Changing your company address yourself: A guide to the Homukyoku process
Red tape is a fact of doing business in Japan. Even native Japanese speakers often find it confusing, making it even more difficult for those whose first language is not Japanese. So, how does a company change its address?
In Japan, if a company wants to relocate its headquarters, it must file a change of address with the Legal Affairs Bureau (hereafter Homukyoku) where the company is registered. The author, Yumiko, recently learned that a foreigner – let's call him Michael – was struggling with this process at the Homukyoku, so I decided to help him. With his consent, I have summarised the process and am publishing an article here.
To help readers who may need to change their company address in the future, I've included information on filling in the forms, using a seal (hanko or inkan) for KK (joint-stock companies, or kabushiki kaisha) and GK (LLC, or godo kaisha).
To be fair, I'm not a notary or judicial scrivener, but I did research the process when considering a company address change (I decided not to do it, after all, due to the hefty 60,000 yen registration fee). I offered to write an article about his experience, proposing a reasonable fee for my assistance, which he accepted.
Summary
Background: DIY address change at Legal Affairs Bureau
Step-by-step guide to changing your company address through the Homukyoku’s paperwork
- Knowing Homukyoku jurisdiction and navigating the (possibly) tricky rental move-out process
- Find the required documents for your company
- Sample files with English translation and comments (For KK and GK)
- Send the necessary documents by Yu-pack
Lessons learned for changing company address
