❓ What is changing?
On 27 October 2026 the Digital Agency began full nationwide operation of the My Number Portal Municipal Application Service (short name: Myna Jichitai Shinsei). Until now, online filing for municipal procedures ran through the Pittari Service; procedures offered there are being moved to the new service in stages starting 27 October 2026, and any procedure not yet migrated stays on the Pittari Service for the time being. The move comes from the Priority Policy Program for Realizing a Digital Society, adopted by the Cabinet on 13 June 2025, which sets out building a front-service API platform and aims to launch an online application service covering all municipalities within fiscal 2026. The agency ran a pilot with selected municipalities from April 2025, improved functions based on the feedback, and then rolled the service out nationwide. The biggest difference from before is identity verification: on the new service, every procedure requires logging in to My Number Portal with a My Number Card, which blocks impersonation and fraudulent filings. Data held on the card and details saved in your application profile are also auto-filled into the form, and you can track the status of a filing — under review, correction requested, completed — plus any issued document files through notifications and the My Number Portal "To do" list. On the municipal side, staff can request corrections online by pointing to the specific items that need fixing, and can issue notices and other document files online.
🌏 Impact on foreign residents
For foreign residents, being able to file without going to a city hall counter matters a lot. Applications for nursery and other childcare facilities, long-term care certification, bulky-garbage collection and disaster damage certificates can all be submitted from home on a smartphone or computer, so there are fewer situations where you have to handle everything verbally at a counter and you can read each screen at your own pace. The flip side is identity verification: every procedure on the new service requires a My Number Card. Mid- to long-term residents can hold a My Number Card, but if you do not have the card or your PINs, or your electronic certificate has expired, you cannot log in and will be sent back to counter filing. Migration from the Pittari Service also happens procedure by procedure, so check whether the procedure you need sits on the new service or still on the Pittari Service. Correction requests arrive online too, so make a habit of checking notifications and the My Number Portal "To do" list.
💡 Points to keep in mind
1Have your My Number Card and PINs ready, and check that the electronic certificate has not expired — renew it at your municipal office counter if it has
2Save your details in the "application profile" on My Number Portal so they are auto-filled into application forms
3After filing, use notifications and the My Number Portal "To do" list to track whether the case is under review, needs correction, or is complete, and to pick up issued document files
4Correction requests arrive online and point to the specific items to fix; the review will not move forward until you respond, so act early
5Migration from the Pittari Service runs in stages from 27 October 2026; procedures not yet migrated are still filed on the Pittari Service
6You can check which procedures your municipality has put online in the Digital Agency's list of municipal online-filing status (updated 20 February 2026)
7As of the end of March 2023, 1,002 municipalities accepted disaster damage certificate applications online, so you can file from home after a disaster
Source:
Digital Agency website (Online Administrative Procedures)This article was edited and written by freegent Inc. based on the source above.