My Number Card in Japan 2026 — 特定在留カード Launch, マイナ保険証 Setup & Visa Expiry Link | VisaSHOGUN

🏛️ Admin Scrivener Supervised 📅 Last updated: June 2026 🆕 特定在留カード from June 14, 2026

My Number Card in Japan
Complete Guide for Foreign Residents 2026

マイナンバーカード (My Number Card) is no longer optional for foreign residents in Japan. From health insurance to online visa renewal to the new integrated residence card — this guide covers everything you need to know.

  • Who can get a My Number Card — and why you should
  • 特定在留カード (from June 14, 2026) — residence card + My Number Card merged
  • マイナ保険証: using your card as health insurance at clinics
  • Critical: how your card's functions expire with your visa — and what to do after renewal
  • Online visa renewal applications using My Number Card
  • Tax filings, convenience store certificates, and daily life uses
🆕 特定在留カード 2026 📋 How to Get Your Card ⚠️ Visa Expiry Link →
🆕
June 14, 2026 — 特定在留カード launches today. The residence card (在留カード) and My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) are now being issued as a single integrated card for qualifying residents. New applications from this date receive the combined card. See what this means for you →
⚠️
After your visa is renewed, your My Number Card functions need to be updated. The card's insurance and digital ID functions are linked to your visa expiry date. After renewal, visit a municipal office or コンビニ terminal to update the card's certificate — or your マイナ保険証 will stop working at the clinic. Full expiry guide →
All guides supervised by a licensed Administrative Scrivener (行政書士). Based on official デジタル庁 and ISA guidelines. Last updated: June 2026.
What Is It? 特定在留カード Benefits My Situation How to Get Visa Expiry Link マイナ保険証 FAQ
Home › Work & Life › My Number
🏛️ Supervised by a Licensed Administrative Scrivener (行政書士)

Based on デジタル庁 (Digital Agency) and ISA official guidelines. Reference: デジタル庁: My Number. Last updated: June 2026.

The Basics

What Is My Number (マイナンバー)?

Every person registered as a resident in Japan — including foreign residents on mid-to-long-term visas — is assigned a 12-digit My Number (マイナンバー / 個人番号). This is your unique identification number for all government-related purposes in Japan: tax, social security, health insurance, and immigration.

Your My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) is the physical card that contains this number plus an IC chip used for digital authentication. Having the number is automatic — but getting the card requires a separate application. As of 2026, the card has become effectively essential for daily life in Japan.

Term What It Is Foreign Residents?
マイナンバー
(My Number)		 Your 12-digit individual number. Automatically assigned when you register your address in Japan. ✅ All mid-to-long-term residents automatically have one
マイナンバーカード
(My Number Card)		 Physical card with IC chip, your photo, and your number. Required to use My Number for digital services. ✅ Eligible if in Japan 3+ months on a qualifying visa. Must apply separately.
特定在留カード
(Integrated Residence Card)		 New from June 14, 2026 — combines the residence card (在留カード) and My Number Card into one card. ✅ New applicants from June 14, 2026 receive this combined card
💡 Who does NOT have a My Number?

Tourists and short-term stay visitors do not have a My Number or qualify for a My Number Card. You must be registered as a resident with a mid-to-long-term status of residence (在留期間が3ヶ月超) — work visa, student visa, spouse visa, PR, etc.

🆕 Brand New — June 14, 2026

特定在留カード — The Integrated Residence Card

This is the most significant change to Japan's identification system for foreign residents in years. From June 14, 2026, the residence card (在留カード) and My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) are being merged into a single card called the 特定在留カード (Specified Residence Card).

🆕 Live from June 14, 2026
特定在留カード — Residence Card + My Number Card in One
One card replaces the two cards you previously needed to carry. New applications and renewals from June 14 receive the combined card.
What it combines
在留カード functions (residence status, expiry, work permissions) + マイナンバーカード functions (IC chip, digital ID, マイナ保険証) in one card.
Who receives it
New residence card applicants (arrivals, renewals, CoS) from June 14, 2026. People with existing cards do NOT need to replace them immediately — the old cards remain valid.
Benefit: no more two-step process
Previously: get residence card at Immigration → then separately apply for My Number Card at municipal office (1–2 month wait). Now: one card issued at the immigration procedure.
Do you need to switch now?
No. Your existing separate 在留カード and マイナンバーカード remain valid until their respective expiry dates. You will receive the combined card when you next renew your visa or undergo a status change.
🆕 特定在留カード and visa renewal: what changes

When you next renew your visa under the new system, your 特定在留カード will be issued at the Immigration Bureau — not at the municipal office. The separate My Number Card application process is eliminated. This simplifies one of the most confusing parts of the foreign resident administrative experience in Japan.

