Japan · Antragsvoraussetzungen

Japan MyNumber Card Anforderungen 2026

Anyone registered as a resident of Japan (i.e. who has a jūminhyō / 住民票) can apply for a MyNumber Card. This includes Japanese nationals from birth, as well as foreign residents — mid-to-long-term residents (中長期在留者) with a period of stay exceeding 3 months, special permanent residents, and certain other categories. Short-term visitors and tourists are not eligible because they cannot register a residence. Every eligible resident is automatically assigned a 12-digit Individual Number (My Number / 個人番号) at the time of resident registration — the physical Individual Number Card is optional but increasingly necessary, as the traditional health insurance card (健康保険証) was abolished on 2 December 2024 and fully discontinued on 2 December 2025, with the Myna Insurance Card (マイナ保険証) now the standard. From 14 June 2026, foreign residents can additionally apply for a new combined Specified Residence Card (特定在留カード) that merges the Residence Card and MyNumber Card into a single credential at immigration or municipal offices.

Ausgestellt von MOFA · Zuletzt geprüft 28. Mai 2026 · Offizielle Quelle ↗

Auf einen Blick

Antragsgebühr

First-time issuance: Free
Reissuance — card (lost / damaged): ¥800
Reissuance — electronic certificate: ¥200
Reissuance — total (card + certificate): ¥1,000
Express reissuance (specified cases): ¥2,000
Renewal at expiration: Free
Photo (if not self-supplied): ~¥800–1,000 at a booth

Stand 28. Mai 2026 · Details

Bearbeitungszeit

Card production at J-LIS: ~3 weeks
Issuance notice mailed after applying: 4–6 weeks
Pickup at municipal office: Same day (by appointment)
Express issuance (specified cases): ~1 week
Card validity — adults (18+): 10 years (until 10th birthday after issue)
Card validity — minors (under 18): 5 years (until 5th birthday after issue)
Electronic certificate validity: 5 years (regardless of age)

Details

Ausstellende Behörde

MOFA

Wer braucht einen Japan MyNumber Card?

Wo beantragen

Four application channels, all routing through your local municipal office (市役所 / 区役所 / 町役場): (1) Online via the official MyNumber Card portal at kojinbango-card.go.jp — upload a digital photo from a PC or smartphone using the application ID printed on the Individual Number Notification form you received by mail; (2) By smartphone — scan the QR code on the application form, take and upload a selfie meeting the spec; (3) By post — fill in the paper application form that came with your Notification Card, attach a printed photo, mail it in the prepaid envelope to the Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems (J-LIS); (4) At designated photo booths (machi-no Ki-re-i and certain convenience-store machines) which capture the photo and submit the application in one step. After the card is produced (about 3 weeks), an issuance notice (post card) is mailed to your registered address — you must then visit the municipal office in person to collect the card and set your PINs. From 14 June 2026, the combined Specified Residence Card for foreign residents can also be applied for at Immigration Services Agency counters.

Gebühren

First-time issuance: Free
Reissuance — card (lost / damaged): ¥800
Reissuance — electronic certificate: ¥200
Reissuance — total (card + certificate): ¥1,000
Express reissuance (specified cases): ¥2,000
Renewal at expiration: Free
Photo (if not self-supplied): ~¥800–1,000 at a booth

First-time issuance of the MyNumber Card is free of charge — there is no application or processing fee for the initial card. Renewals at the 10-year (or 5-year for minors) expiration are also free, provided you renew within the eligible window. Reissuance fees apply only if you lose or damage your card and need a replacement: ¥800 for the card itself plus ¥200 for the electronic certificate (signature and user certificates), totalling ¥1,000. If you decline the electronic certificate on a reissue, the fee is only ¥800 — but most uses (health insurance, e-tax, MynaPortal) require it, so almost all replacements include it. Express issuance (within ~1 week, for those who recently lost a card, just gave birth, etc.) is also free. The only other cost is the photo itself if you use a commercial photo booth (~¥800–1,000); home-taken smartphone photos meeting the 35×45 mm spec are free.

