After You Arrive

After You Arrive

Resident Registration & Social Security and Tax Number ("My Number")

If you receive a Residence Card at the port of entry (i.e., the airport you first landed in Japan), your residence in Japan needs to be registered in the local municipal office within 14 days after moving in to the new place. If you are an employee at ISSP, not a long-term visitor, you will also need to obtain a copy of your resident certificate with your social security and tax number (nicknamed as “My Number”) at the city hall when registering your new address in Japan (The service fee is 300 yen per copy). This certificate is a part of the required documents for new employees, so please submit it to your group secretary. A document specifying your social security and tax number will be delivered to your home on a later date, but the document cannot be used as an official document that proves your number. Incidentally, your My Number will remain the same in your lifetime; therefore please keep the notification document with you for future reference, even after you leave Japan.

Health Insurance and Pension

All residents in Japan, regardless of their nationality, are required to enroll in a health insurance program and a pension plan in Japan.
　　If you are a full-time employee of ISSP, you will be enrolled in the MEXT mutual aid association’s health insurance and pension programs. Please ask your group secretary regarding necessary forms to fill out.
　　If you are not an ISSP employee, you will be enrolled in the National Health Insurance and Pension programs. The insurance premiums are determined based on your Japanese income in the previous year. Only for the pension plan, you will be exempted from paying the pension contributions for the first year. When you enroll in the pension plan, you can apply for the exemption from pension contribution payment at the same time. Please note that from the second year, you are required to pay your pension contribution and there is no exemption from paying the health care insurance premium.

Opening a Bank Account

To receive your salary from ISSP or JSPS fellow allowances, you need to open a bank account in Japan unless you have one already. To open an account, you must visit the bank in person, because this process cannot be done by proxy. When it comes to the question of which bank you should open an account with, Japan Post Bank is one of our recommendations. They have many branches and ATMs across the country and the requirements for opening an account are less strict than most other banks. Be sure to bring your Residence Card with the registered address written on its back. If you are enrolled in the National Health Insurance/Pension (e.g., you are NOT a fulltime employee at ISSP), you may also want to make direct debit arrangements for the payment of your health insurance and pension permiums.