Osaka City After Your Baby Is Born: ¥15,000 Allowance, Free Medical Care, and Ward Office Steps

Information current as of March 2026 based on Osaka City official website and ward office guidelines. For a full pregnancy-to-childcare overview, see our complete guide to having a baby in Japan. For pregnancy-stage steps in Osaka, see our Osaka baby checklist.

One trip to the ward office: what to bring

Osaka City's 24 ward offices (区役所) handle all post-birth procedures at their resident services and welfare counters. You can complete most paperwork in a single visit if you come prepared.

Documents to bring:

• 出生届 (shussei todoke) — Birth notification form with the doctor's certificate attached (from hospital)
• 母子手帳 (boshi techo) — Mother and Child Health Handbook
• Both parents' residence cards (在留カード)
• Both parents' health insurance cards
• Bank account passbook or card (for child allowance payments — must be the applicant's account)
• My Number notification card or My Number card for both parents
• Personal seal (印鑑) or be prepared to sign

Procedure 1: Birth notification (出生届)

Submit the 出生届 within 14 days of birth. The form includes the birth certificate filled out by the hospital doctor. The ward office staff will process it and update the 住民票 (juuminhyou — resident register) to include your new baby.

After processing, ask for:

• 出生届受理証明書 (shussei todoke juri shoumeisho) — certified copies of the birth registration (you'll need these for your embassy)
• 住民票 with the baby included — useful for various other applications

Procedure 2: Child allowance (児童手当)

Apply at the welfare counter (福祉窓口) of your ward office. The application is called 児童手当認定請求書 (jidou teate nintei seikyuusho).

Child's age	Monthly amount
0–2 years old	¥15,000
3 years old – high school (age 18)	¥10,000
Third child onward (any age)	¥30,000

Since October 2024, the income cap has been abolished — all families receive the full amount regardless of income. For full details on the nationwide child allowance system, see our guide to child allowance after October 2024.

Critical rule — the 15-day special provision (15日特例): If you apply within 15 days of the baby's birth, the allowance starts from the birth month. If you miss this window, you lose the payment for the birth month. This means if your baby is born on March 20, you must apply by April 3.

Payment schedule in Osaka City: Child allowance is paid every other month — in February, April, June, August, October, and December, covering the two months prior to each payment. Payments are deposited into the applicant's bank account on the 10th of the payment month (or the preceding business day if the 10th falls on a weekend).

Procedure 3: Child medical subsidy (子ども医療費助成)

Osaka City provides a medical expense subsidy for children. Apply at the ward office's child welfare counter at the same visit.

• Eligibility: Children from birth to the end of the fiscal year when they turn 18 (i.e., until March 31 after their 18th birthday). Must be enrolled in public health insurance.
• Coverage: Copay is max ¥500 per day per facility, capped at 2 days per month (¥2,500 monthly max). From the 3rd visit to the same facility in a month, there is no charge. Prescriptions at pharmacies are free.
• What you receive: A 子ども医療証 (kodomo iryoushou) — a medical certificate card. Show it at the reception desk of any clinic or hospital in Osaka.
• Income limit: Abolished since April 2024. All families in Osaka City are eligible regardless of income.

At the ward office, say: 子どもの医療費助成の申請をしたいです (Kodomo no iryouhi josei no shinsei o shitai desu) — I'd like to apply for the child medical expense subsidy.

Procedure 4: Health insurance enrollment

Your baby needs health insurance from day one. The process depends on your insurance type:

• If you have Shakai Hoken (社会保険) through your employer: Contact your employer's HR department to add the baby as a dependent (被扶養者). They will handle the paperwork with the insurance association. You'll receive a new insurance card with the baby's name within 1–2 weeks.
• If you have National Health Insurance (国民健康保険 / NHI): Go to the NHI counter at the ward office (same visit!) with the baby's birth certificate and your current NHI card. The baby will be added to your household's NHI policy.

Until the baby's insurance card arrives, keep a copy of the enrollment application. If you need to see a doctor before the card comes, pay the full amount and request reimbursement later.

Procedure 5: Baby's residence status (在留資格)

If both parents are foreign nationals, your baby needs a residence status (在留資格) within 30 days of birth. This is handled at the Osaka Regional Immigration Services Bureau (大阪出入国在留管理局) in Nankou, NOT at the ward office.

For the complete immigration process, see our guide to getting your newborn's Japan visa within 30 days.

If managing all these procedures — birth registration, child allowance, medical subsidy, health insurance, AND immigration — with a newborn feels impossible, that's exactly why I built LO-PAL. Post a task for free and a local helper in Osaka can accompany you to the ward office to handle everything in one trip.

Additional Osaka City support after birth

Postpartum care (産後ケア事業)

Osaka City offers subsidized postpartum care services for mothers within approximately 1 year of giving birth:

• Day-stay type (デイケア): Spend the day at an approved facility with midwife support. ¥1,000–¥2,500 per day (subsidized from ~¥10,000+).
• Home visit type (訪問型): A midwife visits your home. ¥500–¥1,000 per visit.
• Overnight stay type (宿泊型): Stay at a facility with 24/7 support. ¥3,000–¥6,000 per night.

Apply through your ward's public health center (保健福祉センター). They'll assess your needs and approve the service.

Infant health checkups (乳幼児健診)

Free health checkups for your baby at specific ages:

• 3–4 months: Individual checkup at a designated clinic
• 1.5 years (1歳6ヶ月健診): At the ward's public health center
• 3 years (3歳児健診): At the ward's public health center

You'll receive notification letters (in Japanese) for each checkup. Bring your 母子手帳.

Home visit by public health nurse (こんにちは赤ちゃん事業)

A public health nurse or midwife will visit your home within about 4 months of birth. This is free and available to all families. The nurse checks the baby's development, the mother's health, and provides information about local support services. They can also connect you with additional support if needed.

Ward office quick reference for Osaka's 24 wards

Go to the ward office where you live (住所地の区役所). Every ward office has the same services — the difference is just location. Check the Osaka City guide for foreign residents for your ward's address and hours.

Related articles

• Having a Baby in Japan? Every Step Foreign Parents Need to Know
• Having a Baby in Osaka City as a Foreigner (2026 Checklist)
• Japan Child Allowance After October 2024: No Income Cap
• How to Get Your Newborn's Japan Visa Within 30 Days

Book a Local Helper to Go to the Ward Office With You

Osaka's ward offices can handle everything in one visit — but only if you bring the right documents and can navigate the different counters. Post a task on LO-PAL for free: a local Osaka helper can prepare your documents, accompany you to the 区役所, and make sure you don't miss any benefits. You only pay when you accept completed task help.