Registering your address in Fukuoka City: which of the 7 ward offices, what to bring, and your My Number card

This page is general information from official sources. It is not legal advice. For your own case, ask the Citizen Section of your ward office or the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Services Bureau.

If you have just moved into Fukuoka City, from another part of Japan or from abroad, your first official task is to register your new address. This guide shows which of the city’s ward offices to use, what to bring, and how the same visit updates your residence card and starts your My Number card.

In short

Register within 14 days of the day you start living at your new address. You cannot register before you move in (section 2).
Go to the Citizen Section of the ward office for your new address, or to a branch office if you live in its area (section 1).
Bring your residence card. Registering with it also counts as your address report to immigration (section 3).
Moving from abroad? The city’s online booking service cannot be used for your move (section 2).
Phone help in 23 languages for all ward offices: 092-753-6113 (section 5).

Checked with official pages on September 27, 2026.

1. Which office do I go to?

Find your ward

Fukuoka City

Fukuoka City has seven wards: Higashi, Hakata, Chuo, Minami, Jonan, Sawara and Nishi. Your ward is shown in your new address (for example, 中央区 is Chuo Ward). File your moving-in notice (転入届, tennyu todoke) at the Citizen Section (市民課, shiminka) of the ward office for your new address.

Counters are open Monday to Friday, 8:45 to 17:15. They are closed on weekends, public holidays and from December 29 to January 3. You can check the current waiting time at each Citizen Section on the city’s Welcamera Net page.

Office	Address	Phone	Map
Higashi (東区役所)	2-54-1 Hakozaki, Higashi Ward	092-645-1016	Google Maps
Hakata (博多区役所)	2-8-1 Hakataekimae, Hakata Ward	092-419-1009	Google Maps
Chuo (中央区役所)	2-5-31 Daimyo, Chuo Ward	092-718-1022	Google Maps
Minami (南区役所)	3-25-1 Shiobaru, Minami Ward	092-559-5022	Google Maps
Jonan (城南区役所)	6-1-1 Torikai, Jonan Ward	092-833-4017	Google Maps
Sawara (早良区役所)	2-1-1 Momochi, Sawara Ward	092-833-4311	Google Maps
Irube Branch (入部出張所)	2-14-8 Higashi-Irube, Sawara Ward	092-804-2015	Google Maps
Nishi (西区役所)	1-4-1 Uchihama, Nishi Ward	092-895-7010	Google Maps
Seibu Branch (西部出張所)	2-1-1 Saito, Nishi Ward (inside Saitopia)	092-806-9431	Google Maps

The table lists the seven ward offices and two branch offices. Phone numbers are for each Citizen Section’s moving-in and address desk, from the city’s contact list. Hakata Ward uses a separate number, 092-402-0799, for certificates and for handing out My Number cards.

Branch offices

Fukuoka City

Irube Branch Office (入部出張所, in Sawara Ward) and the Western Branch Office (西部出張所, in Nishi Ward) also take moving-in notices, but only for people who live in the area each one covers. The city publishes the covered areas for Irube and the Western Branch Office (PDF, Japanese). If you are not sure, use your ward office.

Moving inside Fukuoka City

Fukuoka City

If you move to a different ward, file a moving-in notice at the new ward office within 14 days. You do not need a moving-out notice at your old ward. If you move within the same ward, file a change-of-address notice (転居届, tenkyo todoke) within 14 days instead.

2. When and how do I register?

Fukuoka City

The deadline

Important

The deadline is 14 days from the day you start living at the new address. The city does not accept the notice before you move in, so plan your visit for the first two weeks after moving day.

You can go yourself, or someone in your new household can go for you. Anyone else needs a letter of authorization from you. The city’s English page says the letter has no fixed format, but it must show the date, what the person may do for you and why, their name and address, and your name, signature and address.

Booking online (moves within Japan only)

Fukuoka City has an online booking service for moving procedures (引越し手続きのオンライン予約サービス). You enter your details on a smartphone in advance, and at the counter you mostly just sign. The city says the service cannot be used if you are moving from outside Japan. It is also only for the people who are moving, not for representatives.

Enter your move by 8:30 on the fifth business day before the day you want to visit. The city says it takes about 10 minutes.
Wait for an email with a booking form. The city says it usually arrives within about three business days.
Book your visit. Weekday visits at the ward office must be booked by 8:30 one business day before. On some weekends the city opens temporary counters at four certificate service corners; these must be booked by noon three business days before.
Visit after you have started living at the new address, and tell the staff you booked online.

The same booking can include related procedures such as National Health Insurance, child allowance, children’s medical subsidy and school transfer. For changes or questions, call the moving procedures call center, 092-515-1787 (weekdays 9:00 to 20:00). City page on online booking (Japanese).

