Moving to Fukuoka City: a checklist for foreign residents (2026)

This page is general information from official sources. It is not legal or tax advice. For your own case, ask the office named in each section, such as your ward office, the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau for residence status, or a tax office for income tax.

This checklist is for foreign residents and families moving to Fukuoka City. It follows the order you will meet things: before you arrive, your first two weeks, your home and utilities, money and your phone, daily rules, health, disasters, driving and tax. Each section says what kind of information it is: an official rule for all of Japan, a rule of Fukuoka City or Fukuoka Prefecture, or something that depends on the provider. For details, each section links to a longer guide.

In short

Register your address at your ward office within 14 days of starting to live there. You cannot register before you move in (section 2.1).
For a Fukuoka City nursery place from April 1, 2027, applications open on October 1, 2026. The first-round deadline is November 6, 2026, and you must visit each nursery you list first (section 1.3).
Put out household garbage after dark and by midnight on your collection day, in Fukuoka City’s designated bags (section 5.1).
If you ride a bicycle in Fukuoka Prefecture, bicycle liability insurance is required (section 5.2).
For questions in English, start at the Fukuoka City Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents, 0120-66-1799 (section 2.4).

Checked with official pages on September 28, 2026.

1. Before you arrive

1.1 Can my spouse work on a Dependent (Family Stay) visa?

Official rule (Japan)

According to the Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁), a person with the Dependent status of residence (家族滞在, Family Stay) needs a Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted (資格外活動許可) to do paid work. The comprehensive permission covers work of up to 28 hours a week. Work outside it needs an individual permission. In Fukuoka, you apply at the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau (福岡出入国在留管理局). If your family’s status is not settled yet, ask your employer which status your spouse will enter with.

1.2 Can my child go to a Fukuoka City public school?

Official rule (Japan) + Fukuoka City

Japan’s education ministry (MEXT, 文部科学省) says foreign parents are not legally required to send their children to school in Japan. But if the parents wish, public elementary and junior high schools accept foreign children without tuition, the same as Japanese children. This does not make every school cost free, so ask the school about supplies and school lunches.

For children starting elementary school, Fukuoka City says the school is designated by your address, the same as for Japanese children. If your child is registered in the city by the end of August, the Board of Education’s Education Support Division (教育支援課) posts a guidance letter and an entry survey (入学希望調査票) around the end of September. You return the survey by the date in the letter, usually mid-October. For questions, call the Education Support Division, 092-711-4636 (in Japanese). If your child is moving into a school in the middle of the year, see “What should I do next?” in Registering your address in Fukuoka City.

1.3 When do I apply for a nursery school for April 2027?

Fukuoka City

For a place starting April 1, 2027, Fukuoka City plans to open applications on Thursday, October 1, 2026. An online form on Mynaportal is planned for the same day. The city’s planned deadlines are:

First round: apply by Friday, November 6, 2026. Results are planned to be sent on Thursday, January 14, 2027. Apply at your first-choice nursery or online.
Second round: apply by Wednesday, January 27, 2027. Results are planned for Wednesday, February 17, 2027.
Third round: apply by Monday, March 1, 2027. Results are planned for Friday, March 12, 2027.

For the second and third rounds, you apply at the Child-rearing Support Section (子育て支援課) of the ward where your first-choice nursery is, or online. If you work, ask your employer for the city’s employment certificate (就労証明書) dated September 1 or later.

Important

Fukuoka City says you must book and visit every nursery you list before you apply. Visits can start before applications open, and dates fill up near the deadlines. The city asks you to list up to five choices.

2. In your first two weeks

Things to do soon after you move in:

Register your address at your ward office.
Join National Health Insurance and the National Pension, unless your job enrolls you.
Start your water, gas and electricity (section 3).
Find your garbage collection days.
Open a bank account and get a phone contract (section 4).