Why You Need One

What Your My Number Card Enables

If you don't have a My Number Card yet, here is what you're missing — and why "I'll get it later" increasingly means functional limitations in daily life.

🏥
マイナ保険証 — Health Insurance at Clinics
Since the paper health insurance card was phased out in 2024, your My Number Card is the primary way to prove insurance enrollment at medical facilities. Without it, you use a 資格確認書 (paper certificate) — less convenient.
🌐
Online Visa Renewal (在留申請オンライン)
My Number Card enables online filing of visa renewal and Change of Status applications — no Immigration Bureau visit required for the submission. Required for employer-based online renewal systems.
📊
e-Tax — Online Tax Filing
File your 確定申告 (annual tax return) online using My Number Card authentication. No tax office visit needed. Essential for freelancers, self-employed, and those with multiple income sources.
🏪
Convenience Store Certificates
Print 住民票 (residence certificate), 課税証明書 (tax certificate), and other official documents at any convenience store's multi-copy machine 24/7. No municipal office visit needed — critical for visa renewal documentation.
📱
マイナポータル — Digital Admin Hub
Access your pension records, tax records, health insurance history, and other government information online. Invaluable for auditing your compliance record before a visa renewal or PR application.
🪪
Identity Verification
Accepted as official photo ID for bank account openings, phone contracts, and other verification-requiring services. Often accepted alongside — or in place of — the residence card.
Your Situation

What Do You Need to Do?

🔍 Select your current situation
Guidance specific to where you are right now.
🆕 No Card Yet — Apply Now

Apply for your My Number Card as soon as possible. The process takes approximately 4–6 weeks. You'll need: your My Number notification slip (通知カード, issued when you registered your address), or your My Number notification letter. Apply via smartphone app (easiest), by mail, at the municipal office, or at certain photo booths.

If you arrived in Japan after June 14, 2026: You may receive the new 特定在留カード (combined card) when your visa is issued — check whether My Number registration is handled simultaneously at the Immigration Bureau. If not, still apply at the municipal office.

Full Application Guide →
✅ Have a Card — Key Things to Check

If you already have a My Number Card, check: (1) Is your マイナ保険証 set up? If not, register at マイナポータル or at your clinic's card reader terminal. (2) Has your visa been renewed since you got the card? If so, you need to update the card's certificate — see the expiry guide. (3) Does your card's registered address match your current registered address? Update if you've moved.

Expiry and Renewal Update Guide →
🔄 Just Renewed Your Visa — Update Your Card's Certificate

This is the step most people miss. After renewing your visa and receiving a new residence card (or 特定在留カード), your My Number Card's electronic certificate needs to be updated to reflect the new expiry date. Until you do this:

• マイナ保険証 will stop working at clinics after the old expiry date
• Online visa-related services requiring card authentication may stop working
• e-Tax and マイナポータル authentication may be affected

Where to update: Any municipal office counter, or at a convenience store multi-copy machine (マルチコピー機) with your My Number Card and PIN. Takes approximately 5 minutes.

✈️ Just Arrived — Register Address First

Your My Number is assigned when you register your address at the municipal office within 14 days of arriving. You'll receive a 通知カード or notification letter with your My Number. To get the full My Number Card (with IC chip), you need to apply separately — see the How to Get section. This takes 4–6 weeks.

If you arrived after June 14, 2026: Check whether your residence card (issued at the port of entry or Immigration Bureau) is already the new 特定在留カード. If it is, your My Number functions may be integrated — set up マイナ保険証 via the マイナポータル app.

🏥 マイナ保険証 Not Working — Most Likely Causes

Most common cause: Your visa was renewed and your My Number Card certificate was not updated afterward. Go to any municipal office or convenience store multi-copy machine and update the certificate with your new residence card. This takes 5 minutes.

Other causes: Your registration is not complete (set up via マイナポータル); the clinic's reader has a technical issue (try another clinic); your card PIN has been locked (needs reset at municipal office).

