Can't open a bank account
Most refusals come from the six-month rule, a short period of stay or missing paperwork. Japan Post Bank usually accepts newcomers — here is what to bring and what to try next.
Do this first
Try Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) at any post office with your residence card showing your address, a Japanese phone number and your student or employee ID. It is usually the easiest first account.
Step by step
Step 1: Work out why you were refused
Under Japan's foreign-exchange rules, someone who has been in Japan under six months and is not working at a Japanese office counts as a 'non-resident'; many banks will not open a regular account for non-residents, or limit transfers. Other everyday reasons: a residence card that expires within three months, no address printed on the card yet, no Japanese phone number, no student/employee ID, or simply a clerk who could not communicate with you.
Official pageStep 2: Go to Japan Post Bank with the full set of documents
Japan Post Bank opens accounts for foreign residents with a residence card and an address in Japan. Students and technical-intern trainees must also show a student or employee ID (or have the bank's enrolment-certificate form filled in by the school/employer). It will not open an account if your period of stay ends within three months, and it may ask you to bring a Japanese speaker. If you have been here under six months, you may be asked to file a non-resident declaration (非居住者等届書), and international transfers may be restricted at first. The bank's app (ゆうちょ手続きアプリ) can also open a passbook-less account; approval takes about a week.
Official pageStep 3: Get the three things that unlock most banks
A Japanese mobile number (a data SIM with a number is enough), your address printed on the back of your residence card (done at the ward office when you register), and your My Number (the notice arrives by post a few weeks after registration). Banks ask for My Number for tax reporting; you can usually open the account first and submit it later, but policies differ. After six months in Japan, or with a letter from your employer or school, the non-resident issue disappears.
Step 4: Try again — a different branch, a different day
Refusals are often per-branch and per-clerk. Go to a bigger branch, bring a Japanese-speaking friend, and ask directly what is missing (何が足りませんか). Your school's international office or your employer's HR may also have an arrangement with a specific branch — ask them before you try a third time.
Step 5: Consider an online bank as a second account
Several online banks accept applications from residents with a residence card and a Japanese phone number, and some have English apps. Conditions (minimum period of stay, My Number, residence-card validity) change often, so check each bank's foreign-resident page before applying. Keep Japan Post Bank for salary and rent — many employers and landlords expect a domestic account they know.
Who to contact
Japan Post Bank — For foreign customers opening an account (Japanese)
Post office savings counters: weekdays, usually 9:00–16:00
Counters are Japanese-only; the bank may ask you to bring a Japanese speaker
WebsiteJapan Post Bank — English information
English overview of services and the app
WebsiteForeign Residents Support Center — FRESC (Yotsuya, Tokyo)
0570-011000Weekdays 9:00–17:00 (from some IP phones or abroad: 03-5363-3013)
Phone menu in Japanese and English; in-person immigration consultations in many languages
Website
What to bring
- Residence card with your address printed on the back
- Passport
- Japanese phone number (bring the phone)
- Student ID or employee ID — or the bank's enrolment/employment certificate form filled in by your school or employer
- My Number notice or card, if you already have it
- A personal seal (印鑑) if you have one — a signature is usually accepted
- A small amount of cash for the first deposit
What to say at the counter
Tap copy and show the Japanese on your screen, or read the romaji aloud.
口座を開設したいです。
Kōza o kaisetsu shitai desu.
I would like to open an account.
在留カードと学生証があります。
Zairyū kādo to gakuseishō ga arimasu.
I have my residence card and student ID.
日本に来て〇か月です。
Nihon ni kite ○-kagetsu desu.
I have been in Japan for ○ months.
何が足りないか教えてください。
Nani ga tarinai ka oshiete kudasai.
Please tell me what is missing.
キャッシュカードは郵送ですか。
Kyasshu kādo wa yūsō desu ka.
Will the cash card be mailed to me?
Common pitfalls
- Never buy, borrow or lend an account — account trading is illegal and gets residents deported.
- When your residence card is renewed or your address changes, tell the bank promptly; otherwise transactions can be frozen.
- An app-opened account has no passbook; if an employer asks for a 'passbook copy', a screenshot of the account details page usually works.
- Close your account before you leave Japan for good — Japan Post Bank asks for it, and dormant accounts are hard to manage from abroad.
- Do not walk in on the last days of your period of stay — the three-months-left rule will stop the application.
Read next
Sources
- Japan Post Bank — To foreign customers opening an account (口座を開設される外国人のお客さまへ)
- Japan Post Bank FAQ — Who counts as a non-resident under the Foreign Exchange Act
- Japan Post Bank — English site
Checked on 12 October 2026. General information, not legal advice — offices differ and rules change, so confirm on the official page or by phone before you go.