2.1 When must I register my address?

Official rule (Japan) + Fukuoka City

The Immigration Services Agency says a new mid- to long-term resident reports their place of residence within 14 days of deciding on it. Fukuoka City says to file your moving-in notice (転入届) within 14 days of the day you start living at the new address, and that you cannot file before you move in. You file it at the Citizen Section (市民課) of the ward office for your new address. Bring your residence card (在留カード); filing with it also counts as your address report to immigration. If you first stay in a hotel or monthly apartment, see Where to stay when you first move to Kumamoto or Fukuoka. The seven ward offices, what to bring and online booking are in Registering your address in Fukuoka City.

2.2 What is My Number, and how long does the card take?

Official rule (Japan) + Fukuoka City

The Digital Agency (デジタル庁) says My Number (個人番号) is a 12-digit number for each person with a resident record. It is used for things such as tax and social security. The My Number Card is a separate card you apply for. Fukuoka City says that, with many applications now, the notice to collect your card is sent about one to two months after you apply. If you moved in from abroad, you can apply for express issuance (特急発行) at your ward office within 30 days of your moving-in notice. The card is then mailed to your address, in principle within one week.

2.3 Do I need to join health insurance and the pension?

Fukuoka City + Official rule (Japan)

Fukuoka City’s English page says you must join its National Health Insurance (国民健康保険) if you have been living in Japan for more than 3 months, unless you are in another plan, such as one through your job. The city says to notify your ward office within 14 days when you join. The Japan Pension Service says all residents aged 20 to 60, regardless of nationality, must be in the National Pension. If your job does not enroll you, you register yourself at your city office within 14 days. See National Health Insurance and the pension in Fukuoka City.

2.4 Where can I ask questions in English?

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) takes questions about daily life in English, Chinese and many other languages. The Fukuoka City International Foundation (福岡よかトピア国際交流財団) runs it. It is open on weekdays from 9:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30), and closed on weekends, holidays and December 29 to January 3. The foundation’s LINE Call is free and works even if your phone has no contract with a Japanese mobile carrier.

Older guides may send you to 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 Tenyamachi, Hakata Ward, on October 1, 2016. For questions to your ward office, Fukuoka City runs an interpreting line, 092-753-6113, on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00. More in Help in your language in Fukuoka City.

Fukuoka City Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents: Fukuoka City International Center 1F, 4-1 Tenyamachi, Hakata Ward. Google Maps · 0120-66-1799 (toll-free).

3. Your home and utilities

3.1 How do I rent an apartment?

Official guide (Japan) + depends on the provider

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT, 国土交通省) publishes an Apartment Search Guidebook for foreigners looking for rental housing in Japan. It explains how to find a room and how rental contracts work. The ministry’s guides and checklists are in 14 languages, including English. Costs at signing depend on each property, so ask the real estate agent for them before you sign. If your apartment is not ready when you arrive, see Where to stay when you first move, which covers hotels and monthly apartments in Hakata and Tenjin.

3.2 How do I start my water service?

Fukuoka City

In a house, or an apartment where the Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau (福岡市水道局) reads each unit’s meter, call the bureau’s Customer Center with your address, name and move-in date. You can also apply online up to 3 days before you move in, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The bureau says you can call the Customer Center in foreign languages. After the procedure, it posts you a card with your contract details. If your building’s water is billed through the owner or management company, tell them instead; ask the management company if you are not sure.

Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau Customer Center: 092-532-1010. Monday to Friday 8:45 to 17:30, Saturday 9:00 to 17:00. Closed on Sundays, holidays and December 29 to January 3.

3.3 What about gas and electricity?

Depends on the provider

Ask your landlord or agent which gas and electricity companies supply your home. If your gas comes from Saibu Gas (西部ガス), its FAQ asks you to apply 1 week to 3 days before you move. Saibu Gas asks you to be present when your gas is turned on. Staff check that your appliances light and that there is no leak, and explain how to use them. Saibu Gas Customer Service Center: 0570-000-312; if that number does not work from your phone, 092-633-2440.

