The order to do things in
Three things have legal deadlines. Everything else can wait, and most guides bury the deadlines in a list of thirty items.
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Has a deadline
| Task | Deadline | If you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Move-in notification (転入届) at the city office | Within 14 days of moving in | checking |
| Residence card address update | Within 14 days | checking |
| National Health Insurance enrolment | At the same city office visit | checking |
Not yet verified
The consequences column is being checked against the relevant ministry guidance before we
state it. The deadlines themselves are standard; the penalties are what we don't want to get
wrong.
Do in week one
- Internet — order it first. A home router works the day it arrives; fibre can take weeks and needs your landlord's permission.
- Utilities — electricity and gas. Gas usually needs someone present to open the supply.
- A bank account, which most other admin depends on.
Can wait
Furniture, a credit card, phone number portability, and anything involving a hanko. None of these has a deadline, and the credit card in particular is easier once you have a few months of paid bills behind you — which is also why the card requirement on fibre internet catches so many people.
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