A juminhyo (certificate of residence) is the paper many Japanese desks trust more than a passport photocopy. It proves you sit on the municipal resident register at a named address. Without a completed moving-in notification, there is nothing to certify: Register address.
How do you request the right version?
Go to the city, ward or town office that holds your resident record, bring photo ID (residence card for mid-to-long-term foreign residents) and ask for a juminhyo. Tell the clerk whether the receiving office needs My Number printed, all household members listed, or a certificate with relationships. Wrong versions get rejected at banks and school counters even when the address is correct.
Some municipalities and convenience-store kiosks let My Number Card holders print certificates when PINs and certificates are valid: Set up My Number and MyNaPortal. Fees are small municipal charges per copy. Ask for a recent issue date; many desks want a certificate issued within the last three months.
Where will you reuse it?
Banks and mobile carriers often ask during KYC: Open a bank account. Immigration extension or change packs sometimes want municipal evidence beside the residence card: Extend stay. Schools, landlords and pension desks reuse the same address trail: Paperwork after moving.
When you move again, file moving-out and moving-in notifications so the next juminhyo matches reality. A lease alone does not update the register: How to rent a home.
Common misconceptions
Assuming the residence card replaces juminhyo forever fails. Many private and municipal desks still want the certificate.
Assuming any household printout works also fails. Offices specify My Number display and member lists for privacy and matching reasons.
Summary
Finish municipal registration first, then request the exact juminhyo version each desk names. Keep a fresh copy in your paperwork folder beside the residence card.
Sources
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