· Updated
By the HalfKey team
Tokyo banking without jūminhyō: your payment options
Paying rent, withdrawing yen and receiving money are different tasks, even when one app appears to offer them all. List the payments you need to make, then check how you can make each one and whether you qualify for any new account you would need.
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You may be able to pay Tokyo rent and bills with accounts you already have. Check how the rental company accepts payment before applying for a Japanese bank account.
A 住民票 (jūminhyō) is a certificate from the resident register. An apartment booking alone doesn't make you eligible for that register or for a bank account. The bank will have its own requirements for your residence status and documents.
Match each payment to a supported method
| Task | What to confirm before arrival |
|---|---|
| Pay the first rent invoice | Which cards or transfers are accepted, where to send the money, which currency to use and when it must arrive |
| Obtain spending cash | Whether your card allows withdrawals abroad, what each costs and how much you can withdraw |
| Pay a utility bill | Whether it is in your name and which methods the bill issuer accepts |
| Receive a refund | A method the rental company can use after you leave |
| Receive salary or client payments | Whether your employer or client can pay into your chosen account and whether the account accepts those payments |
If your rental agreement includes utilities, you may not need personal utility accounts or automatic debit. If you receive a payment slip instead, use the instructions printed on it; a debit card isn't automatically a way to pay every bill.
A currency balance isn't a Japanese bank account
Wise and Revolut may be useful, especially if you already use them. What you can do with either service depends on where your account is registered, the identity checks you have completed and the terms of your plan. Being able to hold yen does not necessarily mean the account can receive a Japanese salary payment or pay a utility bill by direct debit.
Before giving an app’s bank details to an employer or client, check whether they can use them to pay you. Some details are only for sending money from your own bank account to pay for a transfer. For transfers paid for in yen, Wise's JPY-transfer instructions require the money to come from an account in your own name. Someone else cannot fund it for you.
Open the app’s instructions for receiving money and ask support if anything is unclear. For client payments, ask whether your personal account accepts them or you need a business account. Update your registered address and residency information when they change.
If you do need a Japanese account
Tell the bank your residence status and how you want to use the account before applying. Ask which transfers you will be allowed to make after the account opens.
Japan Post Bank's guidance for foreign customers sets out document checks and application conditions. Check its document list before making a trip to a branch. If an application is declined, ask whether a specific missing document can be supplied or whether you are ineligible.
For example, GMO Aozora’s eligibility FAQ requires a residence card or special permanent resident certificate, at least six months of remaining residence permission when the documents are submitted, and a status other than Student. A passport and apartment booking alone do not meet those listed requirements. These are that bank's requirements; use the published conditions for the bank you're considering.
A visitor still needs a way to receive money
You may be able to pay rent with an existing card while receiving salary or client payments into your usual account abroad. Check that the rental company accepts your card and that your employer or client can keep paying your account abroad. Then agree with the rental company where it will send any deposit refund. You don't need one account to do all three jobs.
Compare costs using your transaction
Ask what it costs to send your chosen amount from one currency to another, using the card or account you plan to pay with. Compare what leaves your account with what reaches the recipient, not just the headline conversion fee.
Request quotes for the same amount close together in time, and check how long each exchange rate is guaranteed. A smaller transfer fee can be outweighed by a worse exchange rate; our sending-money guide has a worked comparison.
While you wait for a new account to open, arrange to pay rent and other essential bills with a card or account you can already use.
Plan the departure as well as arrival
Before leaving, tell your Japanese bank that you are moving abroad. Ask whether you must close the account or update your details. Japan Post Bank explicitly instructs customers moving outside Japan to close their account. Follow your bank's instructions and arrange another refund method with the rental company if needed.
Also confirm how you'll receive verification codes once your Japanese phone service ends. Our sending-money guide explains what to arrange before sending money and closing an account.