4. Money and your phone

4.1 How do I open a bank account?

Depends on the bank

Your employer, landlord and phone company may all ask for a Japanese bank account. Each bank sets its own rules for foreign residents, such as how long you have been in Japan and how much time is left on your stay. Our guide Bank accounts in Fukuoka City compares nine banks, including Fukuoka Bank and Nishi-Nippon City Bank. To bring money from home, see How to send or bring money to Japan.

4.2 Can I use PayPay?

Depends on the provider

PayPay’s help page says you can complete its identity check (本人確認, eKYC) with a residence card if the card has at least 90 days left before it expires when you apply. Children under 16 cannot use a residence card for the check. PayPay says residence cards issued on or after June 14, 2026 cannot be used for the check for now, and asks you to use a My Number Card instead. See PayPay’s help page (in Japanese).

4.3 How do I get a phone?

Depends on the provider

For your first days, Fukuoka Airport’s international terminal has SIM and Wi-Fi counters on the 1st floor. For a contract, Mobile phone plans for foreign residents in Fukuoka City compares nine brands and lists shops in Tenjin and Hakata that offer help in other languages.

5. Daily rules

5.1 How do I put out garbage?

Fukuoka City

Fukuoka City sorts household garbage into four types: burnable, non-burnable, bottles and PET bottles, and bulky garbage. Garbage is collected at night, so put it out after dark and by midnight on your collection day. Use the Fukuoka City designated bags (福岡市指定袋), sold in sets of 10 at supermarkets and convenience stores that carry them. See Garbage in Fukuoka City for collection days, paper and bulky items.

5.2 What do I need for a bicycle?

Fukuoka Prefecture

Since October 1, 2020, Fukuoka Prefecture has required bicycle users to have insurance that covers injury to other people. For a child, the parent must arrange it. The Fukuoka Prefectural Police ask you to register your bicycle for crime prevention (防犯登録). You register a new bicycle at the shop when you buy it; for a used bicycle, go to the local crime prevention association or a police box (koban). The police say registration is also needed when the owner changes, and the fee has been ¥800 since April 1, 2025.

Since April 1, 2026, the police can give riders aged 16 and over a “blue ticket” (青切符) with a fine for some traffic violations. The Fukuoka Prefectural Police have a leaflet about this in English. For getting around without a bicycle, see Getting around Fukuoka City.

6. Health and emergencies

6.1 How do I call an ambulance, and who can I ask at night?

Fukuoka City + Fukuoka Prefecture

In a fire or medical emergency, call 119. The Fukuoka City Fire Bureau (福岡市消防局) says you do not need to speak Japanese, because it has interpreters. It asks you to give the address first. If you are not sure whether you need an ambulance or a doctor now, Fukuoka Prefecture’s #7119 line answers 24 hours a day. Press 2 to talk to a nurse. If your phone cannot dial #7119, call 092-471-0099.

For a sick or injured child, #8000 answers on weekdays from 19:00, on Saturdays from 12:00, and on Sundays and holidays from 7:00, each time until 7:00 the next morning (or 092-731-4119). For a doctor or pharmacy, the Fukuoka City Medical Interpreting Call Center interprets by phone in 20 languages, 24 hours a day: 092-733-5429. It is free; you pay only for the call. Night and holiday clinics are in Seeing a doctor at night or calling an ambulance in Fukuoka City.

7. Disasters

7.1 How do I prepare for a disaster?

Fukuoka City

Fukuoka City’s disaster page for foreigners points to several English tools:

Check your area on the Fukuoka City Comprehensive Hazard Map, which shows evacuation shelters and areas at risk.
Download the English flood hazard map for your ward from the city’s page for foreigners.
Read the city’s Disaster Safety Handbook for Foreigners (English, PDF).
Install Safety Tips, the Japan Tourism Agency’s app for multilingual alerts on earthquakes, tsunamis, weather and evacuation.

In a large disaster, the Fukuoka City Disaster Information Center for International Residents is set up and gives advice and information in many languages, the city says. The Fukuoka City International Foundation runs it.

