Online Applications for My Number Card to Be Available Overseas

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, August 11, 2025

The government plans a policy to allow Japanese citizens living abroad to submit online applications for the issuance of My Number Cards.

To reduce the expected burden on applicants to submit the applications in person and by mail, the new system will become available from fiscal 2026. Applications for the cards can already be made online from within Japan.

Currently, a person residing overseas who wants to apply for a My Number Card has to submit their application at a Japanese Embassy, the government office in their hometown or via mail. The applicant will still need to visit an embassy to have their identity confirmed when they receive the cards, but being able to complete the application with a single visit will make the process more convenient, as there have been many cases in which no embassies are located close to where the applicant lives.

Up until now, the process has taken two to three months from application to issuance for overseas applicants. However, that time will be reduced once applications can be made online, another positive aspect of the change.

As of March 2024, a person can continue to use their My Number Card even after they have moved overseas. The Foreign Ministry and the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry are also considering setting up dedicated computer terminals at Japanese embassies to make renewals and other procedures related to the cards possible.

With a My Number Card, a person can complete administrative procedures related to their tax return, national pension and others. The cards are also being used more in private businesses, with banks, securities firms and others in the financial industry using them to confirm a customer’s identity when they open a new account.