[Study Abroad Edition] Complete Guide for International Students Coming to Japan for the First Time

Student life in Japan actually begins before your entrance ceremony. The moment you land at the airport, several time-sensitive procedures start moving.

In particular, if you miss the procedures that must be completed within 14 days of entry, the foundations of your daily life can collapse one after another: you won't be able to join Health insurance, open a bank account, or work part-time. Moreover, many procedures follow a fixed order and cannot be skipped.

This article is organized along a timeline: Before departure → Day of arrival → Within 14 days → Within 1 month → After that. Please proceed in order from the top.

Stage 0: Before leaving for Japan

Things to do

Estimated initial costs

Aside from tuition, simply setting up your life will cost the following:

If you live in a dormitory, you can significantly reduce housing costs. Plan for at least 3 months with no income until your part-time job gets on track.

Items worth bringing At least 10 ID photos (4cm height × 3cm width). You can take them in Japan too, but you'll need them repeatedly right after arrival A personal seal (inkan). If your country can make one, it's convenient to prepare it in advance. Signatures are increasingly accepted, but some counters still require a seal Regular medications, along with an English explanation of their ingredients. The same medicine may not be available over the counter in Japan Your home country's driver's license (if you might convert it to a Japanese one)

Stage 1: Day of arrival — Receiving your Residence Card

Airports where the Residence Card is issued on arrival

At New Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka airports, the Residence Card is issued on the spot during immigration inspection.

If you enter Japan through any other airport, your passport will be stamped "Residence Card to be issued later," and after you submit the move-in notification (described below), the card will be mailed to you via your municipal office.

Check these immediately after receiving your card Spelling of your name Date of birth Status of residence (confirm it says "Student") Period of stay and expiration date That the address field on the back is blank (it will be filled in later)

If there are any errors, report them on the spot. Correcting them later is far more troublesome.

Duty to carry it at all times

You are required to carry your Residence Card with you at all times. Leaving it at home when you go out is a violation of the law. If a police officer asks you to show it and you don't have it, you may be penalized.

Stage 2: Within 14 days of arrival — This is the most important

Many time-sensitive procedures are concentrated in this period. Once your place to live is decided, go to the municipal office that day or the next day.

① Move-in notification (resident registration)

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

Go to the municipal office covering your address and submit a move-in notification.

Things to bring

Residence Card Passport Student ID or certificate of admission Personal seal (if you have one)

Once the procedure is complete, your address will be recorded on the back of your Residence Card. This allows your Residence Card to be used as official proof of address.

If you don't submit the move-in notification, all subsequent procedures will be stopped. Do this as your top priority.

② Enrolling in National Health Insurance

Deadline: At the same time as your move-in notification (often completed on the same floor of the municipal office)

International students are generally required to enroll in National Health Insurance. Once enrolled, your out-of-pocket medical costs drop to 30%.

Since premiums are based on the previous year's income, they will be at the minimum amount in your first year in Japan (around 2,000–3,000 yen per month, depending on the municipality) Some municipalities offer reduction programs for students. Be sure to tell the counter staff "I am a student" and ask whether a reduction applies If you see a doctor without being enrolled, you will have to pay the full cost yourself. Even a few days of hospitalization can cost several hundred thousand yen ③ National Pension (for those aged 20 and over)

Deadline: At the same time as your move-in notification

If you are 20 or older, you are also required to enroll in the National Pension system. However, students can use the Student Payment Special System, which allows premium payments to be deferred while you are enrolled in school, upon application.

This is not "you don't have to pay" but rather "you can pay later" If you leave it unapplied, it will be treated as unpaid, which can affect your future pension or disability pension benefits Be sure to apply at the counter. It is not applied automatically ④ My Number notification

After you submit your move-in notification, a Individual Number Notification will later be mailed to your address. Applying for a My Number Card is optional, but it is recommended for the reasons described below.

Starting June 14, 2026, the "Specified Residence Card" was introduced. This is a single card that combines the functions of the Residence Card and the My Number Card. Obtaining it is optional, and continuing to carry two separate cards is also fine. The advantage is that when you complete residence procedures at immigration, the information on the My Number Card side is updated at the same time. In the past, many people forgot to update their My Number Card information at the municipal office after renewing their status of residence, so this saves that extra step. Applications are accepted at immigration offices or municipal offices, but online applications are not available. If you lose the card, both functions stop at once, so make sure to keep contact information handy in case of loss.

Stage 3: Within 1 month — Setting up your daily infrastructure

Opening a bank account

This is a point where many international students run into trouble.