As an interim: ask your insurer (health insurance provider) for a 資格確認書 (paper eligibility certificate) — this can be used at any clinic until the card issue is resolved.

✈️ Leaving Japan — Return Your Cards

When you leave Japan permanently, you must return both your residence card and your My Number Card at the airport on departure (residence card) and/or notify the municipal office. The My Number Card must be returned at the municipal office or is invalidated when you deregister your residence. You cannot take the card with you — the number itself is tied to your Japan residency registration.

If leaving temporarily: Keep your cards. Your My Number remains assigned to you if you maintain resident registration in Japan.

Application Guide

How to Get Your My Number Card

The application is free. Processing takes approximately 4–6 weeks. You must pick up the card in person at the municipal office — it cannot be delivered.

1
Before you start
Confirm your My Number
Find the 通知カード (notification card, issued when you registered) or マイナンバー通知書 (notification letter). Your 12-digit number is on it. You need this for the application. If lost, your number can be confirmed at your municipal office with your residence card.
2
Application (free)
Apply — Smartphone is Easiest
Smartphone (recommended): Scan the QR code on your 通知カード with the マイナンバーカード申請 app. Upload your photo. Submit. Takes 10–15 minutes.

Alternatives: By mail (form in your notification envelope), at the municipal office counter, or at a designated photo booth (証明写真機).
3
~4–6 weeks after application
Receive交付通知書 (pickup notification)
A postcard (交付通知書) is mailed to your registered address. It includes your pickup appointment and instructions. If you moved since applying, notify the municipal office.
4
In person only
Pick up at municipal office
Bring: 交付通知書, your residence card, your 通知カード (if you have it). You will set your PINs at the counter: 4-digit basic PIN and 6-digit electronic certificate PIN. The card is issued immediately.
5
After receiving card
Set up マイナ保険証
Download マイナポータル app → link your health insurance to the card. Or use the card reader terminal at your municipal office or a participating clinic. Takes 5 minutes.
⚠️ You cannot send someone else to pick up your card

The My Number Card must be picked up in person by the applicant. This is a strict rule — proxy pickup is not permitted. If you miss your appointment window, contact the municipal office to reschedule.

⚠️ Critical — Most People Miss This

How Your Card's Functions Are Linked to Your Visa Expiry

This is the most important — and most overlooked — aspect of My Number Card management for foreign residents. Unlike for Japanese nationals, your My Number Card's electronic certificate (電子証明書) is tied to your residence card's expiry date.

⚠️ After Visa Renewal: Required Actions for My Number Card
Timing What Happens What You Must Do Where
On your visa expiry date Card's electronic certificate expires simultaneously with old visa — マイナ保険証 and digital services stop working Update the electronic certificate (電子証明書の更新) with your new residence card Municipal office counter or convenience store マルチコピー機
After receiving new residence card New visa expiry is issued — card certificate needs updating to new date Bring new residence card + My Number Card to municipal office. Takes 5 minutes. Free. Municipal office (recommended), or convenience store terminal
During the 特例期間 (pending renewal period) Your old visa has expired but renewal is pending — card functions also expire at old date At the municipal office, show your 特例期間 documentation (receipt slip) — they can issue a temporary certificate extension in some cases. Consult the office directly. Municipal office
After receiving 特定在留カード (new 2026) Combined card's expiry is managed together — when visa is renewed and new card issued, all functions update automatically This is handled during the visa renewal process itself. Simpler than the old two-step system. Immigration Bureau (at renewal)
🚨 The most common mistake: renewing your visa but forgetting to update the card

Many foreign residents successfully renew their visa, receive their new residence card, and then continue their daily life — without realising their My Number Card's electronic certificate has expired. The first they discover this is when: (1) they try to use マイナ保険証 at a clinic and the reader returns an error, or (2) they try to file their taxes online and authentication fails. Update the certificate within a few days of receiving your new residence card.

Healthcare Connection

マイナ保険証 — Using Your Card at Medical Facilities

Since the paper 健康保険証 was phased out in late 2024, the My Number Card (used as マイナ保険証) is the primary way to prove health insurance enrollment at medical facilities in Japan. This directly connects My Number Card management to your healthcare access.