3. What do I bring, and what happens to my residence card?

Documents

Fukuoka City

The city lists these for foreign residents. The moving-in form itself is available at the counter.

ID for the person at the counter, such as a My Number card, driver’s license or passport.
For everyone who moved: a residence card or special permanent resident certificate. If your residence card is not issued yet, bring your passport with the note that the card will be issued later.
From another city in Japan: the moving-out certificate (転出証明書, tenshutsu shomeisho) from your previous city. You do not need it if you have a My Number card. Also bring the My Number cards of everyone who moved.
If you join a household whose head is a foreign national: documents that prove your family relationship. If they are not in Japanese, attach a translation that shows who translated it.

City page on moving-in notices (Japanese) · City page in English (last updated 2022).

Your residence card

Official rule (Japan)

Mid- to long-term residents must report their address within 14 days, both after arriving in Japan and after moving. According to the Immigration Services Agency, when you file your moving-in notice at the city office and show your residence card, this counts as your address report to immigration. You do not need a separate address report at the immigration office.

Only mid- to long-term residents and special permanent residents can be registered. The city says people staying 3 months or less, or with “Temporary Visitor” status, cannot register, even if they want to.

4. What about my My Number card?

If you already have one

Fukuoka City

When you move into Fukuoka City from another city in Japan, the address on the card must be updated for everyone who moved. The city warns that the card is cancelled if this is not done in time: 30 days after the planned move-out date you gave your old city, 14 days after you started living at the new address, or 90 days after you filed the moving-in notice.

If you do not have one yet

Fukuoka City

When you register as a resident for the first time, you are assigned a My Number (個人番号, kojin bango), and a letter with the number is sent to your address. The number is used for things such as tax and social security. The card is optional, according to the Immigration Services Agency. You can apply online, by post, at a photo booth, or with help at your ward office or at the city’s My Number Card Temporary Service Center in ACROS Fukuoka (Chuo Ward). A first card is free.

A normal application takes time: the city says the postcard telling you to collect the card is currently sent about one to two months after you apply. If you moved in from abroad, you can ask 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 you, in principle within one week. City page on applying (Japanese).

The Specified Residence Card (from June 2026)

Official rule (Japan)

Since June 14, 2026, residents can choose a Specified Residence Card (特定在留カード), a residence card that also works as a My Number card. It is optional; you can keep two separate cards. The Immigration Services Agency says you can apply for it at the city office when you file a moving-in notice that counts as your address report. The city’s My Number Card Temporary Service Center does not handle Specified Residence Cards. Agency page and Q&A (Japanese).

5. Can I get help in my language?

Fukuoka City

The city runs a multilingual support line for all ward offices, 092-753-6113, on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00. You tell the interpreter your language, your ward and what you need, and you are connected to the ward office. Fukuoka City’s page in Easy Japanese (updated January 16, 2025) lists 23 languages, including English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Nepali, and says telephone interpreting can be used at every ward office counter.

For general questions about life in Fukuoka, 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) is run by the Fukuoka City International Foundation. It is in the Fukuoka City International Center (福岡市国際会館), 4-1 Tenyamachi, Hakata Ward. Google Maps. Phone: 0120-66-1799 (free) or 092-262-1799.

6. What should I do next?

Many procedures are handled in the same ward office building. If you are not covered by health insurance through your job, join National Health Insurance at the Health Insurance & Pension Section, and check whether you need to register for the National Pension. See National Health Insurance and the pension in Fukuoka City.

If your child is moving from an elementary or junior high school outside Fukuoka City, the city says the new school needs two papers: a certificate of enrollment (在学証明書) from the old school, and a school transfer notice (転入学通知書) that the Citizen Section issues when you register.

7. Common questions

How do I get a copy of my residence record (住民票, juminhyo)?

At a Citizen Section counter, a copy costs ¥300. With a My Number card that has a valid certificate for user verification, you can print one at convenience store multi-copy machines for ¥250, every day from 6:30 to 23:00. The city says the face-authentication-only My Number card cannot be used for this.

I am leaving Japan. What do I file?

File a moving-out notice (転出届, tenshutsu todoke) at your ward office before you leave, or within 14 days after you move. The online moving-out notice through Mynaportal cannot be used for a move abroad. By post, you do not need a return envelope for a move abroad, because no moving-out certificate is issued.

Can I book online when I move inside Fukuoka City?

Yes. The city’s online booking service covers moves within Fukuoka City as well as moves from other cities in Japan. Only moves from outside Japan are excluded.

Can I file the moving-in notice by post?

No. Fukuoka City does not accept moving-in notices by post. A moving-out notice for a move within Japan can be sent by post.

Registering your address in Fukuoka City: which of the 7 ward offices, what to bring, and your My Number card