Documents Needed to Rent an Apartment in Japan: A Checklist for Foreign Residents

September 8, 2026

A document checklist for foreign residents renting in Japan: residence card, passport, proof of employment, proof of income, emergency contact and paperwork for everyone living with you.

Foreign residents renting in Japan usually go through two separate stages: submitting a rental application to be screened, and signing the lease once the application has been accepted. The documents needed at each stage may not be exactly the same.

Short answer: prepare your residence card, passport, proof of employment or enrolment, proof of income, a Japanese phone number, emergency contact details and documents for everyone who will live in the property. If a guarantor company or an individual guarantor is involved, there will be additional paperwork required by the guarantor side.

There is no single set of documents that applies to every property. Landlords, management companies and guarantor companies can ask for different things. The apartment-hunting guidebook for foreign residents published by Japan's Ministry of Land lists the documents commonly used during screening: passport, residence card, proof of income, and a certificate of employment or certificate of enrolment. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan

The basic document checklist

Before you start viewing properties, create a dedicated folder and prepare clear scans or photos of the following:

A valid residence card.
Your passport.
A certificate of employment, an employment contract or a job offer letter.
Payslips or other proof of income, as requested.
A student ID or certificate of enrolment if you are a student.
A Japanese phone number that can receive calls.
Details of your workplace or school.
Emergency contact details.
Details of your spouse, children or anyone else living with you.
A personal seal (印鑑) if the management company requires one when signing.
A bank account or an accepted rent payment method.

You should not send all of your identity documents the moment you enquire about a property. First confirm that the recipient is the real estate agency or a party actually involved in the screening, make sure you know what the documents will be used for, and use an appropriate channel to submit them.

1. Residence card `在留カード`

The residence card is the single most important document for foreign residents living in Japan on a medium- to long-term basis. The screening side generally uses it to check:

Your name as officially registered.
Your status of residence.
Your period of stay.
Your current address.
Whether there are any restrictions on working.

Photos must be clear on both the front and the back. If the back carries an address update or other notes, do not send only the front.

If you have just moved but your residence card still shows your old address, complete the address change procedure before you submit important paperwork. For medium- to long-term residents, a change of residence has to be reported to the local municipal office within the applicable deadline. The Immigration Services Agency states that people in this category must report a move within 14 days of the day they move in. Immigration Services Agency of Japan

2. Passport

Not every application asks for a passport, but you should have a copy of the photo and personal details page ready. If your name is written differently on your passport, your residence card and your work documents, tell the person handling your case in advance.

For example, having or not having a space between your family name and given name, using different Latin spellings, or reversing the order of your names can make an application look inconsistent. Do not adjust your name on the forms to make it "easier to read"; use the spelling exactly as it appears on the document being asked for.

3. Proof of employment

If you are working, you may be asked for one or more of the following:

在職証明書: a certificate of employment.
雇用契約書: an employment contract.
労働条件通知書: a written notice of working conditions.
A job offer letter if your start date has not arrived yet.
Your company name, address, phone number and department.

If you have recently changed jobs or recently arrived in Japan, you may not have many payslips yet. In that case, prepare your employment contract and the documents showing your salary and start date. Whether those documents are accepted is still up to the screening side.

People on short-term contracts, dispatch workers (派遣) and those with more than one job should explain their working arrangement clearly. The information on the rental application has to match your documents — do not put down "permanent employee" if your contract shows something else.

4. Proof of income

The screening side needs to know that the tenant can pay rent consistently. Depending on the case, they may ask for:

One or more of your most recent payslips.
A certificate of income.
A tax certificate or a certificate of tax exemption.
Bank statements or proof of savings in particular cases.
Income documents for your guarantor.

There is no rent-to-income ratio that every company is required to apply. Each landlord and each guarantor company has its own criteria. So rather than trying to make the numbers look better, state your income accurately and ask your agent to filter for properties that suit your actual situation.

5. Documents for students

Students usually do not have the steady income that employees do. Prepare:

Your student ID or a certificate of enrolment.
Your letter of acceptance if your course has not started yet.
Your school's details and the length of your course.
Proof of a scholarship, savings or other financial support if requested.
Details of your guarantor or of the person paying your expenses.
Your permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under your status of residence (資格外活動許可) if part-time work income is relevant to the application.

