[Working in Japan] Complete Guide for Foreigners Starting Their First Job in Japan

When you start working in Japan, your company will handle many of the procedures for you. This often leads people to think "it's fine to leave everything to the company," but there is a clear division between procedures the company handles and procedures you must handle yourself.

If you don't understand this division, problems can occur: your health insurance card arrives but your residence registration is not done, you don't have the documents needed when renewing your residence status, or you forget to notify immigration after changing jobs and run into trouble at your next renewal.

This article follows a timeline — after receiving a job offer → before departure → arrival day → within 14 days → after joining the company — making clear who does what at each step.

Stage 0: After receiving a job offer — What to check in your contract

Does your residence status match your job duties?

This is the foundation of everything. Each residence status determines the scope of work you are allowed to do.

There are many cases where someone enters Japan under "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" but ends up doing simple manual labor. This does not meet the requirements of the residence status, and renewal will be denied.

If the job description in your contract is vague, such as "general duties," ask for specific details in writing before joining the company.

Items to always check in your contract

Make sure you understand the contract before signing the Japanese version. If you are not confident in your Japanese, it is entirely reasonable to request a translated version.

Certificate of Eligibility (COE)

The company (or an administrative scrivener acting on its behalf) applies to immigration. Once issued, you take the COE to a Japanese embassy or consulate in your home country to apply for a visa.

The COE is valid for 3 months from the date of issue. You must enter Japan within this period.

Stage 1: Preparing before departure

Initial costs

Unless the company provides housing, you will need the following:

Pay attention to your first payday. Many Japanese companies use systems like "closing at month-end, paid on the 25th of the following month." If you join in April, it's not unusual to have no income until late May.

Documents to bring with you Certificate of graduation/diploma (used to prove eligibility for your residence status; originals may be required) Documents proving your work history Driver's license (if you might convert it in Japan, bring your home country's license and a translation) Multiple ID photos (4cm height x 3cm width)

Stage 2: Arrival day — Your Residence Card

At New Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka airports, your Residence Card is issued on the spot during immigration inspection. At other airports, your passport will be stamped "to be issued later," and the card will be mailed to you after you complete your residence registration.

When you receive it, check the spelling of your name, date of birth, residence status, and expiration date of your period of stay.

Carrying your Residence Card at all times is mandatory. Leaving it at home when going out is a violation of the law.

Stage 3: Within 14 days of arrival — Procedures you must do yourself

This is where the division between the company and you becomes clear.

What you must do yourself ① Notification of moving in (residence registration)

Deadline: within 14 days of starting to live at your address

Bring your Residence Card and passport to the municipal office for your area. After the procedure, your address will be recorded on the back of your Residence Card.

The company will not do this for you. You must go yourself. Take time off if needed, but be sure to complete it within the deadline.

② Receiving your My Number notification

After submitting your notification of moving in, you will receive an Individual Number Notification. Since you will be asked to provide your My Number during your company's onboarding procedures, keep it safe once it arrives so you can share it with the company.

Starting June 14, 2026, the "Specified Residence Card" began operation. This card integrates the functions of the Residence Card and the My Number Card into one, and obtaining it is optional. You can continue to hold two separate cards as before, without any problem. The biggest advantage is that when you renew your residence status at immigration, the information on your My Number Card side is updated at the same time. Previously, many people forgot to update their information at the municipal office after renewal. Applications can be made at immigration offices or municipal offices; online applications are not available. Note that employers previously kept copies of the Residence Card, but for the Specified Residence Card, they will instead keep a copy of the My Number Card. Be aware that what your company asks you to submit may change.

③ Opening a bank account

You need this as the destination for your salary payments. Japanese banks sometimes treat people who have been in Japan less than 6 months as "non-residents," and may refuse to open an account.

What to bring: Residence Card with your address recorded, passport, personal seal (inkan), Japanese phone number, certificate of employment (if available)

The order is: notification of moving in → mobile phone contract → bank account. If you're not ready in time for your first paycheck, exceptional arrangements like cash payment may be needed, so act early.

What the company does

You don't need to do anything for these yourself, but you should know they are happening.

Until your insurance card arrives, you will need to pay the full amount at medical institutions and later receive a reimbursement. Be sure to keep your receipts.

Stage 4: Reading your pay stub

Many people look at their first pay stub and feel "this is different from what I expected." It helps to understand the breakdown.

Total deductions are roughly 20-25% of your gross salary. For an annual salary of 4 million yen, your take-home pay would be around 250,000 yen per month.

