Newborn baby paperwork in Tokyo
09 May 2024 | #japan | #parentingWe recently had a baby in Tokyo, and in this post I’ll share our experience with the required paperwork (mostly in chronological order).
Our situation for reference:
- my wife is Japanese, thus our baby is also Japanese, so the baby doesn’t need residence card and visa
- we live in Tokyo, and some of these programs are provided by the Tokyo prefecture (but other prefecture might have similar programs)
- I work for a Japanese company as a fulltime employee (会社員), and they provides my health insurance
1. Hospital: get the birth certificate
In the hospital we received a paper like this:
The hospital filled out the right side (the one circled in red), and we needed to fill out the rest. This is one of the things to bring to the city hall in the next step.
2. City hall: Register the birth
Submit the above mentioned document (出生届, しゅっせいとどけ, Birth registration) at the city hall. One parent can do this without the baby (but note that in this case only that parent can request the 出生届受理証明書, Certificate of birth registration acceptance, document that some embassies require). You can find the details on your city’s website, e.g. for Mitaka: https://www.city.mitaka.lg.jp/c_service/000/000307.html
There is also a page in the Mother’s Book about the childbirth, that we filled out at home and the city hall stamped it. My company asked for a copy of this when applying for the insurance card for the baby.
Once submitted, the city hall staff asked me to go to 2 other counters in the city hall to do the next 2 steps.
3. City hall: 乳幼児医療費助成（にゅうようじ いりょうひ じょせい）Subsidies for medical treatment of infants
Normally we pay for 30% of medical costs (rest is insurance), but Tokyo covers even that 30% for children living in Tokyo. You need to apply for this though, and that’s this step. The form was simple and they helped me fill it out.
They asked me to come back and show the baby’s insurance card once it was ready, and at that time they gave me the certificate (piece of paper). The hospital asked us to bring these two (baby’s insurance card, this certificate) to the one month check-up.
At this point they also explained the process of how to get a refund for medical costs incurred before getting this certificate or outside of Tokyo (where kids need to pay 30% as usual and we can ask it back from Tokyo later).
4. City hall: 児童手当（じどう てあて）Child Allowance
For kids up to 15 years old Japan gives a monthly allowance depending on the income of the parents: https://www.city.mitaka.lg.jp/c_service/031/031574.html As of early 2024, if the parents make more than 12 million yen, then they are not eligible for this, however from December 2024 the income limit is planned to be removed.
There were other things at the city hall that one can apply for, but they were not relevant for us. Check your city’s website for details.
5. City hall or konbini: 住民票 (じゅうみんひょう) Residence certificate with the baby listed
As the baby is part of my household, I could request a 住民票 at a konbini using my own My Number card (after the baby was registered at the city hall). I could have also asked for this at the city hall, but it takes a long time at our city hall and also more expensive than getting it at a konbini. Don’t include the MyNumber on the certificate (otherwise you will be asked to mask it later). Getting this is important for the 018 Support application (in a later step).
6. Registered the baby in my company’s HR system
As the baby is my dependent, I had to add them to my company’s HR system. This process also included the application for the health insurance card for the baby (as they are covered by my company’s health insurance), and application for a congratulatory money (a one time 10,000 yen minus tax). In addition, I also had to apply for the parental leave on a separate form (my company provides more than the legally required, so this might be different for other companies).
The baby’s health insurance card arrived to our home in 9 days after applying for it.
It took 1.5 week for the parental leave days to show up in the holiday request system (but the system allows marking the days retroactively, so I could start my paternity leave right after the baby was born).
7. City hall: once you get the baby’s insurance card, pick up the 乳幼児医療費助成 certificate
My city hall asked me to either mail them a copy of the baby’s insurance card, or show it in person to receive the 乳幼児医療費助成 certificate requested earlier. I went in-person and got the certificate quickly (my wife called them earlier, so they had it ready).
8. Online: apply for Tokyo’s 018 Support
Tokyo gives 5,000 yen/month to all kids 0-18 years old regardless of their parents income (as long as they live in Tokyo). Apply for this online on https://018support.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/ You will need the 住民票 listing the baby’s name, without the MyNymbers (requested earlier)
9. Embassy: register the baby at the embassy
I haven’t done this, but I’m supposed to register the baby at my embassy and get them a passport.
Some countries have child allowance programs that citizens living abroad can also take advantage of, so you might want to check if you can get some free money from your country.
10. My Number Card [optional]
I also got a MyNumber Card application form for the baby at the city hall, and I could complete it online (had to scan the QR code on the form and upload a photo of the baby, since the rest of the form got pre-filled at the city hall). We got the notification to pick up the card 2 months later, and went with the baby to pick it up.
Having a My Number Card for the baby is nice, as this is likely their only photo ID (the insurance card also works like an ID, but that doesn’t have a photo), which helps with things like applying for passport. Also insurance cards are slowly being merged into My Number Card, so it might become sort of mandatory in the future anyway.
11. Passport [optional]
Japanese passports for people of Tokyo are handled by Tokyo’s Bureau of Citizens, Culture and Sports with extra rules for minors getting a passport:
- a parent has to be present
- the passport will be valid for 5 years and cost 6,000 yen
- required ID (one of the following):
- My Number Card
- driving license (not relevant for a baby)
- health insurance card AND mother-child handbook (or a student ID card (with photo) or student handbook (with photo), but those are not relevant for a baby)
- the parent’s insurance card is also checked
We haven’t got this for our baby, so I don’t have personal experience with this.