8. Driving

8.1 Can I drive with an International Driving Permit?

Official rule (Japan)

The National Police Agency (警察庁) says you can drive with an International Driving Permit (国際運転免許証) issued under the Geneva Convention. You can drive for one year from the day you land in Japan, or until the permit expires, whichever is shorter. If you have a resident record, leave Japan with a re-entry permission (or similar) and come back within less than three months, the day you come back does not start a new one-year period.

8.2 How do I change my foreign licence to a Japanese one?

Fukuoka Prefecture

The Fukuoka Prefectural Police say you need a valid foreign licence and a total of three months or more in the country that issued it, after you got it. Your passport or licence must show this. The document check is on a designated day: first go to a test center to be given a date. The Fukuoka test center in Minami Ward takes only people who do not need the driving-skills check. That means licences from countries exempt from the skills check, moped licences, and people who held a Japanese licence before. Everyone else applies at the Chikuho or Chikugo test center.

Go to a test center to get a date for the document check. Staff do a first check of your papers.
Prepare the documents. The police list a copy of your resident record showing your nationality, without your My Number; your licence and a Japanese translation from an embassy, consulate, JAF or another approved body; proof of your three months; and two photos. Since October 1, 2025, foreign residents also need extra papers for the address check.
Take the document check on your date. After it, the aptitude test (such as eyesight), the knowledge check and, if needed, the skills check are on a later visit.
Book the knowledge and skills checks. The police say these need a booking; ask about it at the document check.

If you cannot speak Japanese, the police ask you to bring an interpreter. Check the police page for the current list of documents and exempt countries.

Fukuoka Driver’s License Test Center (福岡自動車運転免許試験場): 4-7-1 Hanahata, Minami Ward. Google Maps.

9. Tax

9.1 Am I a resident for income tax?

Official rule (Japan)

The National Tax Agency (国税庁) says you are a resident (居住者) if you have a domicile (住所) in Japan, or have had a residence in Japan continuously for one year or more. A resident without Japanese nationality who has lived in Japan for five years or less in total in the last ten years is a non-permanent resident (非永住者). The kinds of income taxed differ. Ask a tax office or a tax accountant about your own case.

9.2 When do I start paying residence tax?

Fukuoka City

Fukuoka City’s residence tax (市県民税) is charged to people who have an address in a ward of the city. The city decides this by where you live on January 1 of each year. The tax has a flat part (均等割) and an income part (所得割) based on your income in the previous year, and the forest environment tax (森林環境税) is charged with it. The city publishes income levels below which you pay no tax.

9.3 Who pays the tax: my company or me?

Depends on your employer

There is no single rule. Ask your employer whether income tax and residence tax are taken from your salary or paid by you.

What to say

所得税と住民税は、会社が払いますか、それとも自分で払いますか？

Shotokuzei to juminzei wa, kaisha ga haraimasu ka, soretomo jibun de haraimasu ka?

Is the income tax and residence tax paid by the company, or do I pay it myself?

10. Common questions

We register our address in September or later. Will our child still get the school entry survey?

Fukuoka City says that for children registered from September onward, the Citizen Section of the ward office asks about school entry when you register, and you fill in the entry survey there.

We are still abroad. Can we visit a nursery online?

Maybe. Fukuoka City says some nurseries offer an online or phone visit instead for families moving from outside the city or living far away. Ask each nursery directly.

Do I have to wear a helmet on a bicycle?

The Fukuoka Prefectural Police say that since April 1, 2023, all bicycle riders must make an effort to wear a helmet (a duty to try, 努力義務). Parents must also try to make children wear one.

What does the Fukuoka City Consultation Support Center help with?

The Fukuoka City International Foundation says the center gives information and consultations on residency, work, childcare, education and more, by email, phone or in person. It also holds free sessions with professionals on immigration, legal and personal matters.

Next steps

Moving to Fukuoka City: a checklist for foreign residents (2026)

1. Before you arrive

1.1 Can my spouse work on a Dependent (Family Stay) visa?

1.2 Can my child go to a Fukuoka City public school?

1.3 When do I apply for a nursery school for April 2027?