Requesting Juminhyo and Other Documents
A juminhyo copy is the document behind bank accounts, job contracts, leases, and school enrollments. Five request channels cover every situation, and fees differ by city and channel, so pick the channel before you queue.12
Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the municipality where you reside, since every fee and hour below is a dated local example.
Overview
The 住民票の写し (jūminhyō no utsushi, "certified copy of the residence record") proves your registered address and household composition.3 Banks, employers, landlords, and schools usually ask for this copy, not for a family-register transcript. Koseki copies follow different rules (different issuing city, different fees); the companion article on requesting koseki and juminhyo copies carries that detail, so this guide stays channel-focused.2
At the Counter
The counter is the standard channel and the only one that handles every case. Fill in the municipality's request form, show photo ID, pay the fee, and collect the copy the same day in most cases.2
Accepted photo ID includes a My Number Card, a driver's license, a passport, a 在留カード (zairyū kādo, "residence card") for mid- to long-term foreign residents, or a Special Permanent Resident Certificate.2 A member of the same household can request on your behalf without extra paperwork. Anyone outside the household needs a signed power of attorney (委任状).2
Counter fees are set per municipality and change on a local schedule. Kawasaki charges 300 yen per copy (as of 2026-04-16; confirm current figures with your local office).1 Nishinomiya charges the same 300 yen (as of 2026-07-31), and Yachiyo matches it at 300 yen (as of 2026-07-04).42
| Document | Counter fee (example) | As of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juminhyo copy | 300 yen | 2026-04-161 | Kawasaki |
| Juminhyo copy | 300 yen | 2026-07-314 | Nishinomiya |
| Juminhyo copy | 300 yen | 2026-07-042 | Yachiyo |
Figures above are municipal examples, not national prices. Counter hours follow the ward calendar, so confirm before a special trip.
At the Konbini Kiosk
A My Number Card unlocks the self-service channel: the multifunction kiosk at a participating konbini (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, or Ministop). Set the card on the reader, enter the 4-digit user-authentication PIN, pick the municipality and certificate type, select fields and copy count, feed the fee, and collect the printout.54
The card must carry a valid user-authentication electronic certificate; a seal-registration card does not work here.5 Kiosk hours typically run 6:30 to 23:00 daily, following each store's terminal hours and maintenance windows rather than the ward calendar (as of 2026-07-16).5
Konbini fees are set per municipality and usually undercut the counter. Kawasaki charges 200 yen per copy at the kiosk against 300 at the counter (as of 2026-04-16; confirm current figures with your local office).1 Nishinomiya and Yachiyo also charge 200 yen, Hiroshima charges 200 yen, and Yokohama charges 250 yen (as of 2026-07-31, 2026-07-04, 2026-06-08, and 2026-07-16 respectively).4265
By Mail
When you cannot visit in person, mail a request to the municipality. Enclose the request form with your signature, a copy of your photo ID, the fee as a 郵便定額小為替 (yūbin teigaku kogawase, "postal fixed-amount money order" purchased within the last six months), and a stamped self-addressed return envelope addressed to your registered address.2
Yachiyo's mail fee for a juminhyo copy is 300 yen per copy, with roughly a week to reach you (as of 2026-07-04).2 Expect one to two weeks door to door once transit both ways is included (as of 2026-09). Include a daytime phone number so the office can reach you about defects; incomplete sets sit unprocessed until fixed.2
Through the My Number Portal
The My Number Portal offers online certificate issuance as a limited but growing channel.78 Where your municipality supports it, an online PDF bypasses both queues and kiosk trips. Coverage differs by city, so check the portal's service list for your municipality before relying on it. The portal-procedures article walks through access setup and the full online menu.
Foreign-Resident Notes
Your residence card is universally accepted as counter ID.2 When a bank or employer asks for the copy, confirm whether they need nationality, residence-status, card-number, or period-of-stay fields shown; student-procedure guides list exactly these fields because receiving offices reject copies that omit them.3
Copies that include your My Number are counter-only. If an agent requests one, the office mails it to your registered address instead of handing it over.2 Never submit a My Number-bearing copy where it was not requested; order the standard copy by default.
Good to know
Mark the fields the receiving office needs before you pay
A default copy omits honseki, household-head, relationship, and nationality or residence-status fields. Ask the receiving office which fields it requires, then mark them on the request form or kiosk screen.23 A copy ordered without the needed fields is unusable for its purpose, and the reprint costs a second fee.
Copies with My Number are counter-only and mailed to you
No konbini or handover shortcut exists for My Number-bearing copies, and agents receive them by mail to the registered address only.2 Plan a week of buffer when a procedure genuinely needs this version. Most everyday procedures do not; confirm before ordering it.
Konbini copies cannot be exchanged or refunded
Kiosk mistakes are final: wrong certificate type, wrong field selection, or wrong copy count all mean paying again.56 Slow down at the confirmation screen. For first-time or high-stakes copies, the counter's staff check is worth the queue.
See also
- Jūminhyō: Japan's Residence Record Explained
- How to Request Koseki and Juminhyo Copies
- Koseki: Japan's Family Register Explained
- Japan Konbini: The Convenience Store as Daily Infrastructure
- My Number Portal: Online Procedures
- Seal Registration at the Ward Office