City hall counter hours in Matsuyama, Imabari, and Niihama
- Evening counters open until 19:00 on Thursdays in Matsuyama, until 19:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays in Imabari, and until 18:15 on Thursdays in Niihama.
- Matsuyama's Citizen Service Centers issue resident records on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
- Convenience store copies of resident records and seal registration certificates cost ¥300 in all three cities.
This page is general information from official sources. It is not legal advice. For your own case, ask the Citizens Division (市民課, shiminka) of your city hall.
A city hall (市役所, shiyakusho) is where you register your address, get a copy of your resident record (住民票, juminhyo) and handle other city paperwork. In Ehime, the evening counter is on a different day in each city, so a Thursday plan that works in Matsuyama does not work in Imabari. This page compares Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama: when the main counters close, which evening and weekend counters exist, what a certificate costs at a convenience store, and where to park. If you are moving in, see Moving to Matsuyama City (2026) for the full list of steps.
In short
- Weekday counters close at 17:00 in Matsuyama and at 17:15 in Imabari and Niihama (section 1).
- Evening counters: Thursday until 19:00 in Matsuyama, Monday and Wednesday until 19:00 in Imabari, Thursday until 18:15 in Niihama (sections 3 to 5).
- On weekends, only Matsuyama issues certificates: the 2nd Saturday at City Hall, and two shopping-centre offices on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The weekend counters in Imabari and Niihama are for My Number Card matters only (sections 3 to 5).
- At a convenience store with a My Number Card, a resident record copy or seal certificate costs ¥300 in all three cities. A resident record is also ¥300 at the counter in each city (section 2).
- Imabari has a Support Desk for Foreign Residents. The pages we read do not say whether counter staff in the other two cities speak English (section 7).
Checked with official pages on October 11, 2026.
Read next7 pages, swipe sideways
Changing Your Address on an Ehime Driver’s License: Police Stations on Weekdays, Matsuyama License Center on Sundays (2026)Live
Seal Registration and Certificates in Ehime: ¥300 at the Counter and at Convenience Stores in Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama (2026)Live
Hazard Maps and Evacuation Shelters in Ehime: How to Look Them Up in Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama, with Contact NumbersLive
Temporary Childcare and Family Support in Ehime: ¥1,500 a Day at Public Nurseries, Fees and Booking in 3 CitiesLive
Water Service When Moving in 3 Ehime Cities: Imabari Needs 3 Days’ Notice, and Only Matsuyama Answers on WeekendsLive
Driver’s License Renewal in Ehime: Only the License Center Renews on Sundays, ¥3,350 for a Good Driver with the Card OnlyLive
Sick-Child Care in Ehime: ¥2,000 a Day in Matsuyama and Imabari, ¥2,700 in Niihama, and How Booking DiffersLive
1. How late are the counters open?
Matsuyama, Imabari, Niihama
The main counters close at 17:00 in Matsuyama and at 17:15 in Imabari and Niihama, and the evening day is different in each city. All three are closed on Sundays, public holidays and over the year-end holidays. Matsuyama is the only city that opens on a Saturday, on the 2nd Saturday of the month.
| City | Weekday counter | Evening counter | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matsuyama | 8:30–17:00 | Thu, until 19:00 | 2nd Sat, 8:30–17:00 |
| Imabari | 8:30–17:15 | Mon and Wed, until 19:00 | My Number Card only, twice a month |
| Niihama | 8:30–17:15 | Thu, until 18:15 | My Number Card only, once a month |
An evening counter does not do everything. It is run by the Citizens Division only, and paperwork that needs a check with another city or another division may not be accepted in the extra hours. Ask by phone before you go if your case is not a plain certificate.
2. How much is a certificate at a convenience store?
Matsuyama, Imabari, Niihama
With a My Number Card you can get a resident record copy and a seal registration certificate (印鑑登録証明書, inkan toroku shomeisho) at a convenience store from 6:30 to 23:00, and the fee is ¥300 in all three cities. A resident record also costs ¥300 at the counter in each city, so a convenience store is not cheaper, but it is open when the city hall is not.
