The paperwork that must be finished in your first two weeks, in the order that actually works.
| The 14-day rule You have 14 days from moving in to report your address at the city office. Health insurance, My Number, a bank account and a phone contract all hang off that one registration, so until it is done nothing else can start. Go on a weekday morning. |
1. Do them in this order
| # | Task | Where | Depends on |
| 1 | Resident registration (転入届) | City office | A confirmed address |
| 2 | National Health Insurance enrolment | Same visit, same office | Step 1 |
| 3 | My Number — apply for express issuance, or wait for the notice by post | Same visit (express) or by post | Step 1 |
| 4 | National Pension (if you are 20 or older) + student payment exemption | Same office | Step 1 |
| 5 | Personal seal (inkan), if you will open a bank account at a branch | Seal shop | — |
| 6 | Bank account | JP Bank / Suruga / Seven Bank | Steps 1 and 5 |
| 7 | SIM card / phone contract | Carrier shop or online | Steps 1 and 6 for most carriers |
Set aside a whole morning for this. The city office visit on its own takes one to two hours, and you cannot book a slot in advance. Going early also keeps the My Number express option open — see §4.
2. Where to go: City Hall vs. Shonandai Community Center
Fujisawa City has a main city hall plus 13 community centers (市民センター). The nearest one to SFC is the Shonandai Community Center, right beside the east exit of Shonandai Station — for most students this is the practical choice.
| Shonandai Community Center | Fujisawa City Hall (main building) | |
| Address | 〒252-0804 Shonandai 1-8, Fujisawa-shi (湘南台1丁目8番地) | 〒251-8601 Asahi-cho 1-1, Fujisawa-shi (朝日町1番地の1) |
| Access | Next to Shonandai Station east exit | About 5 minutes’ walk from Fujisawa Station north exit |
| Phone | 0466-45-1600 | 0466-25-1111 |
| Hours | Mon–Fri 8:30–17:00 (closed weekends, public holidays, year-end/New Year) | Mon–Fri 8:30–17:00 (closed weekends, public holidays, year-end/New Year) |
| Resident registration (転入届) | Yes | Yes |
| National Health Insurance | Yes | Yes |
| Certificate of Residence (住民票) | Yes | Yes |
| My Number Card | Limited Only some procedures, such as changes to printed details. New applications and issuance are handled at the main City Hall (市民窓口センター). | Yes — full service, including express issuance |
Language support. Fujisawa City runs a free consultation service for foreign residents — no appointment needed, privacy protected. Dedicated Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking counsellors are available at City Hall 4F (Mon–Fri, 8:30–12:00 and 13:00–17:00; in-person reception 8:30–11:30 and 13:00–16:00; tel. 0466-50-3568) and at the Shonandai Cultural Center 2F (Mon, Tue, Fri; in person only). Fujisawa City foreign residents consultation
If you do not speak Japanese and no counsellor covers your language, bring along a Japanese-speaking friend or a senior student, or just use a translation app on your phone. Counter staff handle this every week and the forms are the same for everyone, so it is far less frightening than it sounds.
3. Resident registration and National Health Insurance
3.1 Moving-in notification (転入届 tennyū-todoke)
Take the following to the counter. The moving-in notification form is available there.
- Residence Card
- Passport
- Your new address — written down exactly, including building and room number
Your new address is then printed on the back of your Residence Card. Repeat this within 14 days every time you move in Japan.
Certificate of Residence (住民票 jūminhyō). On request the office issues a certificate confirming your address, for roughly ¥300. You will be asked for it when buying a mobile phone or opening a bank account, so consider getting one or two copies while you are there.
3.2 National Health Insurance (国民健康保険 “Kokuho”)
Any international student staying more than three months must enrol, unless covered by the employees’ health insurance of a family member living and working in Japan. Overseas travel or medical insurance is not accepted as a substitute.
