information? Use that as your guide and you won’t go far wrong.

Four Ways to Get One: City Hall, Konbini, Mail, and Online

At the city hall counter

This means the counter at the city hall, ward office, or branch office where you’re registered. It’s the most reliable option, and you can ask questions on the spot.

• What to bring: Your Residence Card (or a My Number Card, driver’s license, or other photo ID)
• Fee: Around ¥300 per copy (varies by municipality)
• Time needed: About 10 to 20 minutes if it’s not busy
• Hours: Weekdays only, typically around 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If someone else is picking it up on your behalf, they need a letter of proxy (a document authorizing them to handle the procedure for you). Family members in the same household can usually request it without one, though.

At a convenience store

This option is only available if you have a My Number Card. If you do, it’s by far the more convenient route.

• What you need: Your My Number Card and the 4-digit PIN you set
• Fee: Roughly ¥200–250 per copy, cheaper than the counter in many municipalities
• Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., including weekends and public holidays
• Where: The multi-function copiers at 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart, and similar stores

(Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "My Number System and My Number Card: Convenience Store Issuance")

You no longer need to take a weekday off work to visit the city office. That’s the single most obvious benefit of having a My Number Card.

There are two things to watch out for, though. First, not every municipality offers this service. More are adding it all the time, but some areas still aren’t covered. You can check whether yours is covered using the official list, which lets you look up your municipality directly.

Convenience Store Issuance: Participating Municipalities

Second, convenience stores may not let you choose which fields get printed at all. In some municipalities the convenience store version always prints your nationality, residence status, period of stay, and Residence Card number, and there is no way to leave them off. If you want to submit a juminhyo without your residence status on it, use the counter instead.

(Source: Itabashi City, "Obtaining a Copy of Your Resident Record at a Convenience Store")

If you don’t have a My Number Card yet, we’ve laid out the full process from application to pickup separately.

Visa & Legal How to Get a My Number Card in Japan: Apply, Pick Up, Renew Applying for a My Number Card in Japan? See the four ways to apply, photo rules, PIN setup, pickup steps, and the expira… Read related article

By mail

This is the option for when you need a juminhyo from a municipality you no longer live in and can’t get there in person, for example right after a move, when your previous municipality is now far away.

• An application form (downloadable from that municipality’s website)
• A copy of your photo ID
• A fixed-amount postal money order (teigaku kogawase) covering the fee, which is a certificate for a set amount that you buy at a post office
• A self-addressed return envelope with postage attached

Once you send these, it typically takes one to two weeks to arrive, so it’s not a good option if you’re in a hurry. The postal money order can’t be replaced with cash or stamps, so you’ll need to visit a post office counter during its opening hours to buy one.

Requesting one online

A growing number of municipalities let you request a juminhyo from your smartphone through services like Mynaportal (the government’s My Number web portal). You complete the application and pay the fee online, and the finished juminhyo arrives at your home by mail.

• What you need: A My Number Card and a smartphone that can read it
• Time to receive it: A few days to about a week from application, since it’s mailed to you
• Hours: You can apply anytime, regardless of the municipality’s counter hours

It’s convenient, but coverage is still limited. It’s completely normal for the neighboring city in the same prefecture to offer it while yours doesn’t yet. And even where it’s available, the range of certificates you can request and the level of control over what’s printed may not match what you’d get at the counter.

If convenience store issuance is available where you live, that’s the faster option since you receive it on the spot. Online requests make the most sense if your municipality doesn’t offer convenience store issuance, or if you’d simply rather not leave the house.

Comparing the four methods

The Four Things You’ll Always Be Asked

When you request one at the counter or by mail, these are the four things you’ll need to decide. Sort them out before you go and nothing at the counter will catch you off guard (convenience store issuance gives you far less control over these).

1. Whole household or individual only

Choosing whole household lists everyone registered at the same address as you. Individual only covers just you. Procedures that need to prove a family relationship, such as daycare, child allowance, or a family member’s visa application, usually call for the whole household. Individual only is generally enough for everything else.

2. Include My Number or not

Include it when submitting to your employer. Most other situations don’t require it. A juminhyo with My Number printed on it needs careful handling, so if you don’t need it, it’s safer to leave it off.

If you already have a My Number Card, that alone is enough to share the number with an employer. The “juminhyo with My Number” version is mainly for people who don’t have the card yet.

We’ve put together the full document checklist for starting a job here.

Work & Career Part-Time Job Documents in Japan: What to Prepare A practical guide to the paperwork for a part-time job in Japan: the five documents almost everyone needs, handling My N… Read related article

3. Include your relationship to the head of household or not

This is the “husband,” “wife,” or “child” line that applies when you live with family. Include it when you need to demonstrate that family relationship.

4. Include nationality or residence status or not

As covered earlier, at the counter and by mail this is your choice. Because the default varies by municipality, say it out loud either way: “please leave off the residence status” or “please include the residence status.” Either phrasing gets you what you need.

