Open a bank account in Japan as a foreigner: the six-month rule doesn't apply to everyone

Where the six-month rule comes from

It comes from the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (外為法) and the Ministry of Finance directive that interprets it (蔵国第4672号), in force since 1980.

Under that directive a foreign national is treated as a non-resident (非居住者) by default. You become a resident (居住者) when either of these is true:

• Six months have passed since you entered Japan, or
• You work at an office in Japan (本邦内にある事務所に勤務する者).

If you work at an office in Japan

You're a resident from your first day of work, so the six-month wait doesn't apply.

A branch that can't confirm your employment may still default to treating you as a non-resident, so bring the proof with you. Banks also run their own account-opening checks, so resident status doesn't guarantee every application is approved.

To send part of your salary home from that account, see how to send money home from Japan.

To see what reaches that account after insurance and tax, use the Japan take-home pay calculator.

Who has to wait six months

People without Japanese employment who are not supported by a working resident: students before they start work, and people who arrived on a long-stay visa but aren't employed here yet. Under the directive they are non-residents until six months have passed.

That decides your status under currency law. Whether a bank opens an account is the bank's own rule, and one does not wait: Japan Post Bank's page for foreign customers names no six-month wait, and it asks students (留学, student visa) to show a student ID with the residence card. Rakuten Bank, Seven Bank and SMBC Trust Bank want six months in Japan or proof that you work here; the bank table has each rule.

A spouse or child who lives with a working resident and is supported by them does not wait. The directive says a family member who lives with a resident and whose living costs are paid entirely by that resident takes that resident's residency (居住者…と同居し、かつ、その生計費が、専ら当該居住者…に負担されている家族の居住性は、当該居住者…の居住性に従う).

This is why two people who arrive the same week can get different answers: the one with a job opens an account, and the other is refused.

What to bring to the counter

1. Proof of employment, if you're employed: a certificate of employment (在職証明書) or your employee ID.
2. Your residence card with the address already registered. Register at the city office first; the bank needs the card to show where you live.
3. A Japanese phone number. Banks generally expect one, so get a phone plan first. Which number types banks accept

What happens at a Japan Post Bank counter

You apply at a branch, show your residence card and a seal, and may leave without an open account, because the bank's checks can take longer than the visit.

1. Book first. Without a reservation you may wait a long time, or be asked to come back another day. At a post office counter, going without contacting its call center first can mean a reservation and a later visit. The call center for foreign customers answers in English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Nepali and Burmese.
2. Fill in the form at home. You can fill in the application form on a computer before you go, in several languages (personal accounts).
3. Go to the branch near you. At the counter, apply at the branch near your home or workplace.
4. Bring your documents. Show your residence card at the counter. You may be asked for your passport too. Students (留学, student visa) and technical intern trainees (技能実習) show a student or employee ID with the residence card. The counter list for a personal account includes a seal (印章), which the bank calls the registered seal (お届け印).
5. Expect Japanese. At the counter, key terms are explained in Japanese, and you may be asked to bring someone who understands Japanese.
6. Wait for the checks. Checks can take time, so the account may not open the same day and the passbook may be posted to your home.

One account per person: if you already have one, it will not open another. The pages we read do not say whether a signature can replace the seal, so ask the branch before you go. Sources: the bank's page on opening a personal account, its page for foreign customers and its call center page.

Opening a Japan Post Bank account in its Tetsuzuki App

Japan Post Bank's Tetsuzuki App (ゆうちょ手続きアプリ, "procedures app") opens an account on your phone. Since its 1 October 2026 update, the app accepts all residence cards, including specified residence cards. The bank's other two apps, Passbook and Authentication, still refuse cards issued from 14 June 2026.

What to expect:

• In the app you read the important notices, verify your identity with your residence card, answer the questions, then check and submit.
• The bank says opening an account in the app takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
• The app reads the chip in your ID, so the phone needs a camera and NFC.
• Account-opening app in 7 languages: Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Nepali and Myanmar.
• The bank checks the application, and the result usually comes by email in about a week.
• The cash card comes in about a week by registered mail with no forwarding, to the address you gave.
• The app opens only a passbook-free account, Yucho Direct Plus (ゆうちょダイレクト+).
• The app does not register a seal when it opens the account: for utility auto-pay, take your cash card, the seal and photo ID to a counter afterward.
• Switching to a passbook account is free if you do it within 2 months of opening and it is your first passbook.

The app turns you away in these cases:

• The app cannot be used if your residence card shows 3 months or less left, or you are renewing it.
• Your name includes a Roman numeral such as Ⅲ. Apply at the counter (see names that do not fit).
• The app opens an account in your own name only if you are 16 or older.
• Some other customers cannot use the app either; the bank points you to the notes shown in the app.

Either way, the bank refuses an application when your period of stay ends within 3 months of applying (its page for foreign customers).

Read on 3 October 2026: the bank's notice on residence cards (in Japanese), the same notice in English, the app's English user guide (PDF), the bank's account-opening page and its FAQ on card delivery.

What if your name is too long for the bank form?

On the bank pages we read, we found no character limit for an account application and no rule on how a long name is printed on a passbook or cash card. The 30 and 18 character limits below belong to other forms of the same bank.

• Japan Post Bank, in the app. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your residence card. If the name on your card has a space, enter the space, and put the same break in the katakana name.
• At Rakuten Bank: Enter your name as it is on the residence card; a middle name can be left out. Small katakana characters have to be typed correctly, not swapped for full-size ones.
• Japan Post Bank, in the Passbook App. In its Passbook App, a katakana name that does not fit the box is typed as far as it fits, up to 30 characters, with no space between family and given name.
• Japan Post Bank, debit card. On its debit card application site, a name over 10 characters goes in as katakana only, up to 18 characters.
• Roman numerals. Customers whose name includes a Roman numeral such as Ⅱ or Ⅲ cannot open an account in the app.

If your name does not fit a field, apply at the counter and ask the staff before you sign. Sources: Japan Post Bank's list of app errors, its FAQ on katakana names, Rakuten Bank's FAQ for foreign customers, Japan Post Bank's FAQ on long names.

You need the bank account before a credit card

Card companies count having no Japanese credit history as one factor when they screen an application, the credit bureau CIC says, and several say foreign residents can apply: see credit cards that accept foreign residents. Fiber internet, which takes only Japanese credit cards, waits until you have one. If you're employed, you can open the account and start paying bills from it without waiting six months.

PayPay does not need a bank account to start: you can top up with cash at Seven Bank and Lawson Bank ATMs. Linking your account comes after PayPay's ID check. See PayPay for foreigners.