Japan's My Number Card and Residence Card Are Merging: What You Need to Do

Japan's My Number Card (マイナンバーカード / マイ ナンバー カード, mainanbaa kaado) and Residence Card (在留カード, zairyu kaado) are being merged into a single card called the Tokutei Zairyu Card (特定在留カード), also known as the Specified Residence Card, starting June 14, 2026.

The change affects all of Japan's 4.12 million foreign residents.

Under the new system, your individual number, immigration status, and health insurance functions all sit on one plastic card with a single IC chip. The Japanese government's stated goal is to enhance public convenience by eliminating duplicated procedures across the national number system.

Opting in is voluntary: you can continue carrying two separate cards if you prefer. But if you do nothing, even your standard residence card will arrive in a new format the next time it is issued.

In this article we'll explain the new card, who can get it, how to apply, what happens to your existing cards, and what foreign residents should watch for during the transition.

Key facts at a glance

What is the tokutei zairyu card?

The Tokutei Zairyu Card (特定在留カード) is a single IC-chip plastic card that carries the functions of both the current residence card (在留カード) and the My Number Card (マイナンバーカード).

Your 12-digit individual number (個人番号) is printed on the back of the combined card alongside your residence status information.

The card also stores an electronic certificate (電子証明書, denshi shomei-sho) in the IC chip, which is used for online identity verification services, including e-Tax (e-Tax / 電子申告) filing and access to the Mynaportal platform.

For most foreign residents, the administrative inconvenience of Japan's two-card system has been a long-standing frustration. Any time your visa was renewed, your address changed, or your residence status was updated, you had to visit two separate offices: the immigration bureau to update your residence card and your local municipal office (市役所, shiyakusho) or ward office (区役所, kuyakusho) to update your My Number Card. Under the new system, a single procedure at the immigration bureau updates both.

The Tokutei Card also carries your My Number health insurance card registration (マイナ保険証, maina hokenshow), which links to Japan's social security and health insurance system, and, after re-registering at a police station (警察署, keisatsu-sho), can function as your My Number driver's license (マイナ運転免許証, maina unten menkyo-sho) as well.

Why is Japan making this change?

Japan's government has been consolidating its national identification system across multiple stages since 2024, with the explicit aim to enhance public convenience and reduce the administrative burden on both residents and local governments:

• Stage 1 (December 2024): Paper health insurance cards were phased out. The My Number Card became the main document for verifying health insurance at medical institutions.

• Stage 2 (March 2025): Driver's license integration with the My Number Card began.

• Stage 3 (June 14, 2026): The Tokutei Zairyu Card launches, bringing the residence card into the unified number system.

The policy aims to streamline administrative procedures, eliminate multiple service counter visits for the same life event, and align Japan's public administration with its digital government agenda.

For a country with a foreign resident population that grew 9.5% in a single year to reach 4.12 million people by the end of 2025, simplifying residence management has become a practical necessity. The individual number system now connects health insurance, social security records, tax filing, and immigration status in one place.

Who can apply for the tokutei zairyu card?

To be eligible for the new combined card, you must be recorded in Japan's Resident Basic Book (住民基本台帳) as either:

• A mid-to-long-term foreign resident (中長期在留者, chuchoki zairyu-sha), or

• A Special Permanent Resident (特別永住者, tokubetsu eijusha)

The Tokutei Zairyu Card is itself a My Number Card: you are applying for one as part of the same procedure, not swapping an existing card in. You do not need to already hold a My Number Card to be eligible, though having one in advance means you are already familiar with the system.

New arrivals will still receive a standard residence card at the airport upon entry because the combined card cannot be issued at arrival processing. The Tokutei Card must be applied for separately after completing residence registration.

Special Permanent Residents apply for an equivalent integrated card called the Tokutei Tokubetsu Eijusha Shomeisho (特定特別永住者証明書, Specified Special Permanent Resident Certificate). Their application process is handled entirely at city hall rather than an immigration bureau.

Important: Applying for the Tokutei Card does not guarantee you will receive one. Individual circumstances may result in a standard residence card being issued instead. The ISA makes this determination at the time of processing.

Read our detailed guide here on how to get your My Number Card in Japan.

