What is an Individual Number?
Individual Number is social infrastructure to improve administrative efficiency, enhance public convenience, and realize a fairer and more just society.
It is a system which improves administrative efficiency and enhances public convenience by notifying every resident who has the resident record of his/her own individual number.
Quoted from What is an Individual Number?
Individual Number Notice for a Non-Japanese citizen
Q4. Do I receive an Individual Number Notice if I’m not a Japanese citizen?
→Even residents of other countries receive Individual Number Notices if they move to Japan and register their residence*.
Quoted from Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
*The following foreign nationals legally residing in Japan for more than three months (Tourists and persons who stay in Japan with a status of residence of “temporary visitor” are exempted)will be listed on the Basic Resident Registration.
You will need an Individual Number for administrative procedures for social security, taxation and disaster response from January 2016. Foreigners registered as residents in Japan will also receive their Individual Numbers from October 2015 onward. After receiving an application form with a notification card, you can apply for an Individual Number Card (IC card) by returning the application form by post or by one of the other options available. From January 2016 onward, your Individual Number Card will be ready for issuance.
*The Individual Number Cards of foreign residents shall be valid until the expiration date, etc. of their period of stay (with the exception of those residing in Japan under the following statuses: Highly Skilled Professional(ii), Permanent Resident and Special Permanent Resident). Therefore, if you are in the process of applying to extend your period of stay, etc., or if you expect that your period of stay will expire prior to the scheduled issuance of your Individual Number Card, then please apply for your Individual Number Card after the extension to your period of stay has been approved. Please carefully handle your Individual Number, as it is valid throughout your entire lifetime.
Quoted from Basic Resident Registration System for Foreign Residents
How to Apply for issuance of the Individual Number Card
It takes about one month*2 from the application for Individual Number Card until the shipment of Notice of Issuance*1 by municipalities.
*1Notice of Issuance is a notification by which municipalities notifies that they are ready to issue Individual Number Card.
*2Excluding cases with errors in the application, etc.
Method and flow of the application
- Application by a smartphone
- Application by a personal computer
- Application by a town ID photo booth
- Application by mail
Quoted from Application for issuance of the Individual Number Card
How to Receive the Individual Number Card
Do not forget to bring:
– Application form for issuance (post card)
– Notification card (For those who received prior to May 2020)
– Identity verification documents
(*refer to note below for details)
– Basic Resident Registration Card
(only for those who own one)
– Individual Number Card (only for those who own one)
* Identity verification documents
① One of the following items: a Basic Resident Registration Card (must have photo.), a driver’s license, a certificate of driving history (only the one whose issuance date is on or after April 1, 2012), a passport, a physical disability certificate, a mental disability certificate, a rehabilitation certificate, a resident card, a special permanent resident certificate a landing permit for temporary refuge, or a permit for provisional stay
② If you do not have any of the above, two documents including either your “full name and date of birth” or your “full name and address”, and considered as appropriate by the mayor.
(Example) A health insurance card, a pension book, an employee identification card, a student identification card, various documents in which the school name is described, a Claimant Certification for Medical Care
Quoted from Now go and get your Individual Number Card
INQUIRY
Call Center for the Social Security and Tax Number System
0120-0178-26
Individual Number Notice,Notification Cards,Individual Number Cards Loss or theft of Individual Number Cards
0120-0178-27
*Phone calls to the wrong number have been occurring frequently.
We respond to questions regarding Individual Number Cards, Individual Number Notices, Notification Cards, or anything else related to the Individual Number system.
- Please check the phone number before dialing.
- Weekdays 9:30 – 20:00
- Saturdays, Sundays and National holidays 9:30 – 17:30
（Excluding winter holidays from 12/29 – 1/3.） - Loss or theft of Individual Number Cards can be reported to this hotline 24 hours a day,365 days a year.
*If you wish to be helped in Japanese, please call 0120-95-0178.
Individual Number Card Call Center (nation-wide common Navi-Dial Service)
0570-064-738
*Phone calls to the wrong number have been occurring frequently.
Please check the phone number before dialing.
- Every day 8:30 – 20:00
（Excluding winter holidays from 12/29 – 1/3.） - Loss or theft of Individual Number Cards can be reported to this hotline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- Available languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese.
*You will be charged for using Navi-Dial Service.
*If dialing the above number doesn’t work by some IP phones, please call 050-3818-1250.
*If you wish to be helped in Japanese, please call 0570-783-578.
Hours of operation are the same.