A family register (戸籍, koseki) certificate can be printed at a convenience store only in Matsuyama. The service runs every day from 6:30 to 23:00 within each store’s own hours, and it stops on maintenance days. In Matsuyama it is off all day on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, and November 27 is also listed as a stop day (Matsuyama City: convenience-store service, Japanese).
The fees are on each city’s pages: Matsuyama’s for a resident record, a seal certificate and a family register, Imabari’s and Niihama’s (all Japanese).
- Who can use it: a person registered as a resident of that city. In Imabari, children under 15 cannot use it, and a person whose move-out is in progress cannot get a resident record or seal certificate.
- What you need: a My Number Card with a user certificate for electronic authentication (利用者証明用電子証明書) and the 4-digit PIN. Matsuyama and Niihama also accept a smartphone with the smartphone certificate (スマホ用電子証明書). Matsuyama says its “My Number Card” includes the special residence card (特定在留カード) and the special permanent resident certificate (特定特別永住者証明書).
- Where: a store with a multi-copy machine, such as Seven-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart. Choose “行政サービス” (administrative services) on the main menu.
3. Matsuyama City Hall (松山市役所)
Matsuyama City
The counters are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 17:00, until 19:00 on Thursday, and on the 2nd Saturday of the month from 8:30 to 17:00. Only the Citizens Division (市民課, shiminka; its one-stop “General Counter Center”) is open on those extra hours, not the other divisions. The city is closed on public holidays and from December 29 to January 3. In March and April there may be extra evening hours and Saturday openings (Matsuyama City: Citizens Division, Japanese, updated October 8, 2026).
In the extra hours, some paperwork cannot be accepted because staff cannot check with other cities or divisions. National Health Insurance procedures, collecting a vaccination handbook and health consultations for mothers and babies can be handled.
Foreign residents register an address at the same Citizens Division counter, within 14 days of starting to live there. Matsuyama lists these items for a move from another city: the residence card (在留カード) or equivalent card of every person moving, the move-out certificate (転出証明書) from the previous city, and every person’s My Number Card. A proxy needs a letter of authority. If two or more people form a new household, a document from your home country that shows the family relationship, such as a marriage or birth certificate, is also needed. The city has a foreign-resident desk on 089-948-6053, and priority reservations are possible for address changes (Matsuyama City: for people moving or arriving, Japanese, updated July 2, 2026).
The branch offices and local offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:30–17:00 only. For evenings and weekends, two Citizen Service Centers issue certificates only (resident records, seal certificates, family register copies and tax certificates). The one in Iyotetsu Takashimaya is open 10:00–18:00 and closed on Tuesdays. The one in Fuji Grand Matsuyama is open 9:00–18:00. Both open on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, except on a few days, and both are closed from December 29 to January 3. My Number Card pick-up is at the Matsuyama My Number Card Center, not at City Hall. For passports, see Applying for a Japanese Passport in Ehime.
The underground car park in front of City Hall has 290 spaces and is open 24 hours. It costs ¥130 per 30 minutes with no daily cap on weekdays, and a ¥800 cap on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. If you come on city business, scan the barcode on your parking ticket at the reader at the main-building information desk or the 1st Annex entrance, and 1 hour is free. This also applies during the Thursday evening and 2nd Saturday hours (Matsuyama City: city car parks, Japanese). The city says it is about 5 minutes by car from JR Matsuyama Station (Matsuyama City Hall guide, Japanese).
Address: 4-7-2 Niban-cho, Matsuyama City (main building, 1st floor). Phone: 089-948-6347 (Citizens Division). Google Maps
| Name | Matsuyama City Hall |
|---|---|
| Address | 4-7-2 Niban-cho, Matsuyama City (main building, 1st floor) |
| Hours / Closed | Weekdays 8:30–17:00. Citizens Division until 19:00 on Thursdays, and 2nd Saturday 8:30–17:00. Closed Sundays, public holidays, and December 29–January 3 |
| Phone | 089-948-6347 (Citizens Division) |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
4. Imabari City Hall (今治市役所)
Imabari City
The Citizens Division in the main building stays open until 19:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays for certificates and My Number Card matters. It issues resident record copies, seal certificates and family register certificates, hands over passports and handles My Number Card work. Wide-area family register requests (for records held by another city) and passport applications are not accepted in the evening; they close at 17:00, Monday to Friday. The extra hours are at the main building only, and not on public holidays or over the year-end holidays (Imabari City: extended counter hours, Japanese). The normal weekday hours are 8:30 to 17:15.