How to apply: Step-by-step

Step 1: Gather your documents

Bring the following to the service counter:

Image: Tokutei Zairyu Card application form

• Your current residence card

• Your passport

• A completed application form (特定在留カード等交付申請書), available at the counter or in advance from the Immigration Services Agency website

• A completed PIN code setup request form (暗証番号等設定依頼書)

• One ID photograph

Your application form ID number will also be required if you completed any preliminary online procedure for your residence application.

Step 2: Choose your application venue based on your procedure type

The Tokutei Card application must be submitted at the same time as one of the following qualifying procedures. It cannot be submitted on its own as a standalone visit.

At a regional immigration bureau, you can apply for the Tokutei Card when:

• Renewing your period of stay (在留期間更新許可申請)

• Changing your residence status (在留資格変更許可申請)

• Applying for permanent residence (永住許可申請)

• Renewing your residence card's validity (在留カードの有効期間の更新)

• Applying for a replacement card due to damage or as an exchange request

• Submitting a notification of change to residence card details other than address

👉 Read also: A Simple Residence Card Renewal Japan Guide For Foreigners

At your municipal office (city hall or ward office), you can apply when:

• Submitting a new post-arrival address registration

• Submitting a change-of-address notification

• Submitting an address notification following a change in residence status

Important: the online residence application system cannot be used. If you use the online system (在留申請オンラインシステム) to submit your visa renewal or status change application, you will not be able to apply for the Tokutei Card at the same time. You must visit the regional immigration bureau window in person to apply for both together.

Step 3: Set your PIN code at the counter

At the service counter, you will set your PIN code (暗証番号, ansho bango) for the card. You will need this PIN to use the electronic certificate functions and for online services, including e-Tax and Mynaportal.

Step 4: Allow additional processing time

Issuing a Tokutei Zairyu Card takes roughly 10 days longer than a standard residence card renewal because of the My Number integration step. If your current card's expiration date is approaching or you have time-sensitive status obligations, plan accordingly.

Step 5: Register your card as a health insurance card

After receiving your Tokutei Card, register it as your health insurance card (マイナ保険証). You can do this using the card reader terminal at participating medical institutions, at kiosks inside convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart, or through the Mynaportal smartphone application. Registration links your card to your health insurance and social security records.

Step 6: Re-register your driver's license

If you hold a Japanese driver's license and currently use it as a Maina driver's license (マイナ運転免許証), note that your license information is not automatically carried over to a new Tokutei Card. Even existing Maina license holders must visit a police station after receiving their Tokutei Card to re-register their license information. Bring your new card and your current driver's license.

👉 Read also: Converting a Driving License in Japan? Here's What to Do

What happens to your existing My Number Card and residence card?

Your current residence card and My Number Card do not expire or become invalid on June 14, 2026.

Residence cards issued before that date remain valid until the expiration date printed on the card. There is no fee to keep your existing cards, and there is no requirement to switch immediately.

You can choose to apply for the Tokutei Card at your next visa renewal, address change, or any other occasion that brings you to an immigration bureau. If you prefer to continue carrying two cards indefinitely, that remains an option.

However, there is one design change you will notice regardless of whether you opt into the combined card: all residence cards issued on or after June 14, 2026 will have a new format.

Several fields previously printed on the front of the card, including Period of Stay, Type of Permission, Date of Permission, and Date of Issuance, will move off the card face and into the IC chip instead. A card reader or official terminal will be needed to read this information.

For permanent residents, the validity period of the new-format standard residence card is also extending: from 7 years to the 10th birthday after issuance (or 5th birthday if the cardholder is under 18). Children aged 1 to 15 will now have their photograph on the card, matching existing My Number Card rules.

The foreign resident's specific complications

The My Number Card expiry problem

For Japanese citizens, the My Number Card is valid for 10 years. For foreign residents, the My Number Card expires on the same date as your residence period, matching the expiration date printed on your residence card.

If you renew your visa at the immigration bureau but forget to update your My Number Card at city hall afterward, your My Number Card becomes invalid. You will be required to pay a reissuance fee (approximately ¥1,500) and restart the application process.

Because the electronic certificate stored in the IC chip is also tied to this validity period, services that depend on it, including e-Tax filing and Mynaportal access, will stop working if the card lapses.

Under the Tokutei Card system, this problem is structurally eliminated: updating your status at the immigration bureau also updates the card's validity in a single procedure.

