This page is general information from official sources. It is not legal advice. For your own case, ask the ward office where you live or the Hiroshima City & Aki County International Resident Consultation Service.
If you have just moved to Hiroshima City with your family, several registrations have deadlines of 14 or 15 days, and they are handled by different counters at the ward office (区役所, kuyakusho). This page lists what to do, by when, where and what to bring. It covers families moving from another city in Japan and people arriving from abroad.
In short
- Register your new address at your ward’s Citizens Affairs Division within 14 days of starting to live there. Foreign residents bring their residence card (section 1).
- If you do not have work health insurance, the head of household joins National Health Insurance within 14 days (section 3).
- Child allowance: if you moved from another city in Japan, apply within 15 days from the day after the moving-out date on your certificate. Late applications are not backdated (section 4).
- Children’s medical subsidy and nursery places need separate applications at the ward’s Welfare Division, in a different building from the Citizens Affairs Division (sections 5 to 7).
- Ward counters are open weekdays 8:30–17:15 and closed on August 6.
Checked with official pages on October 5, 2026.
| What | Deadline | Where (ward office) |
|---|---|---|
| Moving-in notification | 14 days after you start living there | Citizens Affairs Division or branch office |
| My Number Card (keep using it) | 90 days after the moving-in notification | Citizens Affairs Division or branch office |
| National Health Insurance | 14 days (head of household) | National Insurance and Pension Division or branch office |
| Child allowance | 15 days from the day after the moving-out date | Welfare Division or branch office |
| Children’s medical subsidy | Apply to get a recipient card | Welfare Division or branch office |
| Nursery (hoikuen) | Usually the 10th of the month before | Welfare Division |
Hiroshima City’s English guide notes that the services it lists are in Japanese only unless stated otherwise. If you are not confident in Japanese, the Hiroshima City & Aki County International Resident Consultation Service (082-241-5010) has staff who speak English and other languages, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 16:00 (closed on holidays, August 6 and December 29 to January 3). The city also has an online “Hiroshima City Procedure Guide” (広島市手続きガイド, in Japanese) that lists the procedures and items you need after you answer a few questions.
1. How do I register my new address?
Hiroshima City
The moving-in notification (転入届, tennyu todoke) goes to the Citizens Affairs Division (市民課, shiminka) of the ward office for your new address, or a branch office (出張所). Do it within 14 days of the day you start living there. Late notification can lead to a fine of up to ¥50,000. Counters are open Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 17:15. They are closed on holidays, August 6 and December 29 to January 3.
What to bring
- Moving from another city in Japan: the moving-out certificate (転出証明書, tenshutsu shomeisho) from your old city, and ID for the person at the counter. Bring your My Number Card if you have one.
- Foreign residents: also bring your residence card (在留カード, zairyu kado) or special permanent resident certificate. The ward writes your new address on it.
- Arriving from abroad: Hiroshima City’s English guide says to bring your residence card within 14 days of finding a place to live, or your passport if you have not received the card yet.
- Someone else filing for you: a letter of authorization (委任状, ininjo) is needed unless they are in the same household.
If a foreign resident’s relationship to the head of household is not shown on the moving-out certificate, the city may ask for an official document from your home country (such as a birth or marriage certificate) with a Japanese translation.
If you have a My Number Card, you can use a simpler method: send the moving-out notice to your old city by mail or online through Mynaportal, then bring your card to the Hiroshima City counter after it arrives (usually 2 to 3 days). You need the card’s PIN. This method cannot be used once 14 days have passed since you moved in or 30 days since the planned moving-out date.
When you register, tell the counter your children’s previous school and grade. Hiroshima City then issues a school admission notice for elementary and junior high school.
2. What do I do with my My Number Card?
Hiroshima City
Your My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) from your old address keeps working if you complete the continued-use procedure at the moving-in notification. You need the card’s PIN. If you do not do this within 90 days of the moving-in notification, the card becomes invalid.
When your address changes, the card’s signature certificate (署名用電子証明書), used for online applications, is cancelled automatically. If you want to apply online for child allowance or the children’s medical subsidy, ask the Citizens Affairs Division to issue a new one. The city says it can take up to 2 days before the new certificate works for online applications.
