What is my number?

An Individual Number, also known as My Number, is a 12-digit ID number issued to all citizens and residents of Japan used for taxation, social security and disaster response purposes.

Individual Number is social infrastructure to improve administrative efficiency, enhance public convenience, and realize a fairer and more just society. It is a system which improves administrative efficiency and enhances public convenience by notifying every resident who has the resident record of his/her own individual number.

Details:

• https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%80%8B%E4%BA%BA%E7%95%AA%E5%8F%B7
• https://www.kojinbango-card.go.jp/en-mynumber/
• https://www.kojinbango-card.go.jp/en/

Online application for my number card

The follwing are needed when applying online

• 通知カード (paper)
• 申請書ID (paper)

通知カード

申請書ID

Procedure

• Go to https://www.kojinbango-card.go.jp/en-kofushinse-pc/
• Click: “Website for online application is here”
  • It’s in Japanese
  • Right Click > Translate to English (in chrome browser)
• Following the instructions > fill-up required informations > Submit
• It takes about 3 ~ 4 weeks (max 1 month) to receive post card (郵便はがき) from city office

City office will send you the following

Main (post card)

Time reservation to receive my number card

You need to call or use web url to reserve time to receive my number card (at specified place mentioned in the post card)

My Number Card Received at City Office

Notes:

• (In Japanese) Instructions: https://net.kojinbango-card.go.jp/SS_SERVICE_OUT/pages/ssf/FG01S001.jsp
• It will take one day (after receiving my number card) to function property i.e. print Juminhyo/Nozei/Kazei from convini printer
• If you do not reserve time, you might not get the card after going to specified place because there will be many people in queue and you are not in the list
• In my case, I did not reserve time but there were very few people (because of corona virus situation) & the guy in charge just put me in the queue, so I received the card even though I did not reserve time
• Don’t forget to write down password and PIN while setting up at the time of receiving card (so that you would not forget it)

Usages of my number card

• To print official government documents at convenience stores i.e. printing 住民票 (certificate of residence)
• Identity verification
• As identification for on-line applications for various administrative procedures
• For various financial / banking services i.e. to open account at Payoneer as a resident of Japan, you need my number
• Store e-money on your My Number card and earn points for shopping with it
• By March 2021 → My Number card can be used in place of a health insurance card