This article was written by the NIPPON VISA & LIFE editorial team based on information from public organizations such as the national government and local governments. Rules and fees may differ depending on the city, ward, town or village where you live.
When your resident record (juminhyo) (住民票: the record of people who live in the area) is created in Japan, foreign nationals are also given a 12-digit My Number (Individual Number), and the city, ward, town or village office sends it to you by mail. The number is used for procedures related to work, taxes, pensions, banks, and more. The My Number Card is a card that you apply for only if you want one. If you have a period of stay, you need to extend the card’s expiration date at your city, ward, town or village office after your period of stay is renewed.
The Overall Flow First
- Submit a moving-in notification (notification of your address) at your city, ward, town or village office
- Your resident record is created, and your My Number (a 12-digit number) is assigned
- The city, ward, town or village office sends you a document that tells you your number (Individual Number Notification, 個人番号通知書) by mail
- If you want a card, apply for a My Number Card (the first card is free)
- In about 1 month, a postcard telling you to come and pick up the card arrives, and you receive the card at the office
- After your period of stay is renewed, extend the card’s expiration date at your city, ward, town or village office before it expires
How to submit the moving-in notification is explained in Moving-in Notification and Resident Record: Go to Your City Office Within 14 Days After Your Address in Japan Is Decided.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2, Digital Agency “FAQ: About My Number (Individual Number)”)
What Is My Number?
My Number is a 12-digit number used to reliably identify you when you go through procedures in Japan such as social security, taxes, and disaster response. It is given to everyone who has a resident record, and people with foreign nationality also get one if they have a resident record.
- In principle, the number stays the same for life. It does not change when you move within Japan.
- If you leave Japan and later live in Japan again, you use the same number as before.
- You cannot change your number just because you want to. It can be changed only when the number has leaked and there is a risk of misuse.
- The “Notification Card” (通知カード, a paper card) that used to tell people their number was abolished on May 25, Reiwa 2. Now the number is notified with a document called the “Individual Number Notification” (個人番号通知書).
(Sources: Digital Agency “What Is the My Number System?”, Digital Agency “FAQ: About My Number (Individual Number)”)
When My Number Is Used
The Immigration Services Agency’s “Guidebook on Living and Working” lists the following as situations where My Number is needed.
- When you receive a pension or child-raising allowance, or when you receive medical services
- When you send money abroad or receive money from abroad
- When you open a bank account
Also, if you work at a company or other workplace, your employer will ask for your My Number. This is because your employer needs to write employees’ My Numbers on tax documents for salaries (such as the withholding tax slip, 源泉徴収票) and on social insurance notifications, and submit them to government offices.
How to open a bank account is explained in How to Open a Bank Account in Japan: What You Need and Why You May Not Be Able to Open One.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2, Digital Agency “FAQ: Handling by Private Businesses”)
Is It OK to Tell Other People Your Number?
My Number can be used only for procedures set by laws and ordinances (social security, taxes, disaster response, etc.). Shops and companies cannot ask for your My Number for any other purpose.
- When you show your My Number Card as an ID at a shop or elsewhere, they are not allowed to write down or copy the number on the back of the card.
- The Digital Agency explains that even if someone sees your number, they cannot carry out procedures with the number alone, so they cannot immediately pull out your information or misuse it.
- The Digital Agency warns people about fraudulent phone calls, emails, letters, and visits that use the My Number system. If something seems suspicious, get advice before you pay money or give out personal information.
Where to get help with money trouble is explained in Consumer Hotline 188.
(Sources: Digital Agency “FAQ: Handling by Private Businesses”, Digital Agency “Security of the My Number Card”, Digital Agency “What Is the My Number System?”)
What Is the My Number Card?
The My Number Card is a plastic card with your photo and an IC chip (a small part that records information). You decide whether to get one (people who want one apply for it).
| Side | What is written |
|---|---|
| Front | Name, address, date of birth, sex, photo, period of validity |
| Back | My Number |
What You Can Do With the Card
- Use it as an official identity document
- File your income tax return online
- Apply online for child allowances and nursery schools
- Get certificates such as a copy of the resident record (certificate of residence) at a convenience store (available on holidays too; some cities, wards, towns and villages do not offer this)
- Use it as your health insurance card (separate registration is required)
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “To Foreign Residents Who Have a My Number Card”)
Applying for and Receiving the Card
How to Apply
When you submit your moving-in notification, you may be able to hand in the card application form at the office (some cities, wards, towns and villages do not offer this). Your first application is free.
If you did not apply at that time, an application form will be sent to your home later. Use the form to apply in one of the following ways.
| Method | How |
|---|---|
| Smartphone | Take your photo and go to the application website from the QR code on the application form |
| Computer | Take your photo with a digital camera and go to the application website |
| Attach your photo to the application form, fill in the required information, and put it in a mailbox using the envelope for sending it | |
| ID photo machine | At a compatible machine, scan the QR code on the application form, take your photo, and send it (there is a charge for the photo) |
| City, ward, town or village counter | Fill in the application form and submit it to the city, ward, town or village where you live (some do not offer this) |
If you will soon apply to renew your period of stay or change your status of residence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications advises you to apply for the card after you get the result and the expiration date of your period of stay has changed.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “To Foreign Residents Who Have a My Number Card”)
How to Receive the Card
About 1 month after you apply, a postcard arrives from your city, ward, town or village. Take the postcard and the documents listed on it, and go to the office to receive your card.