Gebühren mit Stand 28. Mai 2026. Bestätigen Sie die aktuellen Beträge vor der Zahlung an der offiziellen Quelle.

Was Sie mitbringen müssen

Dokumente und Unterlagen, die Sie zum Termin oder mit dem Antrag benötigen.

Individual Number Notification Form / application form (通知カード or QR code mailer received from your municipality)
One 35×45 mm photo on plain light background, taken within 6 months (digital file for online application, printed for postal application)
For pickup at municipal office: the issuance notice postcard (交付通知書) mailed to your address
Photo ID — Residence Card (在留カード) and passport for foreign residents; driving licence, passport, or My Number Notification Card for Japanese nationals
Notification Card (通知カード) — to be surrendered at pickup if you still have one
For foreign residents: Residence Card showing valid period of stay exceeding 3 months
For minors and applicants who cannot visit in person: a legal representative plus additional ID documents
Decided PINs — 4-digit PIN for resident-record functions and a separate 6–16 character alphanumeric PIN for the electronic signature certificate

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Wie lange dauert es?

Card production at J-LIS: ~3 weeks
Issuance notice mailed after applying: 4–6 weeks
Pickup at municipal office: Same day (by appointment)
Express issuance (specified cases): ~1 week
Card validity — adults (18+): 10 years (until 10th birthday after issue)
Card validity — minors (under 18): 5 years (until 5th birthday after issue)
Electronic certificate validity: 5 years (regardless of age)

Plan about 1 to 1.5 months end to end. After submitting an application (online, smartphone, post, or booth), the card is produced over roughly 3 weeks and shipped to your local municipal office. Approximately 4 to 6 weeks after applying, the municipality mails you an issuance notice (post-card style) — timing varies by municipality and demand. You then have a deadline printed on the notice by which you must collect the card in person at the city or ward office. An Express Issuance scheme can deliver a card within about 1 week for specified circumstances (recent childbirth, lost card needing urgent replacement, departure from Japan, etc.).

Die Dauer hängt von Standort, Saison und Einzelfall ab. Prüfen Sie vor jeder Reisebuchung den aktuellen Rückstand an der offiziellen Quelle.

Offizielle Quelle

https://www.kojinbango-card.go.jp/en/

Zuletzt geprüft 28. Mai 2026

Vor dem Antrag prüfen. Wir stellen diese Informationen aus offiziellen Behördenquellen zusammen und prüfen sie regelmäßig erneut. Gebühren, Bearbeitungszeiten und Regeln ändern sich ohne Vorankündigung — bestätigen Sie aktuelle Angaben immer auf der offiziellen Seite, bevor Sie einen Antrag stellen oder Gebühren zahlen.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Häufige Fragen rund um den Antrag auf einen japan mynumber card.

How much does a MyNumber Card cost? +

First-time issuance is completely free — there is no fee for the initial card, the electronic certificate, or processing. Renewals at expiration (every 10 years for adults, 5 years for minors) are also free. Fees apply only when you reissue a lost or damaged card: ¥800 for the card itself, plus ¥200 for the electronic certificate, totalling ¥1,000. If you decline the electronic certificate, reissue costs only ¥800 — but most modern uses (health insurance, e-tax filing, MynaPortal) need it, so almost all reissues include the certificate.

How long is the MyNumber Card valid? +

If you are 18 or older when issued, the card is valid until your 10th birthday from the issue date. If you are under 18 when issued, the card is valid only until your 5th birthday from issue, since children's appearance changes rapidly. The embedded electronic certificate (used for online identification and signing) has a shorter 5-year validity for everyone — adult or minor — because cryptographic security weakens over time. You can renew both at your municipal office starting 3 months before expiry; J-LIS sends an expiration notice envelope as a reminder.