3. Do I need to join National Health Insurance?
Hiroshima City
People who are not on a workplace health insurance plan (or the late-stage elderly medical care system) join National Health Insurance (国民健康保険, kokumin kenko hoken). The head of household must report it within 14 days at the ward’s National Insurance and Pension Division (保険年金課) or a branch office. Bring something that shows the My Number of the head of household and everyone joining, and ID. If your old city gave you a transfer slip for National Health Insurance, bring it too.
If you report late, membership still starts from the date you became eligible, and you pay the premiums for that period, going back up to 2 years. Hiroshima City says that foreign residents with the status “Designated Activities” for receiving medical care or for sightseeing and recreation (and their spouses with the same purpose) cannot join.
For National Pension, Hiroshima City says people moving from abroad should ask at the counter.
4. When do I apply for child allowance?
Hiroshima City
Child allowance (児童手当, jido teate) is paid to the parent who mainly supports children up to high school age (until March 31 after the child turns 18). There is no income limit. Apply at your ward’s Welfare Division (福祉課, fukushika) or a branch office (not Ninoshima Branch Office).
If you moved from another city in Japan, the deadline is 15 days from the day after the planned moving-out date on your moving-out certificate, not from the day you moved in. If those dates are far apart, the child allowance deadline can come before the moving-in deadline. If you apply late, the city cannot pay for the months you missed. The city’s page does not explain how to count the 15 days for families arriving from abroad, so ask the Welfare Division as soon as you arrive.
- A bank book (通帳) in the applicant’s name.
- The applicant’s health insurance information (such as a My Number Card used as health insurance, or an eligibility certificate) or a pension enrollment certificate.
- The My Number Cards (or notification cards and ID) of the applicant and spouse.
If you cannot collect all the papers within 15 days, talk to the Welfare Division and submit at least the application form (認定請求書) by the deadline. If you mail it, the date it arrives at the Welfare Division counts as the application date. With a My Number Card, the applicant can apply online through Mynaportal’s Pittari Service (ぴったりサービス). Public employees apply through their workplace.
The monthly amount is ¥15,000 for children under 3 (1st and 2nd child), ¥10,000 from age 3 to high school age, and ¥30,000 for the 3rd child and later. Children are counted up to March 31 after they turn 22. Payments are made six times a year, two months at a time, on the 15th of even-numbered months. Hiroshima City says that children living outside Japan are generally not eligible, with some exceptions for children studying abroad.
5. How do I get the children’s medical subsidy?
Hiroshima City
The children’s medical subsidy only works after you apply and receive a recipient card (受給者証, jukyushasho). Apply online through Mynaportal with the parent’s My Number Card, at the ward’s Welfare Division or a branch office, or by mail. At the counter, show your child’s health insurance information. If a parent has just moved into the city, also bring something that shows the parent’s My Number.
The card can be used at medical institutions in Hiroshima Prefecture. From January 2027, Hiroshima City extends the subsidy to high school age and removes the income limit. What you pay and how the 2027 change works are explained in our guide to children’s medical costs in Hiroshima Prefecture.
6. How do I apply for a nursery place?
Hiroshima City
Apply for a licensed nursery (保育園, hoikuen) at the ward’s Welfare Division. For entry until January 2027, the deadline is the 10th of the month before you want to start (or the next open day). Online applications through Pittari Service have a different deadline from the counter.
| Start | Counter deadline |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 |
| Dec 2026 | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 |
| Jan 2027 | Thursday, December 10, 2026 |
| Feb–Apr 2027 | Tuesday, January 12, 2027 |
For April 2027 (first round), applications run from Tuesday, November 24, 2026 to Tuesday, January 12, 2027. Counters are open weekdays 8:30 to 17:00, with extra hours on Sunday, December 13, 2026 (9:30 to 16:00) and until 20:00 on Tuesday, December 22, 2026 and Tuesday, January 5, 2027. You can apply even before you move to Hiroshima City if you will move in by the start date.