Do not take the theoretical maximum you could earn from part-time work and present it as fixed income. Use the documents you actually have and explain clearly where the rent money will come from.

6. The emergency contact is not the guarantor

This is where first-time renters get confused most often.

A 緊急連絡先 is an emergency contact: someone who can be reached when you cannot be contacted or when something urgent happens. That person does not automatically become responsible for paying debts on your behalf.

A 連帯保証人 is a joint guarantor under the contract, with much broader legal responsibility. On top of that, many properties use a 家賃債務保証会社 — a rent guarantee company — instead of, or alongside, an individual guarantor.

When you are asked for "guarantor details", ask exactly which of these they mean. Do not write a friend's name into the guarantor section before that person understands what it involves and has agreed.

7. Documents for people living with you

The application has to state correctly how many people will live in the property. For a spouse, children or flatmates, the management company may ask for:

Full name, date of birth and relationship to the lead tenant.
A copy of their residence card or passport.
Their school or workplace details.
Documents proving a family relationship in some cases.

Do not declare one occupant and then let several people move in. That can breach the clauses on registered occupants, maximum occupancy or subletting.

If your family is preparing to come to Japan and does not have a residence card yet, explain the situation, the expected arrival date and what documents you do have. The agent needs to check in advance whether the property accepts an application submitted that way.

8. Japanese bank account and phone number

Many screening processes include confirmation calls to the tenant, the workplace or the emergency contact. The number has to be working, able to receive calls, and the person on the other end should know they might be contacted.

Once you are approved, rent may be collected by bank direct debit, by card or by whatever method the management company specifies. If you have just arrived and do not have a Japanese bank account yet, say so early so the payment method can be checked, instead of leaving it until signing day.

How to name your files so nothing gets mixed up

You can name your files using this structure:

FullName_DocumentType_IssueDate.pdf

For example:

AnnaSmith_ResidenceCard_Front.jpg
AnnaSmith_ResidenceCard_Back.jpg
AnnaSmith_EmploymentContract.pdf
AnnaSmith_Payslip_2026-07.pdf

Do not send photos with the corners cut off, with glare across the page, or compressed to the point of being unreadable. If a document runs to several pages, combine them into a single PDF in the correct order.

Mistakes that slow an application down

The name on the application does not match the residence card.
Forgetting to send the back of the residence card.
Declared income that does not match the payslips.
Not declaring someone who will be living with you.
A phone number that does not receive calls.
An emergency contact who does not know they have been listed.
A move-in date that is not consistent across the paperwork.
Sending expired documents or unreadable photos.
Taking too long to send a missing document, so the property goes to someone else.

How can NST Connect help?

NST Connect can help you filter for properties that accept applications from foreign residents, build a document checklist for your situation — working, studying or moving with family — explain the forms, and check your paperwork for consistency before you submit it.

To get started, share six pieces of non-sensitive information: the area you want to live in, your move-in date, the number of occupants, your status of residence, your job or school, and your maximum rent. Only send photos of documents once you know exactly who is receiving them and why.

Before you start assembling documents, you can also browse the current listings with monthly costs and nearest station to get a sense of the budget you will need to evidence.

Frequently asked questions

Can I rent if I have just arrived in Japan and have no payslips yet?

You may be able to, but it depends on the property and on the screening side. An employment contract, a job offer letter, your expected salary, savings or other financial support may all be taken into account. It is best to filter for suitable properties before you apply.

Do I need a `住民票` to apply for a rental?

Not every rental application needs a certificate of residence from the start. Some companies ask for it at the contract-signing or move-in stage. Get the right type, showing the right fields, according to what has been asked for — do not print one showing your My Number if the recipient does not need it.

Can I use screenshots of my documents?

Only if the recipient agrees and everything is fully readable. A PDF, or a photo taken directly of the document with all four corners visible, is usually easier to check.

Does my emergency contact have to be Japanese?

There is no single rule that applies to every property. Some parties require someone living in Japan or able to communicate in Japanese; others have different criteria. Ask before you apply.

Sources checked on 27 August 2026. The specific documents required are decided by the landlord, the management company and the guarantor company for each individual property.