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⏱ Within 14 days

Birth Registration (出生届)

You are legally required to register your baby's birth within 14 days at the municipal office. This creates a family register entry (Japanese nationals) or resident record (foreign nationals), and the baby's My Number will be mailed afterward.

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Documents needed

✓Birth Notification Form (Shussho-todoke — issued by the hospital/midwife with birth certificate attached)
✓Maternal and Child Health Handbook (Boshi Kenkou Techo)
✓Notifier's ID (My Number Card, passport, etc.)
✓Notifier's Residence Card or Special Permanent Resident Certificate
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Steps

1

After the birth the hospital or midwife gives you the birth notification form, which incorporates the birth certificate they complete. The father or mother files it (the mother for a child born outside marriage); if neither can, the duty passes to a co-resident, then to the doctor or midwife who attended (Family Register Act, art. 52)

2

File within 14 days of the birth (3 months if the birth was outside Japan) at the municipal office for the child's registered domicile, the notifier's location, or the place of birth (Family Register Act arts. 49, 25 and 51). Where both parents are foreign nationals the child has no registered domicile, so it goes to the office for the notifier's location

3

If you bring the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, ask the staff to record the birth details

4

Once accepted: Japanese children are registered in the family register (koseki); foreign children are registered in the resident record (jumin-hyo)

5

A few weeks later, the baby's My Number notification will be mailed to your address

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Important notes

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Many municipalities accept the form at an after-hours desk on nights and weekends, with the actual review and acceptance happening on the next working day. Practice varies, so check with yours in advance

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Many municipal offices handle child allowance (jido-teate), medical subsidy, and health insurance enrollment in the same visit

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Nationality: If both parents are foreign nationals, the child cannot acquire Japanese nationality. If one parent is Japanese, the child is automatically Japanese (covered by this registration)

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A foreign-national child who is born without a status of residence may stay for up to 60 days from birth without one. To remain beyond that, an application to acquire a status of residence must be filed within 30 days of the birth (Immigration Act, art. 22-2)

🔗 Related procedures

Child Allowance Application (児童手当)
A monthly government allowance paid to parents raising children from birth through high school. Apply within 15 days from the day after birth (15-day special rule) — missing the deadline delays payments by one month. Applying on the same day as birth registration is strongly recommended.
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Child Medical Expense Subsidy (子ども医療費助成)
Your local municipality subsidizes out-of-pocket medical costs for children. Once the baby's health insurance card or Certificate of Qualification (資格確認書) arrives, apply as soon as possible to receive a 'Child Medical Certificate' (Kodomo Iryo-sho). Coverage age limits and benefit levels vary by municipality.
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Residence Status Application for Foreign-Born Child
A child born in Japan to foreign-national parents (who does not acquire Japanese nationality) and who plans to remain in Japan beyond 60 days after birth must apply for permission to acquire a status of residence within 30 days of birth. Complete birth registration first, then apply at the Immigration Services Agency promptly.
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Official info verified: 2026-09-10 / Source: laws.e-gov.go.jp ↗
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