Which office to visit
Free routing guide for foreign residents in Japan. Pick a task and see which official window to visit and which documents people usually bring. Not legal, tax, or immigration advice.
- Move into a new city / ward — Your city or ward office (区役所・市役所) — Resident Registration or Foreign Resident desk
- Renew or change residence status — Immigration Services Agency — the regional immigration bureau for where you live
- Join / switch health insurance — Municipal National Health Insurance desk, or your employer’s HR if you are on employee social insurance
- Pension (nenkin) enrollment or questions — Japan Pension Service counter or the municipal pension desk. Employees usually start with employer HR
- Bring / register a dependent — Two stops: the regional immigration bureau for the dependent’s status, and your city or ward office for resident registration
- First municipal visit after landing — Municipal Foreign Resident or Citizen Affairs desk — your first city or ward office visit
- Open a bank account (what they usually ask) — A bank branch (private). This is a route tip, not a bank product or an account offer
- Year-end tax / withholding questions — Your tax office (税務署) or your employer’s HR for withholding questions. Some certificates come from the city office
- Nursery / school enrollment start — Municipal childcare desk and, for school, the municipal Board of Education
- Find EN-friendly clinic / service (not a counter) — Not a government window. Use the Myjin directory, then ask the clinic what to bring
This is a routing guide to official offices and typical documents. It is not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Confirm requirements on the linked official pages and at the counter — rules vary by status and municipality.