You have a letter from the ward office that you cannot read, or you are not sure how to renew your residence status, find a nursery school or deal with a problem at work. In Fukuoka City, the first place to ask in your language is the Fukuoka City Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents. This page explains what it does, how to contact it, the free sessions with lawyers and other experts, and the other phone lines that Fukuoka City and Fukuoka Prefecture offer in foreign languages.
In short
- For questions about daily life, contact the Fukuoka City Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents at the Fukuoka City International Center in Tenyamachi, Hakata Ward. Call 0120-66-1799 (toll-free) on weekdays (section 1).
- The center lists 24 foreign languages and Easy Japanese. Except for English, Chinese and Easy Japanese, it uses phone interpreting or a tablet (section 1).
- Free sessions with a lawyer, an immigration expert (gyoseishoshi) or a clinical psychologist are held on set days. Most need a booking (section 2).
- To ask your ward office about things like tax or National Health Insurance, call the city’s multilingual line, 092-753-6113 (section 3).
Checked with official pages on September 27, 2026.
| Where to ask | What it helps with | How to contact | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consultation Support Center | Any question about daily life; referral to the right office | Visit, phone, LINE Call, online form | Fukuoka City (run by the Fukuoka City International Foundation) |
| Ward office line | Ward office procedures, such as residence records, tax, National Health Insurance and garbage | Phone 092-753-6113 | Fukuoka City |
| Medical interpreting line | Talking with a hospital or pharmacy | Phone 092-733-5429, 24 hours | Fukuoka City |
| FUKUOKA IS OPEN Center | Daily life, work and residence status | Visit, phone, email, online | Fukuoka Prefecture |
1. What is the Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents?
Fukuoka City
The Fukuoka City Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents (福岡市外国人総合相談支援センター) opened on April 1, 2019. Fukuoka City set it up, and the Fukuoka City International Foundation (福岡よかトピア国際交流財団) runs it. It is on the 1st floor of the Fukuoka City International Center (福岡市国際会館).
The center takes questions about residence procedures, work, medical care, welfare, having a baby, childcare and children’s education. It gives information and, when needed, refers you to the right office or organization. You can ask in person, by phone or by email through the online form.
Which languages can I use?
Fukuoka City International Foundation
The foundation’s page lists 24 foreign languages and Easy Japanese (やさしい日本語, yasashii nihongo). For all of them except English, Chinese and Easy Japanese, the center uses a phone interpreting service or a tablet. A Nepali-speaking support worker is there on Thursdays from 10:00 to 15:00. The center also has support staff for evacuees from Ukraine.
The other listed languages are Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Khmer, Korean, Malay, Mongolian, Nepali, Portuguese, Russian, Sinhala, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.
How do I contact the center?
Fukuoka City International Foundation
The center is open on weekdays from 9:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30). It is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays and from December 29 to January 3.
- Call the toll-free number, 0120-66-1799. You can also call 092-262-1799, but you pay for that call.
- Or use LINE Call. Add the foundation’s LINE Official Account, 福岡よかトピア国際交流財団 (Fukuoka City International Foundation), and press the call button. The foundation says the call is free and works even if your phone has no contract with a Japanese mobile carrier.
- Or write to the center with the inquiry form on the foundation’s website.
- Or visit the 1st floor of the Fukuoka City International Center during opening hours.
Note
Some older guides mention Rainbow Plaza (レインボープラザ) in the IMS Building in Tenjin. The foundation says Rainbow Plaza moved to the Fukuoka City International Center in October 2016, together with the foundation’s office.
The center is about a 5-minute walk from Nakasu-Kawabata Station on the Airport Line (Exit 5) or Kushida Shrine Station on the Nanakuma Line (Exit 3), according to the foundation.
Fukuoka City Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents: Fukuoka City International Center 1F, 4-1 Tenyamachi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City. Google Maps. Phone: 0120-66-1799 (toll-free) or 092-262-1799.
2. Can I talk to a lawyer or other expert for free?
Fukuoka City International Foundation
The foundation holds three kinds of free consultation for foreign nationals at the Fukuoka City International Center: legal counseling with a lawyer, supported by the Fukuoka Bar Association; a consultation on immigration, residence and nationality with a gyoseishoshi lawyer (administrative scrivener, 行政書士); and personal counseling with a clinical psychologist. The dates below are the regular pattern on the foundation’s pages.
| Consultation | When | Language | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal counseling | 1st Saturday and 3rd Wednesday of each month; 45 minutes each | Interpreter on request, free | Needed |
| Immigration | 2nd Sunday of each month, 13:00 to 16:00 (sign-up until 15:30) | English and Chinese interpreting | Not needed in Japanese, English or Chinese |
| Personal counseling | Mondays 9:00 to 17:45, Tuesdays 9:00 to 11:45, Thursdays 9:00 to 12:45; about 60 minutes | English or Japanese | Needed (desk or 092-262-1799) |
For October 2026, the foundation’s notice gives legal counseling on Saturday, October 3 (10:30 to 13:30) and Wednesday, October 21 (13:00 to 16:00), and the immigration consultation on Sunday, October 18 (13:00 to 16:00). That immigration date is not the 2nd Sunday, so check the monthly notice before you go.