Health insurance access without a My Number Card

Paper health insurance cards (紙の保険証, kami no hokensho) are no longer issued as official documents by Japanese government insurers.

If you visit a hospital or clinic without a registered My Number health insurance card (マイナ保険証), you will need to present a temporary Certificate of Qualification for Health Insurance (被保険者資格確認書, hihokensha shikaku kakunin-sho) instead.

This certificate must be requested separately from your health insurance association (健康保険組合, kenko hoken kumiai) or your employer's HR department, and it is a stopgap measure, not a permanent solution.

The practical advice: if you do not yet have a My Number Card, obtain one now. Waiting until the Tokutei Card launches does not help if you need access to medical institutions before then.

Language and paperwork barriers

The official application materials, issuance notifications, and service counter procedures are conducted in Japanese. Multilingual assistance is available at some major immigration bureaus and city offices, but availability varies by location and is not guaranteed at all counters on national holidays or during peak fiscal year periods (March and April in Japan, when office queues are longest).

Official documents, including your issuance notification, individual number notice, and any postal notices about your card status, will arrive in Japanese only.

Address registration and the two-office problem (for now)

One current complication that the Tokutei Card is designed to fix: when you move to a new address, you must currently register the change at your local municipal office AND update your My Number Card separately. Under the Tokutei system, these are handled together.

Until you obtain a Tokutei Card, the existing two-step process remains. Failure to register an address change within 14 days of moving is a violation of the Resident Basic Book Act (住民基本台帳法, jumin kihon daichyo-ho).

👉 Read also: Tenshutsu Todoke: How to Submit a Moving-out Form in Japan

Disaster response and emergency access

One less-discussed benefit of the single-card system is its role in disaster response.

Japan's government has designed the My Number system to enable faster social security and welfare benefit delivery in the aftermath of natural disasters.

When all identification and social security records are linked to a single card and number, local governments can verify eligibility and process emergency payments more quickly. Foreign residents who have not yet linked their individual number to their health insurance and address records may face slower processing during a disaster event.

The new residence card design: What changes on the card face

Even foreign residents who never apply for the combined Tokutei Card will receive a new-format ID card at their next renewal. Here is a summary of the visible differences:

What you should do right now

1. If you are considering applying for the Tokutei Zairyu Card: Wait until your next scheduled visa renewal or address change to combine both procedures at the immigration bureau. There is no administrative penalty for waiting, and your existing cards remain valid until their printed expiration dates. Online application is not available. In-person attendance at a service counter is required.

2. If you are a new arrival after June 14, 2026: You will receive a standard residence card at the airport. After registering your address at city hall and receiving your individual number notice by mail, you can apply for a My Number Card, and subsequently for the Tokutei Zairyu Card at your first immigration bureau visit.

3. If you do not have a My Number Card yet: Apply immediately using any of the available application methods: online via the QR code on your individual number notice, by postal mail using the return envelope in your notification letter, or in person at your local city office or ward office. Processing takes approximately one month. Paper health insurance cards are no longer issued, meaning accessing medical institutions without a My Number Card is significantly harder.

4. If you have a My Number Card but have not registered it as a health insurance card: Register it as your マイナ保険証 before your next doctor visit. You can complete this at a card reader terminal at most medical institutions or convenience stores, or through the Mynaportal application on your smartphone.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Tokutei Zairyu Card (特定在留カード)?

The Tokutei Zairyu Card, officially called the Specified Residence Card, is a new integrated ID card for foreign residents of Japan that combines the residence card (在留カード) and My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) into a single document. The system launches June 14, 2026, with applications accepted from June 15. It is issued by Japan's Immigration Services Agency. The card carries your immigration status, individual number, and health insurance functions in a single IC chip plastic card, and also stores an electronic certificate for online government services including e-Tax.

Is the Tokutei Zairyu Card mandatory?

No. Applying for the combined Tokutei Zairyu Card is entirely optional. You can continue carrying your existing residence card and My Number Card as two separate documents. Your current cards remain valid until their printed expiration dates. The new single card is simply an option available to eligible foreign residents who prefer fewer documents and streamlined procedures at the service counter.

Who is eligible for the new combined card?

Mid-to-long-term foreign residents and Special Permanent Residents who are recorded in the Resident Basic Book (住民基本台帳) are eligible. You do not need to already hold a My Number Card to apply, as the Tokutei Card is itself a My Number Card issued as part of the same procedure. New arrivals cannot obtain the combined card at the airport. They must first complete residence registration and then apply at a qualifying in-person procedure.