For kindergartens and certified centers for early childhood education (1号認定), apply directly to the kindergarten. If your child already attends one, ask it about getting a new certification from Hiroshima City.
7. Vaccinations and checkups
Hiroshima City
To get routine vaccinations in Hiroshima City, your child needs Hiroshima City’s vaccination tickets. Take your Maternal and Child Health Handbook (母子健康手帳, boshi kenko techo), the vaccination tickets from your old city, and something that shows your address to the ward’s Mutual Community Support Division (地域支えあい課). Checkup forms for pregnant women and infants are changed at the same division.
8. Where are the ward counters?
Hiroshima City
In every ward, the Citizens Affairs Division (address registration) and the Welfare Division (child allowance, medical subsidy, nursery) are at different addresses.
| Ward | Citizens Affairs | Welfare Division | Phone (Citizens Affairs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naka | 1-4-21 Kokutaiji-machi | 4-1-1 Otemachi | 082-504-2551 |
| Higashi | 9-38 Higashi-kaniya-cho | 9-34 Higashi-kaniya-cho | 082-568-7708 |
| Minami | 1-5-44 Minami-machi | 1-4-46 Minami-machi | 082-250-8938 |
| Nishi | 2-2-1 Fukushima-cho | 2-24-1 Fukushima-cho | 082-532-0930 |
| Asaminami | 1-33-14 Furuichi | 1-38-13 Nakasu | 082-831-4928 |
| Asakita | 4-13-13 Kabe | 3-19-22 Kabe | 082-819-3907 |
| Aki | 3-4-36 Funakoshi-minami | 3-2-16 Funakoshi-minami | 082-821-4908 |
| Saeki | 2-5-28 Kairoen | 1-4-5 Kairoen | 082-943-9709 |
Welfare Division child welfare phone numbers: Naka 082-504-2569, Higashi 082-568-7733, Minami 082-250-4131, Nishi 082-294-6342, Asaminami 082-831-4945, Asakita 082-819-0605, Aki 082-821-2813, Saeki 082-943-9732.
You can check how many people are waiting at each ward’s Citizens Affairs and National Insurance and Pension counters on a smartphone before you go. For My Number Card procedures at the Citizens Affairs Division, booking a visit online gets you priority service.
Note
The City Hall Service Corner in Motomachi, Naka-ku, is open on weekends and holidays from 9:00, but it handles only some services, such as issuing certificates. It does not accept moving-in or moving-out notifications or seal registration.
Common questions
Can I register my address on a weekend?
Usually not. Ward Citizens Affairs Divisions and branch offices are open on weekdays only, and the City Hall Service Corner, which opens on weekends, does not handle address registration.
My child allowance papers are not ready. What should I do?
Talk to the ward’s Welfare Division and submit at least the application form within the 15 days. Hiroshima City cannot pay for months before a late application.
Can a family member register for me?
Yes. Someone in the same household can file without a letter of authorization. Anyone else needs one. The person at the counter shows their own ID.
Can I apply for a nursery before I move?
Yes. Hiroshima City accepts nursery applications from families who will move in by the start date. If a place is offered, you must complete the move-in by then.
Next steps
Sources (checked October 2026)
- Hiroshima City: Moving-in notification (転入届) and moving with a My Number Card (転入届の特例)
- Hiroshima City: Procedures after moving in from another city (市外からの転入に関する手続き, PDF, April 2026) and FAQ: procedures when moving
- Hiroshima City: Joining and leaving National Health Insurance (国民健康保険の加入・脱退などの届出)
- Hiroshima City: Child allowance (児童手当) and forms and procedures
- Hiroshima City: Children’s medical expense subsidy (こども医療費補助制度)
- Hiroshima City: Nursery admission (保育園等の入園について)
- Hiroshima City: Ward Citizens Affairs Divisions and branch offices and Welfare Division child welfare sections
- Hiroshima City: City Hall Service Corner and counter waiting status and My Number Card booking
- Life in Hiroshima 2025: Important Paperwork (English) and Places to Get Useful Advice and Information (English)