Take-home pay decreases in your second year

Resident tax is calculated based on the previous year's income and charged the following year. Since you had no income in Japan the year before your first year, resident tax is zero initially, and collection begins in June of your second year.

Your salary hasn't been cut, and the company hasn't made a mistake. This happens to everyone under the system. Plan ahead for the second-year burden from your first year onward.

Specific deduction amounts and year-end adjustment procedures are covered in detail in the tax series, article ② For Company Employees.

Stage 5: Renting housing

If the company does not provide company housing, you will need to sign a rental contract yourself.

Required costs

Barriers foreign residents often face Being asked for a joint guarantor. If you have no connections in Japan, you can use a guarantor company Some properties still refuse to rent to foreigners. It's faster to find a real estate agency experienced in dealing with foreign tenants It's common to be asked to submit a certificate of employment or job offer notification

Some municipalities offer housing consultation services for foreigners, or public housing systems that don't require a guarantor. Check with your local international exchange association.

Stage 6: Procedures waiting for you after joining the company

Annual schedule

Renewing your period of stay

You can apply for renewal starting 3 months before your residence period expires. Required documents vary depending on your residence status, but generally include the following:

Application for extension of period of stay Certificate of employment Resident tax taxation certificate and tax payment certificate Withholding tax statement

Your tax payment history is an important part of the review. Failing to pay resident tax can affect your renewal.

When you change jobs — An easily forgotten notification

Deadline: within 14 days of changing jobs

If you work under a residence status such as "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" and change jobs, you are required to submit a "Notification Regarding Contracting Organization" to the Immigration Services Agency. You can submit this online, by mail, or in person.

If you forget this notification, you may be asked to explain at your next renewal of your period of stay. You need to notify both when you leave your old job and when you start your new one.

Certificate of Authorized Employment (optional but useful)

This is a system where immigration confirms in advance whether your new job's duties fall within the scope of your current residence status.

Obtaining it is optional, but it helps you avoid the risk of discovering only at renewal time that your job duties were outside the scope of your status. If your new job's duties are very different from your previous ones, consider obtaining this certificate.

When bringing over family members

Under the "Dependent" residence status, you can bring over your spouse and children. It usually takes 2-4 months from applying for the COE to their entry into Japan.

Under the "Dependent" residence status, you cannot work as is. You can work up to 28 hours per week by obtaining permission to engage in activities outside your status of residence.

A note for those coming to Japan under Technical Intern Training

The Technical Intern Training program will be abolished, and the new "Employment for Skill Development" system will take effect on April 1, 2027.

The biggest change is that the purpose of the system has shifted from "international contribution" to clearly focusing on "developing and securing human resources," formally recognizing participants' status as workers. A transition period of about 3 years has been set, during which both systems will coexist for a while.

Checklist after arrival Arrival day [ ] Check the details recorded on your Residence Card Within 14 days [ ] Notification of moving in (at the municipal office) — go yourself [ ] Sign up for a mobile phone contract [ ] Open a bank account [ ] Keep your My Number notification safe When joining the company [ ] Submit your My Number, bank account, and pension book information to the company [ ] Confirm receipt of your health insurance card (keep medical expense receipts until it arrives) [ ] Keep a copy of your employment contract Ongoing [ ] Always carry your Residence Card [ ] Report any change of address within 14 days [ ] Notify immigration within 14 days when changing jobs or leaving a job [ ] Don't fall behind on resident tax payments (this affects renewal review) [ ] Start preparing for renewal 3 months before your residence period expires Where to go for help Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC) — General residence procedures Labor Standards Inspection Office — Unpaid wages, excessive working hours, unfair dismissal, and other labor issues Foreign Workers' Consultation Corner at each Prefectural Labor Bureau — Multilingual support International Exchange Association in each municipality — Consultation on daily life and housing Immigration Services Agency Comprehensive Information Center for Foreign Residents — Multilingual phone consultation

You do not have to put up with problems such as working conditions differing from your contract, being asked to hand over your passport to your company, or not being paid overtime. The Labor Standards Act applies regardless of nationality. Even if you don't speak Japanese, there are consultation services available in multiple languages.

Read next [For International Students] Complete Guide for Students Coming to Japan for the First Time [② For Company Employees] Taxes Deducted from Your Salary and Year-End Tax Adjustment — Deduction Practices and the Income Wall [④ Leaving and Returning to Your Home Country] Tax Procedures When Leaving Japan — Essential Reading Before You Return Home