Having a Baby in Japan: Procedures, Childbirth Benefits and the Child's 在留資格

Being pregnant and giving birth in Japan means visiting several offices within a short time: the 市区町村, the hospital, your health insurer, the regional immigration services bureau, and your employer and ハローワーク. When both parents are foreign nationals, the child must also apply separately for a 在留資格 (status of residence), with a deadline of only 30 days. This article lists the procedures and the childbirth benefits you can receive in chronological order, for foreign families having a baby in Japan to check for themselves. Offices, documents and subsidies differ by 市区町村; where 新宿区 is used as an example, follow the information for your own place of residence.

Key points

• After becoming pregnant: submit the 「妊娠届出書」 to the health center or 市区町村 office of your place of residence to receive the 母子健康手帳 and the examination vouchers for 妊婦健診 (public subsidy).
• Delivery costs: when a person enrolled in public health insurance gives birth, a 出産育児一時金 of in principle 500,000 yen per child is paid (488,000 yen if the conditions are not met).
• Within 14 days of birth: submit the 出生届 to the 市区町村 (required even if both parents are foreign nationals).
• Within 15 days of birth (from the day after birth): apply for 児童手当; months for which you apply late are in principle not paid.
• Within 30 days of birth: a child without Japanese nationality who will remain in Japan after 60 days from birth must file a 「在留資格取得許可申請」 (free of charge).
• Working parents: if the conditions are met, you can receive the 出産手当金 from health insurance and the 育児休業等給付 from employment insurance.

Timeline

When	Procedure	Office	Deadline / notes
After pregnancy	妊娠届出 → 母子健康手帳, 妊婦健診 vouchers	Health center / 市区町村	As early as possible
At delivery	出産育児一時金 (direct payment system)	Hospital / health insurer	If you apply yourself, within 2 years from the day after delivery
After birth	出生届	市区町村 of the place of birth or of the person filing	Within 14 days from the date of birth
After birth	児童手当 「認定請求書」	市区町村 of your current address (public servants: workplace)	Within 15 days from the day after birth
After birth	Enroll the child in health insurance	Company insurance: via the employer / 国保: 市区町村	Company insurance within 5 days; 国保 e.g. 新宿区 within 14 days
After birth	在留資格取得許可申請	Regional immigration services bureau with jurisdiction over your address (online possible)	Within 30 days from the date of birth
After birth	Child medical expense subsidy	市区町村	E.g. 新宿区: within 3 months from the day after birth
Before/after delivery, childcare leave	出産手当金 / 育児休業等給付	協会けんぽ etc. / ハローワーク	If employed and the requirements are met

After becoming pregnant: 母子健康手帳 and 妊婦健診

• Submit the 「妊娠届出書」 to the health center or 市区町村 office of your place of residence to receive the 母子健康手帳, and usually also the examination vouchers (subsidy tickets) for 妊婦健診.
• 市区町村 provide public subsidies for 妊婦健診; the national recommendation is about 14 visits before delivery.
• 市区町村 also run the 「妊婦等包括相談支援事業」 (interview consultations) and the 「妊婦のための支援給付」 (financial support).
• The 「妊婦のための支援給付」 became a statutory system from fiscal 2025 and is paid in two parts: after a medical institution confirms the pregnancy (a fetal heartbeat, 胎児心拍, is confirmed), apply for the 「妊婦給付認定」 and receive 50,000 yen once certified; from 8 weeks before the expected delivery date, report the number of children you are expecting and receive 「こどもの人数×５万円」 (for example, 100,000 yen for twins, 150,000 yen in total across both payments). Miscarriage and stillbirth are also covered.
• Apply at the 市区町村 where your 住民票 is registered; check the details with that 市区町村.
• Bring the 母子健康手帳 also when submitting the 出生届 (e.g. 新宿区), so keep it safe.

Delivery costs: 出産育児一時金

• Eligible: a person enrolled in public health insurance (an insured person or a dependent) who gives birth.
• Amount: in principle 500,000 yen per child (for delivery at an institution participating in the obstetric compensation system, at 22 weeks of pregnancy or later); otherwise 488,000 yen; paid per child for multiple births.
• Direct payment system: the insurer pays the hospital directly and you pay only the excess; if the cost is lower than the lump sum, you can claim the difference.
• Application deadline: within 2 years from the day after delivery.

Procedures after birth

出生届 (within 14 days)

• For a child born in Japan, the 出生届 must be submitted even if both parents are foreign nationals (法務省: the 戸籍法 applies equally to births of foreign nationals in Japan).
• The deadline is within 14 days from the date of birth (e.g. 新宿区: counted including the day of birth, and if the 14th day is a closed day it moves to the next open day); submit it to the 市区町村 of the place of birth or of the person filing, free of charge.
• The form is combined with the 出生証明書 completed by the doctor or midwife; also bring the 母子健康手帳. When the parents are foreign nationals, the child's name is in principle written in katakana (e.g. 新宿区: nationalities that use kanji, such as China, may use official Japanese kanji).
• After acceptance, you can request a 「出生届受理証明書」 or a 「出生届書の記載事項証明書」 as proof of birth, which is used for the 在留資格取得 application and other procedures (e.g. 新宿区: 350 yen for the 受理証明書).
• If you submit it somewhere other than your place of resident registration, the child's 住民票 takes a few days to be created, and you may not be able to apply for various allowances right away (新宿区).