On weekends, the Citizens Division opens twice a month for My Number Card applications, pick-ups, PIN changes and renewals. The dates are Saturday, October 24, Sunday, November 8 and Saturday, November 28, 2026, from 9:00 to 12:00. Dates from December are not yet announced (Imabari City: My Number Card holiday counter, Japanese). This is not a regular counter for resident records.
Imabari runs a Support Desk for Foreign Residents (外国人相談窓口), open Monday to Friday, 8:30–17:15, and consultation is free. It opened on July 1, 2020, at two places: the city’s consultation center and the Imabari International Exchange Association. The city describes it as a one-stop desk that gives information and takes consultations in several languages, but the page does not list which ones. If you need an interpreter, ask the association; it is free and by reservation. Phone: Citizen Participation Division 0898-36-1530; the association 0898-34-5763 (Imabari City: Support Desk for Foreign Residents, Japanese).
Eleven branch offices cover the area outside the main building: Asakura, Tamagawa, Namikata, Onishi, Kikuma, Yoshiumi, Miyakubo, Hakata, Kamiura, Omishima and Sekizen. Resident records and family register papers are handled by each branch’s Resident Services Division. By car, the city lists about 20 to 50 minutes from the main building to a branch. Sekizen is reached by boat, about 1 hour by passenger boat or 1 hour 20 minutes by ferry, and times vary by sailing (Imabari City: branch offices, Japanese; getting to the branches).
The car park inside the City Hall grounds has about 110 spaces for regular cars and about 15 for kei cars. It is free for people with business at City Hall, the public hall or the civic hall, and is open from 8:00 to 22:00. Parking overnight costs ¥1,000, and the city asks visitors to use public transport when they can (Imabari City: City Hall car park, Japanese).
Address: 1-4-1 Betsugu-cho, Imabari City (main building, 1st floor). Phone: 0898-36-1532 (Citizens Division). Google Maps
| Name | Imabari City Hall |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-4-1 Betsugu-cho, Imabari City (main building, 1st floor) |
| Hours / Closed | Weekdays 8:30–17:15. Citizens Division until 19:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Closed Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, and year-end/New Year holidays |
| Phone | 0898-36-1532 (Citizens Division) |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
5. Niihama City Hall (新居浜市役所)
Niihama City
The Citizens Division adds one hour every Thursday, so the counter stays open until 18:15. The extra time runs from 17:15 to 18:15. It covers resident record copies, seal registration, family register certificates, tax certificates, passport pick-up (not applications), My Number Card applications and pick-ups, and address-change notices (住所異動届). Some tax certificates and address changes cannot always be handled. Wide-area certificates, which are records held by another city, are accepted only until 17:00. If a Thursday is a public holiday, there is no extension on another day (Niihama City: Thursday extended hours, Japanese). That page carries a 2015 update date; we found no notice that the extension has ended.
On weekends, the My Number Card counter opens once a month from 8:30 to 12:00. The remaining dates in the city’s schedule for fiscal 2026 are Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, December 13, 2026, then Saturday, January 16, Sunday, February 14 and Saturday, March 13, 2027. Use the east entrance of the building only, and note that dates can change (Niihama City: My Number Card holiday counter, Japanese). It is a card counter, not a place to get a resident record.
Moving in and out, marriage and divorce, and My Number Card matters are handled by the Citizens Division on the 1st floor. If you do not know where to go, the Community Division (地域コミュニティ課) on the 2nd floor helps foreign residents, or you can phone 0897-65-1218. This comes from a city page written in plain Japanese with English headings, dated December 2023 (Niihama City: procedures for foreigners). The Bekkiyama branch office in the mountains handles some certificates and notices, but it has no Thursday extension. The city says Mondays, the day after a holiday and “taian” lucky days are the busiest at the counter, and that Tuesday to Friday before 10:00 is quieter.
The city hall car park is on the south and east sides of the building. The pages we read do not give the number of spaces or the fee, so phone the city’s main number 0897-65-1234 before you drive.