| Point | Detail |
| What it covers | Roughly 70% of your medical costs at almost any hospital or clinic in Japan — you pay the remaining 30%. |
| What it does not cover | Cosmetic surgery, orthodontics and childbirth. |
| Cost to join | Free. You enrol during the same city office visit as your address registration. |
| What you receive | An NHI Certificate of Eligibility (国民健康保険資格確認書) — a paper document that works exactly like a plastic insurance card. Issued on the spot on request, or posted later. Present it at reception every time you see a doctor. |
| Premium | Calculated by the city from your previous year’s income. Scholarships are not counted as income, so most new students qualify for a large reduction. |
| Action required | Ask for the Income Declaration for National Health Insurance form (国民健康保険料申告書) at the counter, fill it in and submit it when you enrol. If you do not submit it you may be charged the maximum premium. From the following year the form is posted to your home address. |
| When cover starts | From the month you become an eligible resident — not from the month you receive the notice. You pay 100% of any medical cost incurred before enrolment, which is why travel insurance for your first days is recommended. |
| Do not let NHI payments lapse Unpaid National Health Insurance premiums can lead to your visa renewal or status change being refused. If you cannot pay, go to the NHI counter and ask about reductions before the due date — do not simply skip a payment. |
4. My Number (Individual Number)
A 12-digit number given to every resident of Japan, used for social security, tax and disaster relief. You keep it for life, so treat it like a passport number: do not hand it out casually and do not lose the documents that show it.
| Route | How it works | Timing |
| Express issuance | If you complete your resident registration in the morning and ask for urgent issuance, you can apply for the card on the spot — usually you are told to come back that afternoon. (Depending on system load you may be asked to return the next day or later.) | Card posted within about one week of application |
| Standard — notice | An Individual Number Notice (個人番号通知書) arrives by registered mail. Someone must be home to sign; otherwise collect it using the delivery slip within the retention period. | 2–3 weeks after registration |
| Standard — plastic card (optional) | Fill in the enclosed application form, attach a photo and post it in the return envelope — or apply by smartphone, PC or an ID photo booth. A municipal office then posts an issuance notice (a postcard); you collect the card in person at the location stated on it, bringing your Residence Card, passport and the postcard. | Issuance notice about one month after applying |
Redelivery of registered mail: Japan Post
Using the card as a health insurance card. A new My Number Card does not work as an insurance card automatically. Link it yourself through the Myna Portal app or website, at a hospital reception, or at another designated location. Application guide: kojinbango-card.go.jp
If you extend your period of stay, you must update the details printed on your My Number Card at your municipal office before the card expires — otherwise the card becomes invalid.
Specified Residence Card (特定在留カード). An optional IC card combining the Residence Card and the My Number Card in one. Advantages include smoother Myna Portal use and obtaining certificates at convenience stores. Apply at the same time as an extension of stay or change of address, or at your municipal office. Immigration Services Agency
5. National Pension
Everyone resident in Japan aged 20 to 59 must enrol, students included.
- If you are 20 or older on arrival: enrol at the city office or the Japan Pension Service office covering your address, after your resident registration.
- If you are 19 or younger on arrival: nothing to do now. A “Report of Acquisition of Qualifications for National Pension System” arrives about one month before your 20th birthday.
About a month after enrolment you receive a Basic Pension Number Notification and payment slips. Keep both safe — you will need them for any future living or working in Japan.
| Apply for the student exemption — every April The contribution is ¥17,920 per month (FY2026). The Special Payment System for Students (学生納付特例制度) lets students with low income postpone payment. Apply at your city office; the form is available there and at Japan Pension Service branches. You must reapply every year, in April. Details: Japan Pension Service |
For Section 6 & 7
Important Notice for Fall 2026 Freshmen (Residence Cards issued after 14 June 2026):
If your Residence Card was issued after 14 June 2026, you may experience unexpected errors with online identity verification (e-KYC) when applying for SIM cards or opening bank accounts via mobile apps (e.g., ahamo, LINEMO, Yucho Bank App, Seven Bank ATM). Consider applying at physical shop counters, or check this live non-commercial tracker provided by Set Up in Japan to see which carriers/banks currently support the new cards: https://setupinjapan.com/residence-card/online-verification/
6. Getting a SIM card
You will need a Japanese phone number for almost everything else: bank apps, delivery slips, part-time job applications. Getting one is harder than it should be, for three reasons. A period of stay under 24 months blocks handset instalment plans, most carriers want a credit card you do not have yet, and the whole process is often in Japanese only.