The child's 在留資格 (within 30 days)

• A foreign-national child who stays in Japan because of being born there may stay without a 在留資格 for 60 days from the date of birth; if the child will remain in Japan after 60 days from birth, a 「在留資格取得許可申請」 must be filed with the regional immigration services bureau with jurisdiction over the address within 30 days from the date of birth (入管法第22条の2).
• There is no fee, and you can also apply online; a legal representative (a parent) may apply on the child's behalf. If the child leaves Japan within 60 days of birth, this application is not needed.
• The documents generally include the application form, a 出生したことを証する書類 and the child's passport (presented), and they differ by the status applied for; no photo is needed for a child under 1 year old on the day the residence card is issued.
• 入管 recommends attaching the child's 住民票: if attached, the address is recorded on the residence card, and no address notification at the 市区町村 is needed after permission.

The status to apply for depends on the parents:

Parents	The child generally applies for	Notes
Work-type status (技術・人文知識・国際業務, 経営・管理, 高度専門職, 特定技能２号, etc.) or 留学	家族滞在	Dependents of 特定技能１号 and 技能実習 are not covered by 「家族滞在」
One parent is a 永住者 or 特別永住者	永住者の配偶者等, or permanent residence through acquisition	An acquisition application for permanent residence is also due within 30 days; no fee when applying by acquisition
One parent is Japanese	Not needed (Japanese nationality at birth)	Entered in the Japanese parent's 戸籍 via the 出生届
定住者	定住者 (a minor, unmarried biological child supported by a 定住者)	Since 1 April 2022, 「未成年」 means under 18; documents include 「出生したことを証する書類」
特定技能１号	Family members cannot accompany in principle; when both parents hold 特定技能１号, 「特定活動」 may be permitted on humanitarian grounds	See the 特定技能 Q&A
技能実習	Not stated officially; consult the 地方出入国在留管理局	外国人在留総合インフォメーションセンター: 0570-013904

If the father or mother is a Japanese national at the time of birth, the child acquires Japanese nationality at birth (国籍法第2条). A child born to an unmarried Japanese father and a foreign mother acquires Japanese nationality at birth only if the father acknowledged the child before birth (胎児認知); if acknowledged after birth, the child may acquire nationality by notification to the 法務大臣 if certain requirements are met (国籍法第3条).

児童手当 (within 15 days from the day after birth)

• Paid to a person raising a child residing in Japan (from age 0 until the first March 31 after the child turns 18); submit the 「認定請求書」 to the 市区町村 of your current address (public servants apply to their workplace).
• In principle, payment starts from the month after the month of application; if the birth date is near the end of the month, applying within 15 days from the day after birth means payment starts from the month of application even if the application date falls in the next month. Months for which you apply late are in principle not paid.
• Amount: 15,000 yen per child per month under age 3, 10,000 yen from age 3 through high-school age, and 30,000 yen for the third child onward; paid in even-numbered months for the previous two months.
• Even if you are temporarily away from your current address, for example to give birth near your parents, apply to the 市区町村 of your current address.

The child's health insurance and medical expense subsidy

• If a parent is in company health insurance (e.g. 協会けんぽ), the insured person must submit the 「被扶養者（異動）届」 via the employer within 5 days of the event.
• For 国民健康保険, 新宿区 for example requires enrollment within 14 days of birth; if one spouse is in company health insurance, a notice of non-recognition issued by that insurer is needed (differs by 市区町村).
• Many 市区町村 subsidize the out-of-pocket portion of children's medical care, and eligibility, age and deadlines differ by area. For example 新宿区: children up to the first March 31 after turning 18, with no income limit; if applied for within 3 months from the day after birth, the subsidy starts from the date of birth. The child generally needs to be enrolled in health insurance first.

Working parents: 出産手当金 and 育児休業等給付

• 出産手当金 (health insurance): when the person insured under company health insurance takes leave because of childbirth and receives no wages, it can be received for the days of leave from 42 days (98 days for multiple births) before the date of delivery (the due date if delivery is later) until the 56th day after the day following delivery; the daily amount is about the average standard monthly remuneration for the 12 months before the payment start date ÷ 30 × 2/3. It does not apply to people insured as dependents. Apply to your 協会けんぽ branch or other insurer.
• 育児休業等給付 (employment insurance): available to an employment insurance insured person taking 育児休業 who meets the requirements; apply to the ハローワーク with jurisdiction over the workplace.
  • 出生時育児休業給付金: up to 28 days within 8 weeks after the child's birth; in principle daily wage at the start of leave × days of leave × 67%.
  • 育児休業給付金: in principle until the child turns 1; daily wage × payment days × 67%, and 50% from the 181st day of 育児休業.
  • 出生後休業支援給付金: when both parents each take 14 days or more of leave within a certain period, up to 28 additional days are paid at daily wage × days of leave × 13% (80% combined with the 67%; the daily wage has a cap).
  • There is also the 育児時短就業給付金. The application procedures changed from August 1, 2026; for details see the 厚生労働省 information or contact the 育児休業等給付コールセンター (0570-200-406).

Common misconceptions

• "Both parents are foreigners, so no 出生届 is needed": every child born in Japan needs a 出生届 within 14 days.
• "Apply for the child's 在留資格 after 60 days": if the child will stay in Japan after 60 days from birth, the application must be made within 30 days of birth; the 60 days is the period the child may stay without a 在留資格, not the application deadline.
• "児童手当 can be paid retroactively if I apply a few months late": months for which you apply late are in principle not paid, so applying within 15 days from the day after birth is safest.
• "Only employed people get the 出産育児一時金": people insured as dependents and people in 国民健康保険 are also eligible; it is the 出産手当金 that is limited to the insured person in company health insurance.