How do I apply for the Tokutei Zairyu Card?

Applications must be submitted in person at a regional immigration bureau or municipal office, at the same time as a qualifying procedure such as a visa renewal, status change, or address change notification. Online applications are not available, and using the online residence application system (在留申請オンラインシステム) also prevents a simultaneous Tokutei Card application. Bring your current residence card, passport, a completed application form, a PIN code setup form, and your ID photograph. Processing takes approximately 10 days longer than a standard residence card renewal.

Does applying guarantee I will receive a Tokutei Card?

No. The ISA states clearly that applying does not guarantee issuance. Individual circumstances may result in a standard residence card being issued instead. The ISA makes this determination during processing.

What happens to my current My Number Card if I get the Tokutei Zairyu Card?

Your existing My Number Card is replaced by the Tokutei Zairyu Card. The new card takes on all the functions of your previous individual number card, including health insurance verification and electronic certificate functions used for e-Tax and Mynaportal. If you later need to reissue the Tokutei Card for any reason, you must apply again in person at the relevant service counter.

Why does my My Number Card expire at the same time as my visa?

For foreign residents, the My Number Card's validity period is tied to the expiration date of your residence status rather than the standard 10-year period that applies to Japanese citizens. If you renew your visa at the immigration bureau without separately updating your My Number Card at your local city or ward office, your individual number card becomes invalid, including its electronic certificate functions. The Tokutei Zairyu Card is designed to solve this by combining both updates into a single procedure at the immigration bureau.

Will the standard residence card design change even if I don't get the Tokutei Card?

Yes. All residence cards issued on or after June 14, 2026 will have a new format regardless of whether you obtain the combined Tokutei Zairyu Card. Several fields currently printed on the card face, including Period of Stay, Type of Permission, Permission Date, and Date of Issuance, will move off the visible surface and into the IC chip. A card reader terminal will be required to read these details. The bearer's signature field is retained on the new-format card.

What happens if I lose the Tokutei Zairyu Card?

Losing the combined Tokutei Card requires two separate sets of procedures. For the My Number Card function: suspend it immediately via the My Number Card general call centre (マイナンバー総合フリーダイヤル: 0120-95-0178, available 24 hours). For the residence card function: report the loss to your nearest police station (警察署), then visit the regional immigration bureau to apply for a replacement. Note that the initial replacement issued will be a standard residence card, not a Tokutei Card. If you want another Tokutei Card, you must apply for it separately at a later qualifying procedure.

Can I use my My Number Card for e-Tax?

Yes. The electronic certificate stored in the IC chip of your My Number Card, and in the Tokutei Zairyu Card, allows you to file your annual tax return online via e-Tax without visiting a tax office in person. You will need your PIN code and either a smartphone with NFC or a computer with an IC card reader to authenticate. This function is especially useful around Japan's fiscal year-end when tax offices and city hall queues are longest.

Do I need to re-register my driver's license when I get the Tokutei Card?

Yes, even if you are already using a Maina driver's license. License information is not automatically carried over to a new Tokutei Card. After receiving your Tokutei Card, visit a police station to re-register your license information. Bring your new card and your current driver's license.

In closing

June 14, 2026 marks the most significant change to Japan's foreign resident ID system in years. The Tokutei Zairyu Card (特定在留カード) is not a requirement, but it simplifies the administrative life of anyone who has spent time bouncing between the immigration bureau and city hall every time their residence status or address changes.

The most important action for foreign residents right now is not rushing to get the new combined card.

It is making sure you have a valid My Number Card, that it is registered as your health insurance card, and that your electronic certificate is active so you can access online services, including e-Tax.

Without a working My Number Card, accessing medical institutions in Japan has become significantly harder since paper health insurance cards were abolished in December 2024.

For those who are ready to consolidate, the next visa renewal is a natural moment to apply for the Tokutei Card at the immigration bureau and handle both updates in a single visit.

Managing the Japanese mail that comes with all of this, including issuance notifications, insurance statements, city office notices, and immigration correspondence, is where MailMate helps.

MailMate receives your Japanese mail, translates it into English, and delivers it to your inbox, so nothing important falls through the cracks while you navigate the transition.