Moving Within 14 Days: The Moving-in Notification and Your Juminhyo

A juminhyo records where you’re currently living. If you move without filing the notification, there’s simply no juminhyo for your new address, which means you have nothing to hand to an employer or a city office.

What to do when you move

The steps differ depending on whether you’re moving within the same municipality or to a different one.

Moving to a different municipality

1. Before you move, file a Moving-out Notification (Tenshutsu Todoke) at your current municipal office, telling them you’re moving away. Many municipalities accept this starting 14 days before your planned move date.
2. After you move, file a Moving-in Notification (Tennyu Todoke) at your new municipal office, telling them you’re starting to live there. The deadline is within 14 days of your move.
3. At the same counter where you file the Moving-in Notification, have your new address written on the back of your Residence Card.

Moving within the same municipality

You don’t need a Moving-out Notification. Within 14 days of your move, file a Change-of-Address Notification (Tenkyo Todoke), the procedure for moving within the same municipality, and have your Residence Card address updated at the same counter.

What happens if you put off the notification

Putting off your address change notification affects more than just your juminhyo. Leave it too long, and these consequences start to show up.

• You can’t get a juminhyo for your new address, which holds up job paperwork and contracts
• Your Residence Card still shows your old address, which can be flagged when you renew your period of stay
• Notices from the city office covering tax, insurance, child allowance, and the like keep going to your old address
• Bank and driver’s license address changes may not be possible without a current juminhyo

Moving day is chaotic enough with all the boxes, so realistically, the easiest approach is to set aside time the following week to handle the city office paperwork all at once.

For bank account and driver’s license address changes, we’ve laid out each process in separate articles.

Leaving Japan: The Moving-out Notification and Your Juminhyo

The paperwork for leaving Japan matters just as much as the paperwork for arriving. There’s less information out there about it, though, so people tend to overlook it. We’ll go into more detail here.

File the moving-out notification before you leave

If you’ll be away from Japan for a year or more, or you’re returning home with no plan to come back, file a Moving-out Notification at your municipal office before you leave. Since you’re moving overseas, write the name of your destination country in the field for your new address.

Once you file it, your juminhyo is removed. What remains is a removed resident record (juminhyo no johyo), the record kept after a juminhyo is deleted, and you can request a copy of it whenever you need one.

Here are a few things worth confirming at the counter when you leave.

• Your National Health Insurance qualification confirmation document (shikaku kakuninsho). Paper insurance cards stopped being usable at the end of July 2026, replaced by either the My Number Card used as an insurance card or this document. Your coverage ends once you file the notification, so check at the counter what to do with it
• Your My Number Card (it stops working once your juminhyo is removed, so it’s returned at the counter)
• Your Residence Card (returned at the airport when you leave; the process differs if you have a re-entry permit)

What happens if you don’t file it

If you leave Japan without filing a Moving-out Notification, your juminhyo stays active. And an active juminhyo means the system continues to treat you as living in Japan.

• You may keep being assessed resident tax
• You may be required to keep paying National Health Insurance or National Pension premiums
• Sorting things out after you’ve already left becomes much harder

Handling this from overseas after you’ve left turns into a real hassle, just from the back-and-forth over paperwork alone. It only takes one visit before you leave, so don’t skip it.

Why it matters for your pension refund

If you have six months or more under either the National Pension or Employees’ Pension Insurance, you can claim a lump-sum withdrawal payment, a refund covering the contributions you made, after you return home. The six months is counted separately for each scheme, so you can’t add the two together to reach it. For the National Pension, months you didn’t actually pay don’t count. One of the required documents is proof that you no longer have an address in Japan, and a copy of your removed resident record is what serves that purpose.

In other words, without having filed the Moving-out Notification, you can’t prove you no longer have an address in Japan, and that stops your lump-sum withdrawal claim from moving forward. There’s also a two-year deadline from your departure date, so it’s worth working out the sequence as soon as you know you’re heading home.

(Source: Japan Pension Service, "Procedures for Claiming the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment")

If you come back to Japan later

Some people go home and then end up living in Japan again years later. If that happens, filing a Moving-in Notification at your new municipality creates a fresh juminhyo.

At that point, your My Number goes back to being the same number as before, since the number itself never changes over your lifetime. Having a document that shows your previous My Number on hand makes the process go more smoothly.

Five Common Mistakes

1. Going without checking with the recipient first, and having to redo it

This is the most common mistake. Whether to include My Number, and whole household or individual only: skip confirming these two, and there’s a good chance you’ll need to go back and do it again, wasting both the fee and the round trip.

2. Forgetting your PIN at the convenience store

This is the 4-digit PIN for your My Number Card. Get it wrong three times in a row and the card locks, which means a trip to the city office to unlock it. Make sure you remember it before you head to the convenience store.

