Guide 06

Moving back to Japan after years abroad

You're Japanese, so there's no visa or residence card. But if you've lived abroad for a long time, the paperwork can still catch you out. Here's what's different for you.

Do you need to register at all?

If you're coming back to live, yes: register your new address at the city or ward office within 14 days of moving in. Cities describe this as applying when you return to live for roughly a year or more. A short visit home generally doesn't need it, and the office will want to see that you actually live at the address.

What to bring to the city office

Requirements vary by city, so check yours first. Kashiwa City, for example, asks returning nationals for:

• Your passport, plus your boarding pass or ticket stub if it has no entry stamp
• A copy of your koseki (戸籍全部事項証明書, the family register certificate)
• A copy of your koseki no fuhyo (戸籍の附票, the register's address record)

If your registered home (honseki) is in a different city, order these by post from that city before you travel. They can take time to arrive.

Your My Number

If you were given a My Number before you left, it stays the same when you come back. If you left before the system started on 5 October 2015 and haven't registered in Japan since, you never had one, and you'll be assigned one when you register. Your koseki on its own doesn't give you a number. More on My Number

Health insurance and pension

Unless you're covered through an employer, you normally join National Health Insurance at the same visit as your registration. Cities warn that premiums run from the month you became eligible, so registering late can mean back-paying.

For the national pension, Japanese nationals living abroad don't have to pay in. If you joined voluntarily while abroad, that membership ends when you move back and you'll need to re-enrol at home.

Voting from abroad

If you're on the overseas voters list, registering an address in Japan can take you off it about four months later. Plan around any election you want to vote in.

Tax

Japan generally treats you as a tax resident once you live here, and as a non-resident (taxed only on Japanese income) while you live abroad. Moving back changes that, which can also affect your taxes in the country you're leaving, so talk to an adviser who covers both.