Residence, insurance, tax and other official procedures — in plain language.
Convert a valid foreign driver's license to a Japanese one at a prefectural license center, with part of the exam waived. You must have stayed 3+ months in the issuing country after getting the license.
Sign up with a mobile carrier or low-cost SIM (MVNO). By law you must verify your identity, so bring your residence card; some carriers also need a Japanese payment method.
Register a marriage at city hall to make it legally valid in Japan. For an international marriage you'll also need documents proving you're free to marry.
Open a Japanese bank account for salary, rent, and bills. You'll usually need a residence card and a registered address; some banks ask for 6+ months of stay.
A partial refund you can claim when you leave Japan for good, having paid pension contributions. You need at least 6 months of contribution-paid coverage in total; unpaid months do not count.
Local tax charged by your municipality based on last year's income, for residents registered as of January 1.
Report your annual income and settle income tax with the tax office. Required if you have income not fully taxed at source (side income, multiple employers, business income, etc.).
Register your new address at city hall when you move to a new municipality, so your residence record (juminhyo) is correct.
Notify your current city hall before you move out of the municipality, and receive a moving-out certificate for registering at your new address.
Apply for the IC-chip My Number Card - a photo ID used for tax, insurance, online procedures, and identity verification.
If you aren't covered by an employer's health insurance, enrol in National Health Insurance at city hall so most of your medical costs are covered.
Everyone aged 20-59 who is not in the employees' pension (kosei nenkin) is a National Pension insured person - either Category 1 or Category 3. Most people are Category 1 and enrol and pay themselves.
Apply to switch to a different status of residence when your purpose of stay changes (for example, from student to work).
Apply to become a permanent resident, which removes the need to renew your period of stay and lifts most activity restrictions.
Lets you leave Japan temporarily and return without losing your status of residence. Short trips can use free 'special re-entry' (minashi sainyukoku).
Apply to keep your current status of residence beyond its expiry date so you can continue living in Japan.
If your status of residence doesn't include work (e.g. Student or Dependent), get this permission before taking a part-time job. Students may then work up to 28 hours a week - and up to 8 hours a day during their institution's long vacation periods.