How do I book legal counseling?
Fukuoka City International Foundation
- Check which times are free. Call 0120-66-1799 or 092-262-1799, or ask at the information desk.
- Send the application form. Read the important reminders first. Apply online, at the desk, by fax or by email. If you use fax or email, call to check that it arrived. The foundation then gives you a tentative appointment.
- Call again to confirm on the date written on your tentative appointment. If you do not call to confirm, your appointment is cancelled.
- Arrive at the International Center before your time on the day.
If you need an interpreter in a language other than English or Chinese, ask the information desk well in advance. For the immigration consultation in other languages, the foundation asks you to request it at least two weeks ahead.
3. Can I call the city office in my language?
Fukuoka City
Yes. Fukuoka City has a multilingual phone line for all ward offices: 092-753-6113, on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00 (closed on national holidays and New Year holidays). An interpreting center answers first and then connects you to the ward office. Tell the interpreting center your language, your address (the ward you live in) and what you want to ask. You can ask about ward office procedures such as residence records, taxes, National Health Insurance and garbage.
At the ward offices, telephone interpreting can be used at every counter. Fukuoka City’s page in Easy Japanese (updated January 16, 2025) lists 23 languages for this service. Other city desks, such as the Consumer Affairs Center, also use it; see the city’s list of consultation and inquiry services.
For medical care, Fukuoka City runs a separate Medical Interpreting Call Center (092-733-5429, 24 hours). For how to call an ambulance and where to see a doctor at night, see Seeing a doctor at night or calling an ambulance in Fukuoka City.
Fukuoka City’s video Life in Fukuoka (in English) introduces where to get advice and the basic rules for daily life. It is on the city’s official YouTube channel:
4. Is there a Fukuoka Prefecture desk as well?
Fukuoka Prefecture
Yes. Fukuoka Prefecture runs the FUKUOKA IS OPEN Center (Life and Work Support Center for International Residents), a one-stop desk for foreign residents. It is on the 3rd floor of ACROS Fukuoka in Tenjin, Chuo Ward, inside the Fukuoka International Exchange Foundation (福岡県国際交流センター). It takes questions about work, housing, daily life and residence status in 26 languages (including Japanese), at the counter, online, by email and by phone.
Photo source: FUKUOKA IS OPEN Center expands its services from October 1 (Fukuoka Prefecture press release, September 17, 2026)
It is open on weekdays from 10:00 to 17:00, and also on the 3rd Sunday and 4th Saturday of each month; it is closed on national holidays and New Year holidays. According to Fukuoka Prefecture’s press release of September 17, 2026, from October 1, 2026 the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau has a branch at the center on weekdays, 10:00 to 17:00, for questions about residence status and applications. Bookings get priority at the counter, and online consultations need a booking.
FUKUOKA IS OPEN Center: ACROS Fukuoka 3F, 1-1-1 Tenjin, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City. Google Maps. Phone: 0120-279-906 (free).
5. What about help in a disaster?
Fukuoka City
When Fukuoka City sets up its disaster control office, the foundation opens the Fukuoka City Disaster Information Center for International Residents (福岡市災害時外国人情報支援センター). It gives consultations in many languages at 092-262-1799. The foundation says it is not open at the moment. For the latest disaster information in English, see Fukuoka City’s Latest Disaster Information page.
6. Common questions
Can I call if I do not have a Japanese phone contract yet?
Yes. The foundation says LINE Call from its LINE Official Account is free and connects you to the Consultation Support Center even if your phone has no contract with a Japanese mobile carrier.
Do I need a booking for the immigration consultation?
Not for Japanese, English or Chinese. For other languages, the foundation asks you to request it at least two weeks in advance.
Can I have personal counseling by phone?
No. The foundation says counseling is only in person. It also does not provide emergency counseling outside booked times.
How soon can I book legal counseling again?
The foundation says you can book a second session two months after your first. If a place is still free three days before a counseling day, you may book it earlier.
Will my information be kept private?
Yes. The foundation says your personal information is kept strictly confidential and is not given to third parties.
Sources (checked September 2026)
- Fukuoka City International Foundation: Fukuoka City Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents (English) and the Japanese page
- Consultation Support Center leaflet (English, PDF, 2024)
- FCIF LINE Official Account
- Free Legal Counselling for Foreign Nationals, Free Consultation on Immigration, Residence and Nationality and Free Personal Counseling
- Fukuoka City International Foundation: Free consultations in October 2026 (Japanese, September 16, 2026)
- Fukuoka City International Center, Access and About the foundation (history)
- Fukuoka City Disaster Information Center for International Residents
- Fukuoka City: Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents
- Fukuoka City: Consultation and Inquiry Services (English) and Easy Japanese page (updated January 16, 2025)
- Fukuoka City: Life in Fukuoka (video and English pamphlet, March 2026)
- Fukuoka International Exchange Foundation: Consultation (FUKUOKA IS OPEN Center) (Japanese)
- Fukuoka Prefecture: FUKUOKA IS OPEN Center expands its services from October 1 (press release, September 17, 2026, Japanese)