Can foreign residents in Japan get a MyNumber Card? +

Yes. Any foreign national with a registered residence in Japan — mid-to-long-term residents whose period of stay exceeds 3 months (work, student, family, spouse visas, etc.) and special permanent residents — is eligible and is automatically assigned a 12-digit My Number when they complete resident registration at city hall. Short-term visitors and tourists are not eligible because they cannot register a residence. From 14 June 2026, a new Specified Residence Card combining the Residence Card and MyNumber Card functions will be available at Immigration Services Agency offices and certain municipalities. Note: the MyNumber Card validity for foreign residents cannot exceed your status-of-residence period — so for short-term work visas, the card expiry may align with your visa expiry.

What replaced the traditional health insurance card? +

The MyNumber Card itself — registered as a Myna Health Insurance Card (マイナ保険証 / Myna Hokenshō). On 2 December 2024, the National Health Insurance and Employees' Health Insurance schemes stopped issuing new paper/plastic health insurance cards (健康保険証). A 1-year transitional period let existing cards remain usable until 2 December 2025, after which they became invalid. Today, you tap your MyNumber Card on the card reader at hospital/clinic reception to confirm coverage. If you do not have a MyNumber Card or have not registered it for health insurance use, your insurer issues an "Eligibility Confirmation Document" (資格確認書) automatically as a fallback — but this is intended as a temporary measure, not a long-term substitute.

How do I apply for a MyNumber Card? +

Four channels: (1) Online — go to the official kojinbango-card.go.jp portal and upload a digital photo using the application ID on the Individual Number Notification form you received by mail; works from any PC. (2) Smartphone — scan the QR code on the application form, take and upload a selfie, submit. (3) Post — fill in the paper form, attach a printed 35×45 mm photo, and mail it in the prepaid envelope to J-LIS. (4) At a designated photo booth (Ki-re-i, certain Family Mart / Lawson / 7-Eleven booths) which captures the photo and submits the application together. After about 4–6 weeks the municipality mails an issuance notice; you then visit city hall in person to collect the card and set your PINs.

What photo do I need for a MyNumber Card application? +

A 35×45 mm photo on a plain light background (white or very light blue/grey), taken within the last 6 months, with the head 32–36 mm from chin to crown, facing forward with a neutral expression, no hat, no shadows on the face or background. This is the same biometric specification as the Japanese passport, so the same photo works for both. For online and smartphone applications, the photo is uploaded as a digital file; for postal applications, a printed photo is attached. Photos from home cameras and smartphones are accepted as long as they meet the spec — the J-LIS system does run automated checks for face position, lighting, and background.

What happens if I lose my MyNumber Card? +

Immediately call the J-LIS MyNumber General Free Dial (0120-95-0178) to suspend the card 24/7, then file a lost-property report at the nearest police station to obtain a report number. Within 14 days, visit your municipal office in person with photo ID and the police report number to request reissuance. Reissue fees apply: ¥800 for the card plus ¥200 for the electronic certificate, totalling ¥1,000. Express issuance is available in this scenario — you can typically receive the replacement within about a week, much faster than a first-time application. Until the new card arrives, you cannot use Myna health-insurance check-in, MynaPortal, e-tax, or convenience-store certificate printing.

Do I have to get a MyNumber Card? +

Technically no — the MyNumber Card itself remains optional. The 12-digit Individual Number (My Number) is assigned to every resident automatically and cannot be refused, but the physical card with its embedded chip and electronic certificate is voluntary. However, since the traditional health insurance card was phased out on 2 December 2025, going without a MyNumber Card means relying on the fallback Eligibility Confirmation Document (資格確認書) for medical visits — a workaround that is increasingly inconvenient. The card is also required (or strongly preferred) for online e-tax filing, convenience-store printing of residence certificates and seal registrations, MynaPortal benefit applications, and many private-sector identity verifications. In practice, most residents now find getting one essential.