Hi Smiles friends! Welcome back to our Lifestyle series. Today we are going to share about how to open a bank account in Japan.

Banks in Japan

Opening a bank account could be troublesome for some people. People could also avoid going to bank itself because of the long process which sometimes takes a lot of time and some will think it will such a waste to spend a whole day just to do one thing in a bank. Moreover, to go to a bank in a foreign country is not an easy thing to do. Since we must speak foreign language, it is sometimes hard to understand specific words, terminologies, and the steps might be different from what we used to in our home country. How about banks in Japan? How to open a new bank account in Japan for foreigners and what do you need to prepare before you go to the bank? Here are some information on how to open a new bank account in Japan (with 2 foreigners-friendly banks as an example).

JP Post Bank

First, Japan Post Office Bank or known as JP Bank (ゆうちょ銀行/ Yucho Bank) is one, if not the friendliest bank for foreigners. You can easily apply from any JP Post Office located throughout the country. This bank will accept any residence Visa other than the 90-days-tourist visa, with no requirement for you to have lived in Japan for at least 6 months in order to open an account. However, to open a bank account there, it is necessary for you to go to the closest office from your home or office. It is better to follow it and not to waste time in case your application gets denied because of this. JP Post bank will not require you to have a personal Japan’s phone number. Here are some documents you need to prepare before you go to the office:

1. A valid Zairyu Card (Japan’s residence card)
2. A valid passport
3. A personal seal (hanko/inkan)
4. A certificate of residence (not always necessary)

These days, there is not impossible to find a JP post office staff who speaks English; however, it is still not very common in every office. The process until your account is ready is for about 2 weeks. You can also apply Yucho Direct; which is an online banking of Japan Post Bank.

Shinsei Bank

The other bank considered easy to apply for foreigner is Shinsei Bank. Most of their documents are available in English and so is their website. Most of the staff could help you with the registration in English. For Shinsei Bank, here are the things needed to bring into the office:

1. A valid Zairyu Card (Japan’s residence card)
2. A valid passport
3. A certificate of residence (not always necessary)
4. A print of “My Number” (if you want to transfer overseas)

Shinsei Bank will not ask you for your personal seal (hanko/inkan), but you will need to have stayed in Japan for at least 6 months for you to be able to make the account. Also, a personal phone number is one of the requirements to make an account too. It will take one week or up into 10 days until your account is ready to use. Although they do not have many branches, you can also use Seven Bank, E-net, Aeon Bank, and even JP bank ATMs.

Hopefully this article can help a few Smiles friends. Thank you for reading!

 

Sources:
Shinsei Bank
JP Post
Time Out
Japan Life Support