For dads in Japan
Birth registration in Japan (for foreign parents)
All English guides for dadsPaperwork: the first two weeks日本語で読む
Checked: ・ Written by: Hiroshi editorial team ・ No health content (numbers checked against official sources) ・ Editorial policy (JA)
Yes, foreign babies born in Japan are registered too: file the birth registration (shussei todoke) at the city or ward office within 14 days of the birth※. It is free, and the dad can file it.
If your baby is not Japanese, two more steps follow: a status of residence at immigration (within 30 days) and a passport from your embassy.
Two papers go to the ward, two requests go to your employer. The child allowance applicant is the higher-earning parent, not automatically the dad.
The Japanese words you will see on the day
| On the form / at the counter | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 出生届 | shussei todoke | Birth registration form |
| 出生証明書 | shussei shōmeisho | Birth certificate (right half of the form, filled in by the hospital) |
| 届出人 | todokede-nin | The person filing (you) |
| 本籍 | honseki | Family register address (for a foreign parent, ask the counter what to write) |
| 国籍 | kokuseki | Nationality |
| 母子健康手帳 | boshi kenkō techō | Maternal and Child Health Handbook (bring it) |
| 受理証明書 | juri shōmeisho | Certificate of acceptance (your embassy may ask for it) |
| 住民票 | jūminhyō | Certificate of residence |
Deadline and where to file
The deadline is 14 days from the birth (3 months if born abroad)※. You can file at the office for the birthplace, the family register, or your address, and there is no fee※. In Tokyo that usually means your ward office: see Tokyo wards for counters.
Who files
The father or mother files it※. Most dads do it, because mom is still recovering. The hospital's doctor or midwife fills in the birth certificate part※ before discharge.
What to bring
- The form with the hospital's birth certificate part completed
- Maternal and Child Health Handbook
- Your residence card(s) and passports
- Health insurance details, to do the other steps the same day
Same day: child allowance
While you are at the counter, apply for the child allowance: apply within 15 days of the day after the birth or you lose months※. Details: child allowance for foreign residents.
If your baby is not Japanese
A baby who will stay beyond 60 days needs a status of residence, applied for within 30 days of birth※, and the passport comes from your home country※. Step by step: residence status and passport. The full order of steps is on the first two weeks.
Money that follows the birth: birth money and paternity leave pay.
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- Birth registration (shussei todoke) is due within 14 days of the birth (3 months if born abroad).
戸籍法 第49条 - File it at the city/ward office of the birthplace, the family register (honseki), or the filer's address. No fee. Attach the birth certificate.
法務省 出生届 - The father or mother files the birth registration (if they cannot, a housemate or the attending doctor/midwife).
戸籍法 第52条 - The birth certificate (shussei shomeisho) is completed by the doctor or midwife who attended the birth and is part of the form.
戸籍法 第49条 - Foreign nationals born in Japan must also be registered: file the birth notification at the ward/city office within 14 days of birth, with a birth certificate completed by the doctor or midwife.
Chuo City, Family Registration (English) - If both parents are foreign nationals the child does not get Japanese nationality; report the birth to the home country and get the child's passport from that country's embassy.
Immigration Services Agency, 在留資格取得許可申請 - A child born in Japan who will stay beyond 60 days must apply for a status of residence within 30 days of birth (Immigration Control Act art. 22-2).
出入国管理及び難民認定法 第22条の2 - Apply within 15 days from the day after the birth so payments start without a gap; late months are generally lost.
こども家庭庁 児童手当Q&A(一般)