6.1 Which type of provider
| Type | Who | Best for |
| International-student friendly | GTN Mobile, Mobal, Sakura Mobile | Your first months. English or multilingual support, and no Japanese bank account or personal seal required — GTN and Sakura Mobile accept convenience-store payment; Mobal accepts an overseas credit card and ships worldwide before you arrive. |
| Budget SIM (MVNO) | Rakuten Mobile, Y!mobile, UQ mobile, and others | After a few months, once you have a bank account and documents. Cheaper monthly, but the contract process is usually Japanese-only. |
| Major carrier | NTT docomo, au, SoftBank | Best coverage and handset deals; strictest requirements. Realistic once you are settled. |
GTN Mobile · Mobal · Sakura Mobile · Rakuten Mobile — Shonandai shop (English assistance available)
6.2 Bring to the shop
- Residence Card
- Passport
- Bank card (or a credit card, depending on the carrier)
- Personal seal (inkan) — required by some Japanese carriers, not by the international-student providers
- A Certificate of Residence (住民票) is sometimes requested — bring one if you have it
7. Opening a bank account
| JP Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) | Suruga Bank | Seven Bank | ||
| Open at a branch | Yes — personal seal required | Yes — personal seal required | No | |
| Open by app / convenience-store ATM | Account opening app — no personal seal required | Account opening app — no personal seal required | Convenience-store ATM | |
| Card and passbook | At a branch: on the spot By app: no passbook; cash card in about 2 weeks | At a branch: on the spot By app: no passbook; cash card in about 2 weeks | No passbook; cash card in about 2 weeks | |
| Services in your first 6 months | Deposits and withdrawals only, until your 6th month | Deposits and withdrawals only, until your 6th month | Classified as a “resident” from day one — all standard services: deposits, withdrawals, transfers, debit card, overseas remittances | |
MEXT scholarship recipients must open a JP Bank account in person at a branch counter in order to receive the scholarship. Do not open it by app.
Seven Bank ATM Opening & App Verifications: Seven Bank ATM account opening and several bank/carrier app verifications currently apply restriction rules for Residence Cards issued after 14 June 2026. Full system support is expected around December 2026. Check the Seven Bank ATM account opening page for the current position.
7.1 Personal seal (印鑑 inkan)
Needed to open an account at a branch counter. Have one made in advance — from about ¥400. It can be carved in kanji, hiragana, katakana or the Latin alphabet. Nearest shop: Yumekobo, first floor of Ito-Yokado Shonandai (Japanese only).
7.2 After six months
Japanese banks fall into three groups: mega-banks (Mizuho, MUFG, SMBC — branches nationwide), regional banks (Suruga Bank, Bank of Yokohama) and internet banks (Seven Bank and similar). Choose on convenience — but check first whether your scholarship provider requires a specific bank.
Foreigner-friendly options: SBI Shinsei Bank, SMBC Trust Bank, Sony Bank, Rakuten Bank, Seven Bank.
On campus there is a Lawson convenience store with an ATM. You cannot open an account there, but you can withdraw once your account exists. Branches are clustered around Shonandai, Tsujido and Fujisawa stations.
7.3 Using your account
- Bank counters are normally open 9:00–15:00 on weekdays and closed at weekends and on public holidays.
- Withdrawing at a counter requires your registered seal or your signature, depending on how the account was opened. ATMs have daily limits on both amount and number of withdrawals.
- Any domestic or international remittance over ¥100,000 requires photo ID (Residence Card or insurance card).
- Currency exchange is rare at branches outside Tokyo. There is a Travelex just outside the JR ticket gates at Fujisawa Station, and a discount ticket shop, Daikokuya (大黒屋), near Shonandai Station often offers good rates.
| When you leave Japan, close every account A dormant Japanese account can be exploited for wire-transfer fraud, and the registered holder can be held criminally liable. Close them before you go. |
7.4 Credit cards
Bank-issued cards are screened strictly and are realistically out of reach in your first year or two. These three are the ones international students usually get approved for, and none of them charge an annual fee:
- Rakuten Card (Japanese only)
- EPOS Card
- Life Card
Keio also has its own card, available at the Keio Co-op store in the Sigma Building at SFC: keiocard.com (Japanese only).
You will need: a bank account, a registered address, a mobile or landline number, your Residence Card, and — if you are under 18 — parental consent. Applications are in Japanese only.