Japan Post can forward mail addressed to your old home to your new address free of charge, but registering a move does not make every item forwardable. Allow time for registration, and count the one-year service period from the date you file the notice—not the date you ask forwarding to begin. This guide covers moves within Japan and is based on official documentation, not a hands-on application test. Japan Post: moving and forwarding service
Put two dates in your moving plan
The Japanese relocation notice is called a tenkyo todoke (転居届). Japan Post says forwarding starts on the requested start date entered on the notice, but registration takes three to seven business days after submission. Submit early enough to allow that processing time; a request made on moving day should not be treated as an immediate switch. Japan Post: start date and registration lead time
The service period runs for one year from the filing date. It can be renewed by filing again, but Japan Post asks customers to notify senders of the new address. Japan Post: forwarding period
For a hypothetical move, suppose you file on 5 October and request a forwarding start of 20 October. Do not schedule your renewal reminder for the anniversary of 20 October: the service clock is tied to the earlier filing date. Keep the filing date and requested start date as separate entries in your moving notes. This example explains which date controls the period; it is not a calculation of your application’s exact processing or expiry time.
Choose a submission route you can complete
Japan Post offers three routes: a post office counter, a paper submission by post, or e-Tenkyo through the website or post office app. Online submission requires a Yu ID with identity verification completed. For paper posting, its current instructions call for the notice, a copy of the submitter’s identity document and the supplied dedicated envelope, posted without a stamp. At a counter, identity checks apply to the submitter and one of the people moving. Japan Post: submission instructions
For someone who has not completed online identity verification, the useful comparison is therefore not just “online versus paper.” It is “which route can I finish, with the required identity information, before my move?” Read the route-specific document requirements before starting. An old QR code on a form may also fail; the official service page provides the online entry point.
“Do not forward” overrides your forwarding notice
Mail marked 転送不要 means the sender wants the item returned if the recipient no longer lives at that address. Japan Post says such mail is not forwarded even when a relocation notice has been filed. Japan Post: mail excluded from forwarding
That makes a sender’s own address record important. Consider this hypothetical comparison:
| Situation | What to plan for |
|---|---|
| An ordinary eligible letter is sent to the old address after forwarding is registered | Forwarding is a useful backup while the sender updates the address |
| An item marked 転送不要 is sent to the old address | Do not expect the forwarding notice to rescue it; arrange the address change with the sender |
| A time-sensitive item is about to be issued | Ask the sender which address it will use before dispatch |
| You are receiving a delivery from another company | Check that company’s arrangements separately; this guide establishes Japan Post’s service only |
The second row is the key exception. Do not wait for a missing item before discovering that its sender used a non-forwarding instruction.
Use forwarding as a transition, with a sender list
Create a short list of organisations and people who still use your old address. For each, record the requested change, the address now displayed in its account settings, and any pending shipment. These are three different checks: submitting a change does not tell you where a label already prepared will point.
Start with items that have a deadline or require a specific delivery address. For each new letter forwarded from the old home, add its sender to the list if necessary. This is an editorial planning procedure, not a claim that Japan Post updates those organisations for you.
Before the filing-date anniversary, review what still arrives through forwarding. Renew if needed using Japan Post’s procedure, while continuing to correct sender records. The goal is to reduce dependence on the temporary bridge, especially for items that cannot use it at all.
This article does not cover international redirection, temporary absence holds or post-office pickup. Individual identity-document eligibility and the actual registration status of a notice must be checked for the selected application route; no application was submitted during this research.