How to open a bank account in Japan

While living in Japan, you are absolutely going to have a Japanese bank account. You have to receive your salary, pay utility and phone bills. Even though it might sound hard to open a bank account, it is quite easy.

If you have everything prepared, then the process takes about half an hour.

Prerequisites

• Two forms of identification papers; your passport and residence card.
• A Japanese phone number (your own, not someone else’s).
• Registered and up-to-date address of where you live.
• Your “My Number” if you want to send or receive money from abroad.
• You do not need a Hanko or a utility bill.
• Valid visa (at least 1 year)

Which bank to choose

If you are not able to speak and read Japanese, then you should select a foreigner-friendly bank. I chose Shinsei Bank, but there are others. Do some simple research online.

The rest of this guide will be about my experiences with Shinsei Bank.

How to create an account

The quickest way to open an account is to personally visit one of their branches. If you want to open an account online or through postal service, then it is going to take a while to get everything set up.

I arrived at 10:00 in the morning when the bank opened. The staff welcomed me and I had to wait a few minutes to before the staff was ready. I was given a tablet that had an English interface where I had to answer some simple questions like name, address, phone number, type of account I wanted, the color of my Cash Card, etc.

The staff confirmed the information I inputted and after a couple of minutes the Cash Card was ready and they were able to answer all the questions I had.

I did not have My Number, so a quick trip back to the municipality office was required before I could completely finish the registration. The My Number is required if you want to receive or send funds from or to abroad.

The account was active and I could use the account immediately afterward.

Summary

Even though the staff is not speaking English at a native level, it’s more than enough to communicate and there is practically no need to be afraid of miscommunication.

I hardly had to see anything written in Japanese, the only thing was a checkbox that had to be answered (government rules) but it was easily explained to me in English.

Just remember to bring along all necessary documentation and this will be a walk-in-the-park.