3. Mixing up the juminhyo with the juminhyo kisai jiko shomeisho

The names sound similar, but they’re different documents. Some employers hand you a fixed-form sheet called a juminhyo kisai jiko shomeisho (a certificate confirming specific details from your resident record) and ask you to get it certified at the city office. If you’ve been given a form like that, bring it with you to the counter.

4. Getting one too early, so it’s expired by the time you submit it

A juminhyo itself has no expiration date, but recipients often set their own condition, like requiring one issued within the last three months. It’s more reliable to wait until your procedure date is confirmed before getting one.

5. Leaving Japan without filing the Moving-out Notification

As covered earlier, this is the hardest one to fix after the fact. Beyond ongoing resident tax and insurance charges, it also affects your lump-sum withdrawal payment claim.

FAQ

Q: Can I get a juminhyo at any city office?

A: At the counter, you can only get one from the municipality where you’re registered, and you can’t request a juminhyo for someone registered elsewhere. With a My Number Card and convenience store issuance, though, you can get your own juminhyo from a convenience store anywhere in Japan.

Q: Can I get a juminhyo for a family member?

A: If you’re in the same household, most municipalities let you request it without a letter of proxy. For family in a different household, or for a friend, a letter of proxy is required.

Q: My period of stay is almost expiring. Can I still get a juminhyo?

A: Yes, you can still get one while your renewal is in progress. Keep in mind that if the recipient has asked for your period of stay, the juminhyo will show its expiration date too, so they’ll be able to see it’s coming up. The renewal process itself is covered in a separate article.

Japan Visa Renewal Guide

Q: Is it okay to give a juminhyo with My Number to someone other than my employer?

A: By law, My Number can’t be collected from you or provided by you for any purpose beyond what’s specifically permitted. An employer collecting it for tax and social insurance procedures is a legitimate purpose. If anyone else asks for it, it’s worth checking whether they genuinely need it.

Q: Can I get a juminhyo in English?

A: As a rule, it’s issued in Japanese only. If you need an English version, you’d either use a translation service or translate it yourself and follow the recipient’s instructions. Some municipalities do prepare bilingual forms, so it’s worth asking at the counter.

Q: What’s the difference between a juminhyo and a juminhyo kisai jiko shomeisho?

A: A copy of your juminhyo reproduces your resident record as it stands, certified by the municipal office. A juminhyo kisai jiko shomeisho is a fixed form, usually supplied by an employer, on which the municipal office certifies only the specific items that form asks for. If your company handed you a sheet to fill in, that’s the second one, so bring that sheet to the counter. Follow whatever the recipient specifies.

Q: How long can I request a removed resident record?

A: Since June 20, 2019, removed resident records are kept for 150 years, up from the previous five. Records whose old retention period had already run out, meaning those deleted on or before March 31, 2014, can’t be issued. For anyone leaving Japan now, treat it as effectively permanent, though if you expect to claim a lump-sum pension withdrawal it’s safest to get the copies you need before you go.

(Source: Nakano City, "What is a removed resident record?")

Q: Can I get a juminhyo at a convenience store for a family member without a My Number Card?

A: It depends on your municipality. Some let you select “whole household” or “part of the household” using your own card, so a family member’s details can be printed. Others only issue the record of the person whose card is read by the machine. The counter is the reliable route for a whole-household copy. If you want to use a convenience store, check your city or ward’s convenience store issuance page first to see whether “whole household” is one of the available options.

Q: How do I find out whether my municipality offers online requests?

A: The most reliable route is your own city or ward’s official website, looking for pages on online or electronic applications for certificates. Online request systems differ by municipality in both availability and the platform used, so there’s no single nationwide list. Convenience store issuance is different, and does have a searchable list of participating municipalities.

Before You Go: What to Decide First

Once you actually have it, a juminhyo is just a few hundred yen and a sheet of paper. The frustrating part is standing at the counter facing choices you didn’t know you had.

Before you leave the house, settle just these four things.

• Who it’s for, and what it’s being used for
• Whole household or individual only
• Whether to include My Number
• Whether nationality and residence status need to be included

And if you’re in a hurry and have a My Number Card, go with the convenience store. It’s available from 6:30 in the morning until 11:00 at night, including weekends, and it’s often cheaper than the counter. The one exception is when you want your residence status or nationality left off, in which case use the counter, since some municipalities print those automatically and can’t remove them. Get that distinction right and you’ll rarely need a weekday off work for this again.

The 14-day notification after a move, and the Moving-out Notification when you leave Japan. Keep both of these filed away alongside your juminhyo know-how so they don’t catch you off guard. The moving-out one especially: skip it before you leave, and untangling the consequences takes real time.

If you haven’t gotten a My Number Card yet, this is a good moment to consider it. The convenience alone, just for juminhyo requests, makes it worthwhile.

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