Situation What to Do at the Clinic
Card set up as マイナ保険証 and certificate current Hold card to the reader at reception. Done. Your insurance information is retrieved automatically.
Card not set up as マイナ保険証 yet Present 資格確認書 (issued by your insurer). Set up マイナ保険証 via マイナポータル app when you get home.
Card certificate expired (post-visa-expiry) Card reader will return an error. Present 資格確認書 as interim. Update certificate at municipal office that day/week.
Clinic has no card reader Present 資格確認書. All insurers issue this on request — contact your health insurer to obtain one.
Card PIN forgotten or locked PIN reset required at municipal office in person. Bring My Number Card and residence card.
💡 Benefits of マイナ保険証 at clinics vs. paper card

When you use マイナ保険証 (vs. paper), the clinic receives: your most current insurance information automatically (no re-verification needed when you change insurers after a job change), your medical history shared across providers (if you consent), and copayment adjustment information. The reduced paperwork also means slightly lower consultation fees at many facilities.

Related Guides

My Number & Related Guides

🗾 日本語完全版
在日外国人のマイナンバーカードガイド【取得方法・在留期限との関係・特定在留カード】
行政書士監修 — 日本語の詳細完全版
🏥 Healthcare
Health Insurance in Japan — マイナ保険証 Setup and Gap Coverage
Insurance compliance for visa renewal and PR
🔄 Visa Renewal
Visa Renewal — Update Your My Number Card Certificate After Renewal
The step most people forget after getting their new card
🏠 Housing
Moving in Japan — Update My Number Card Address After Moving
Card address must match registered address
💴 Money
Tax Filing with My Number Card — e-Tax for Foreign Residents
Online 確定申告 using My Number Card
🏠 PR
PR Requirements — マイナポータル for Auditing Your Compliance Record
Using My Number portal to check pension and insurance records
Frequently Asked

My Number Card FAQ

Covering practical use, the 特定在留カード transition, and immigration implications.

Technically there is no legal penalty for not obtaining the physical card — your My Number is automatically assigned regardless. However, not having the card increasingly means practical limitations: you cannot use マイナ保険証 (and the paper health insurance card is no longer issued to new enrollees), you cannot file taxes online via e-Tax, you cannot access マイナポータル to check your pension and insurance records, and you lose the convenience store certificate printing function. In 2026, effectively all foreign residents should have the card.
Yes — even if you're on a 1-year visa, having the card is worth it for health insurance purposes alone (マイナ保険証). Apply as soon as your visa is renewed since the card takes 4–6 weeks to arrive. If you end up leaving Japan, return the card at the municipal office — the process is straightforward. The administrative inconvenience of returning a card is much smaller than the practical benefits during your stay.
The 特定在留カード is designed to simplify this process — when you renew your visa, the new combined card is issued at the Immigration Bureau and the My Number functions are updated at the same time. You should not need a separate municipal office visit to update the electronic certificate. However, confirm with the ISA officer when receiving your new card whether the マイナ保険証 function is active — you may still need to register/link it via the マイナポータル app if it isn't automatically linked.
For most daily purposes, yes — My Number Card is accepted as photo ID. However, for immigration-specific purposes (police checks, re-entry, official immigration procedures), the residence card (在留カード) or 特定在留カード is the legally required document. Foreign residents are required by law to carry their residence card at all times. In practice, carrying both has been standard. With the 特定在留カード, you carry one card that satisfies both requirements — a significant improvement.
Report the loss immediately: (1) Call the My Number Card support centre (0120-95-0178, available 9:30–20:00 Mon–Fri) to suspend the card's electronic functions. This is important to prevent misuse. (2) File a police report (届出) if the card was stolen. (3) Go to your municipal office with your residence card and passport to apply for a replacement. There is a fee for replacement if the card was lost (not stolen). Processing takes the same 4–6 weeks as a new application.
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Related Topics

🏢
Work & Life Hub
Back to WORK & LIFE
🏥
Healthcare
マイナ保険証 setup
🔄
Visa Renewal
Certificate update after renewal
🏠
Housing
Address update on card
💴
Money in Japan
e-Tax, banking
🏠
PR Requirements
マイナポータル for records
Don't wait — get your card while you can

My Number Card takes 4–6 weeks to arrive.
Apply today.

Every day without a My Number Card is a day you can't use マイナ保険証, file taxes online, or access your own government records. The application is free and takes 15 minutes on your phone.

Supervised by a licensed Administrative Scrivener (行政書士) · Updated June 2026 · No spam, no sales calls

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