Some Japanese banks treat people who have been in Japan for less than 6 months as "non-residents," and may refuse to open an account for them. The following order tends to work best.

Things to bring: Residence Card (with address already recorded on the back), passport, student ID, personal seal, Japanese phone number

Since you need both a "Residence Card with address recorded" and a "Japanese phone number," the order should be: move-in notification → mobile phone contract → bank account.

Mobile phone contract

Major carriers allow contracts with a Residence Card, but if your period of stay is short, they may refuse installment payment plans.

Right after arrival, budget SIMs (MVNOs) or eSIMs tend to involve simpler procedures. Since you may be asked to pay by credit card before you have a bank account, it's reassuring to bring a credit card from your home country.

Electricity, gas, and water Electricity and water — Start service by phone or online. No on-site visit needed Gas — An on-site visit is required to turn on the gas. Advance reservation is essential, and during busy seasons (March–April) you may wait more than a week

Once your move-in date is set, book your gas appointment as your top priority.

Transit IC cards

You can purchase cards such as Suica, ICOCA, and PASMO at station ticket machines. A commuter pass for school requires your student ID (or a certificate of commutation).

Stage 4: Before starting a part-time job

Permission for activities outside your status of residence is required

The "Student" status of residence does not, by itself, allow you to work. You can only work part-time after obtaining permission for activities outside your status of residence.

Where to apply: The Regional Immigration Services Bureau covering your address You may be able to apply at the airport upon entry. Be sure to check during immigration inspection If you apply later, it can take 2 weeks to 1 month for the permit to be issued The 28-hour weekly limit is absolute

Even with permission, you can only work up to 28 hours per week (up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week during school long vacation periods).

Exceeding this limit can result in your status of residence renewal being denied. In past enforcement cases, some people were even deported for violating the rules on activities outside their status of residence. To protect your studies and future in Japan, keep records and manage your working hours carefully.

Industries where you cannot work

Working in the adult entertainment/amusement business (pachinko parlors, game centers, bars, hostess clubs, etc.) is not covered by the permission for activities outside your status of residence, even for cleaning or dishwashing. If you're told "it's fine as long as you don't work at the front counter," that is incorrect.

Stage 5: Procedures waiting for you after you start school

Each semester / each year

What happens in your second year in Japan

If you have part-time job income, Resident tax will start being charged from your second year. Since resident tax is levied the following year based on the previous year's income, it will be zero in your first year, with billing starting from June of your second year.

This isn't a case of "taxes suddenly going up" — it happens to everyone under the system. For more details, please see our tax series articles.

When returning to your home country temporarily

If you plan to return to Japan within 1 year of leaving, you can use the deemed re-entry permission system. Simply check the box on the "Re-entry/Departure Record" card at departure immigration control at the airport; no special application is needed.

You will need to present your Residence Card, so be sure to bring it with you. Forgetting it could result in losing your status of residence.

When you move

Within 14 days, submit a move-out notification at your old municipal office and a move-in notification at your new municipal office. The back of your Residence Card will also be updated.

Even if you move within the same municipality, a change-of-address notification is required. Failing to report it can work against you when you renew your status of residence.

Post-arrival checklist Day of arrival Receive your Residence Card and check the details on it Check whether you can apply for permission for activities outside your status of residence at the airport Within 14 days Move-in notification (municipal office) Enrollment in National Health Insurance / application for reduction Enrollment in National Pension / application for the Student Payment Special System (if 20 or older) Within 1 month Mobile phone contract Opening a bank account Starting electricity, gas, and water service (book an appointment for gas) Application for permission for activities outside your status of residence (if not obtained at the airport) Ongoing Always carry your Residence Card Strictly keep part-time work within 28 hours per week, and keep records Report any change of address within 14 days Prepare for renewal from 3 months before your period of stay expires Where to turn to for help Your school's international student support office — The first place to rely on; they are experienced with many of these procedures Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC) — Consultation on residence procedures in general Your local International Exchange Association — Life consultations, Japanese language support, multilingual support Immigration Services Agency of Japan General Information Center for Foreign Residents — Multilingual phone consultation

You don't have to handle everything alone. Even if you're not confident in Japanese, there are counters all over Japan that offer multilingual support.

Read next [Employment Edition] Complete Guide for Foreign Nationals Working in Japan for the First Time — For those getting a job after graduation or starting their job search [① Overview] How Japan's Tax System Works — Residency classification and taxation of part-time job income