If you applied after your identity was checked at the city, ward, town or village counter, the card will be sent to your home by mail in about 1 month (about 1 to 2 weeks for express issuance).
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2)
Expiration Date, and Extending It After Renewing Your Period of Stay
The Card’s Expiration Date
For foreign nationals who have a period of stay, the expiration date of the card is the same as the expiration date of the period of stay (the date written on your residence card).
According to Chiba City’s information, for Permanent Residents, Highly Skilled Professionals (ii), and Special Permanent Residents, the card is valid, as for Japanese nationals, until the 10th birthday after the date the card was issued.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2, Example: Chiba City “Expiration Date of My Number Cards for Foreign Nationals”)
After Renewing Your Period of Stay, Extend the Card at Your City Office
Even if your period of stay is renewed, the expiration date of your My Number Card is not extended automatically. Before the card expires, go to the counter of the city, ward, town or village where you live and complete the procedure to extend the expiration date.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You received a new residence card | Within the card’s validity period, extend the card’s expiration date at your city, ward, town or village office |
| The result of your renewal is unlikely to come out before the card expires | Within the validity period, extend the card’s expiration date by 2 months at your city, ward, town or village office (extension for the special period) → After you receive your new residence card, extend it again to the new expiration date |
| The expiration date has already passed | The card can no longer be used (it becomes invalid). A fee is charged to make a new one |
- The extension can only be done while the card is still valid.
- Example: In Chiba City, you need to bring your My Number Card and your new residence card. For the special-period extension, also bring something that shows you are applying for renewal of your period of stay or a similar application (such as a residence card stamped to show that an application is in progress).
- According to Chiba City’s information, the card can be extended only up to the 10th birthday after the card’s issue date (the 5th birthday for people under 18); beyond that, you need to get a new card. It also says that no notice is sent to tell you that your card will expire because your period of stay is ending.
What to bring and which counter to go to differ depending on the city, ward, town or village. Search the website of your city, ward, town or village with words such as “マイナンバーカード 有効期限 外国人”. For the renewal of the period of stay itself, see What Is a Residence Card? How to Read the New-Style Card and the Specified Residence Card, and Procedures for Renewal, Address Changes, and Loss and the Immigration Services Agency’s information.
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working” Chapter 2, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “To Foreign Residents Who Have a My Number Card”, Example: Chiba City “Expiration Date of My Number Cards for Foreign Nationals”)
When Your Address or Name Changes
When your address, or your name or other details written on your residence card, change, also complete the My Number procedures at the counter of your city, ward, town or village within 14 days.
(Sources: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “To Foreign Residents Who Have a My Number Card”)
When You Have Trouble: Common Questions
What If Your Card Is Lost or Stolen?
Call right away and ask to have the card’s functions temporarily suspended.
| Phone | Language | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 0120-95-0178 (My Number General Toll-Free Line; choose 2 in the voice guidance) | Japanese | Temporary suspension: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year |
| 0120-0178-27 | English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese | 8:30 to 20:00 (temporary suspension: 24 hours) |
| 0120-0178-27 | Thai, Nepali, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Tagalog | 9:00 to 18:00 |
When you get a new card, if you apply at the counter of the city, ward, town or village where you live within 30 days after losing it, you can use “express issuance,” and in principle the card arrives in 1 week. The fee is 2,000 yen (1,800 yen if you do not need the electronic certificate). If there is a reason you cannot apply within this period, talk to your city, ward, town or village.
(Sources: Digital Agency “Security of the My Number Card”, Digital Agency “Inquiries About the My Number System”)
How Can You Check Your Own Number?
To check or prove your My Number, use your My Number Card, or get a document such as a copy of the resident record (certificate of residence) with your My Number on it from the office.
The paper “Notification Card” that was handed out in the past can no longer be reissued. If you lose your Notification Card, report it at the counter of your city, ward, town or village.
(Sources: Digital Agency “FAQ: About My Number (Individual Number)”)
What If It Is Hard to Ask Questions in Japanese?
You can call in a foreign language with questions about the My Number system and Mynaportal (the government’s online service).
- Phone number: 0120-0178-26 (toll-free)
- Languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Tagalog, Nepali
- Hours: Weekdays 9:30 to 20:00, Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays 9:30 to 17:30 (except the year-end and New Year holidays)
For your own procedures, such as applying for or receiving the card or extending its expiration date, ask at the counter of the city, ward, town or village where you live.
(Sources: Digital Agency “Inquiries About the My Number System”)
Primary Sources Used for This Article
- Immigration Services Agency “Guidebook on Living and Working”
- Digital Agency “What Is the My Number System?”
- Digital Agency “FAQ: About My Number (Individual Number)”
- Digital Agency “FAQ: Handling by Private Businesses”
- Digital Agency “Security of the My Number Card”
- Digital Agency “Inquiries About the My Number System”
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “To Foreign Residents Who Have a My Number Card”
- Chiba City “Expiration Date of My Number Cards for Foreign Nationals”
This article is a translation of the original Japanese version.
