Changing/registering address at city office

I have some questions about changing/registering the place of residence (address) on the ARC/new resident card.

Firstly, I hear that the process this will be rather quick and I can walk away on the same day with my updated card, right?

Secondly, the website of the municipal office of where I'm moving to lists that all I need to bring to the office for this procedure is my resident card, but I find that hard to believe because I'm sure I'll need some proof of residence as well. If not, I'd be able to register any address I want to, even if I didn't live there, right?

Lastly, if I DO need to bring some proof of residence, what qualifies as proof? Because I'm moving to a dorm and not an apartment, I wouldn't have documents from my landlord or anything, so can I just bring my dorm-admission letter as proof?

I hope someone can help shed some light on this matter. Thanks!

Hi, KyomoNoa

Your first question:
It will take 20 or 30 minutes to end the process at the first city office if everything has no problem. During this process, you will be brought to several sectors and asked to write several tiresome documents. After that, if you can move within the same day to a new city where you will move to, you can end the whole registering process only in one day. Can you move to the new city within the same day?

Your second question:
If the second city's office asks you to bring with you your resident card, just bring it with you as written there. According to my survey, since July 9, 2012, all non-Japanese people living in Japan have been required to officially register to be a local resident. This is due to a recent change in Japanese laws (I don't know the change in detail)

By the way, what do you mean to say by the word "resident card"??
Is the card �ZŠîƒJ�[ƒh (Basic Resident Register Card) or �Z–¯•[ (Certificate of Residence Card) ?
The first card is a IC card, while the second card is a paper document.

Your last question:
The first city office will give you the official document called Tenshutsu Shomei-sho (“]�o�Ø–¾�‘). This is a very important paper officially stating that you were an inhabitant of the first city. In order to complete the registering process at the second city (where you will move to), this official document is always required. Visit the second city's office within 14 days after you reach the second city. Unless you visit the second city office within a specified period, your registration could be rejected.

dosanko100,

I am sorry to say this, but the original poster is referring to the ARC (Alien Registration Card), which will be changed over to the New Resident Card (integrated into the Japanese resident registration system) gradually, with which you do not seem to be familiar.

KyomoNoa,

For ARC, you just take your card, report the change, then they write it onto the back of the card and seal it against tampering, so yes it takes only 10 minutes or so (waiting time excluded).

As proof of the address, I don't think you need anything - but if you have something like the dorm admission letter with the address on it, or maybe a utilities bill envelope with your address on it, that would be plenty.

AK

Thank you for your advice.
As you pointed out, I'm not familiar with the ARC card (because I'm a native Japanese).

KyomoNoa

because I'm sure I'll need some proof of residence as well.
If not, I'd be able to register any address I want to, even if I didn't live there, right?

Japan's local residence registration system is based on human reliability. This system works only when people seldom tell a lie.

Of course, you might able to register any address you want to as long as the city office staffs can identify any house and any post there. Basically, the address you will register is the one where you stay at least six months every year, or the city office can't have any means to contact with you via snail mail (this automatically means you will lose a chance to receive some local community services)

By the way, the local residence registration system you mention above, is applied not only to you, but also to native Japanese people like me. I'm thinking the system is a bit annoying.

dosanko100,

I am Japanese too, but because of family circumstances I am familiar with the ARC. To the extent I can, I try to answer only those questions where I feel confident that I can give fairly accurate answers.

Thank you to both dosanko100 and AK!!! My questions have pretty much been answered.

Yes, as AK says, I am referring to the new system for foreigners on a long-term visa moving to Japan, and the resident card is the Zairyou card that was implemented yesterday. Sorry if it was not clear enough.

So basically the city office completely trusts everyone to be honest? That's quite amazing... Thus, I should be able to register my future dorm address one week before I actually move there, am I right?


This might be slightly irrelevant to the topic of this thread, but since there are such valuable information sources here, I thought I'd just ask anyway. As I will be in Japan for 4 years, I plan to subscribe to Softbank's long-term (2-year) postpaid mobile plan for smartphones. Japan-guide's cellphone guide page states that I need both an ARC (now resident card, which if everything goes smoothly, I will have in no time) and a Japanese bank account. However, an acquaintance of mine who is also a foreigner on a student visa says that he was able to get a postpaid plan without a bank account at all. I'm confused right now because one says I need a bank account while another says otherwise...

Also, I am a minor, and need the parental consent form to get a phone plan. Softbank's website states that they also require personal identification (similar to that required of me- ARC/health insurance card etc.) for the parent/guardian. Unfortunately, my parents will not be able to provide such Japanese identification because they are not living in Japan and thus their identification is foreign. What can I do about this?


It's alright if these questions can't be answered, since it's not related to this thread's topic anyway. I just wanted to try my luck on the off chance that somebody here knows the answer. Thanks!

So basically the city office completely trusts everyone to be honest?That's quite amazing...

That is a good aspect of Japanese society. However, some unreliable people are going to destroy this amazing system, as you may know. In the future, everyone will feel it more difficult to do the same process.

Thus, I should be able to register my future dorm address one week before I actually move there, am I right?

The first city office will accept your future dorm address even two weeks (14 days) before before you actually move. The dorm address will be checked out by the second city office to see if the address is still available and active.

However, an acquaintance of mine who is also a foreigner on a student visa says that he was able to get a postpaid plan without a bank account at all. I'm confused right now because one says I need a bank account while another says otherwise...

That is quite an interesting story... Whether you are able to get a postpaid plan easily or not, depends on how reliable official certification documents you can show them then. It seems to me that your acquaintance showed Softbank staffs "something very reliable." The procedure to contract a Softbank postpaid plan might be different from shop to shop.

I see... Thank you again, for answering my questions! This is really helpful because I have certain circumstances that require me to register my address as soon as possible within entering the country.

Thanks!!!

Secondly, the website of the municipal office of where I'm moving to lists that all I need to bring to the office for this

The office will phone the residence/hotel etc to verify your registration.

If not, I'd be able to register any address I want to, even if I didn't live there, right?

If you do, and the residence deny your existing registration in that place, your card will not be renewed and the fraudulent case will be reported.

Oh my. According to other sources so far, they only check to see if such a residence exists. So they call the place of residence???

What if I haven't moved in yet, but my dorm already knows my name and that I will be moving there within a few days- what will happen then?

Hiya again

It is highly unlikely that the local office will phone your future dormitory to verify your registration. As you imagine, they usually check to see if such a residence exists by browsing an official document.

What if I haven't moved in yet, but my dorm already knows my name and that I will be moving there within a few days- what will happen then?

No problem. My address where I hadn't moved to yet was accepted by the first office, and then verified by the second office after a simple document investigation. Nothing will happen. Basically, every local office doesn't want to waste money by phone unless something very unusual happens (for example, when the office staff finds that one hundred persons are living at the same small room).

I see, thank you so much, dosanko100!!! So I won't get arrested or deported, right?