Address: 1-5-1 Ichinomiya-cho, Niihama City. Phone: 0897-65-1232 (Citizens Division). Google Maps
| Name | Niihama City Hall |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-5-1 Ichinomiya-cho, Niihama City |
| Hours / Closed | Weekdays 8:30–17:15. Citizens Division until 18:15 on Thursdays. Closed Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, and year-end/New Year holidays (My Number Card counter open on a holiday once a month) |
| Phone | 0897-65-1232 (Citizens Division) |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
6. How do the three cities differ?
Matsuyama, Imabari, Niihama
The evening days do not overlap: Thursday in Matsuyama and Niihama, Monday and Wednesday in Imabari. If you work during the day, check the day for your own city first.
Weekend openings also differ. A resident record can be issued on a weekend only in Matsuyama, at the 2nd-Saturday counter and the two Citizen Service Centers. The weekend openings in Imabari and Niihama are for My Number Card matters only.
Parking rules differ too. Matsuyama’s car park is paid, with 1 hour free if you have business. Imabari’s is free for people with business, and Niihama’s fee is not stated. Imabari also has branch offices on the Shimanami Kaido islands that are far from the main building, so people on the islands should check first whether their branch office can issue a resident record or family register papers.
7. Which way fits you, and can I get help in English?
Matsuyama, Imabari, Niihama
If you can only go after work, use your city’s evening counter or a convenience store; if you can only go on a weekend, Matsuyama is the only one of the three that issues resident records. On a weekday daytime, the Citizens Division of your own city hall can handle moving, address changes and certificates. If you only need a My Number Card procedure, Imabari opens twice a month and Niihama once a month on weekends, and Matsuyama opens on the 2nd Saturday. The convenience-store fee is the same ¥300 in all three, so choose by time.
Language support is stated only for Imabari: its Support Desk for Foreign Residents and a reservation-only interpreter service through the Imabari International Exchange Association. The Matsuyama and Niihama pages we read do not say whether counter staff speak English or offer interpreters. Ask by phone before you go, or bring someone who speaks Japanese. All three city websites offer automatic translation, which each city says may contain errors. For hours and fees, use the Japanese page as the final word.
For the moving-in notice, health insurance and child allowance, see Moving to Matsuyama City (2026).
Common questions
Can I register my new address in the evening?
It depends on the city. Matsuyama’s Thursday counter until 19:00 and Niihama’s Thursday counter until 18:15 handle address changes, although some cases cannot be accepted in the extra hours. Imabari’s Monday and Wednesday evening counter lists certificates, passport pick-up and My Number Card work, and does not list address changes. Phone the Citizens Division first.
Is a convenience-store certificate cheaper than the counter?
No. A resident record copy costs ¥300 in Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama, both at a convenience store and at the counter. A seal registration certificate is also ¥300 at a convenience store in all three.
Can I get a family register copy at a convenience store?
Only in Matsuyama, where it costs ¥450. Imabari and Niihama do not offer it.
Can I use a convenience store without a My Number Card?
No. You need the card and the 4-digit PIN; in Matsuyama and Niihama a smartphone with the smartphone certificate also works. Otherwise, use a counter or an evening counter.
Are the counters open from December 29 to January 3?
No. Matsuyama closes from December 29 to January 3, and Imabari and Niihama are closed over the year-end holidays.
Next steps
Sources (checked October 2026)
4 pages we checked
- Matsuyama City: Citizens Division (市民課), for people moving or arriving, convenience-store service, resident record, seal certificate, family register, city car parks, City Hall guide, Foreign Language (translation)
- Imabari City: extended counter hours, My Number Card holiday counter, convenience-store service, certificate fees, Support Desk for Foreign Residents, branch offices, getting to the branches, City Hall car park, Multilingual
- Niihama City: Thursday extended hours, My Number Card holiday counter, convenience-store service, procedures for foreigners, Foreign language, City Hall guide
- Photos: Matsuyama City Hall (CT-May, CC0), Matsuyama City Hall main building (Matsuyama City, CC BY 4.0), Imabari City Hall (地方の田舎もの, CC BY 3.0), all Wikimedia Commons
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