OsakaListLiving in Osaka · bank account

Living in Osaka · bank account

Opening a bank account in Osaka as a foreign resident: three banks, three different routes

There is no single rule for foreign residents. Each bank sets its own conditions, and the same question gets different answers at Japan Post Bank, SMBC and MUFG: whether you can apply on a phone, how much time must be left on your residence card, which documents are asked for, and whether anyone will explain things in your language. This page puts what each bank says in its own pages side by side, so you can pick a route and see what to check before you go. It does not rank banks and cannot tell you whether an application will succeed.

Which route fits my situation?

Checked against the banks’ own pages on 11 October 2026. The bank’s current page is the one that applies.

Why the rules you read elsewhere may not apply

A common line is that foreigners can open an account if they work for a company in Japan or have lived there for at least six months. Osaka’s 2024 guidebook for foreign residents describes it that way, and MUFG’s page uses the same six-month test to decide who counts as a resident, with limits on some products for the rest. Japan Post Bank’s current page does not mention six months at all; it asks that more than 3 months remain on your residence card. These are different statements by different organisations. Read the page of the bank you will apply to. Guidebook for Foreign Residents: Essentials for Living in Osaka (English, PDF, Osaka Foundation of International Exchange) English 口座開設時の本人確認書類（三菱UFJ銀行） Japanese 口座を開設される外国人のお客さまへ（ゆうちょ銀行） Japanese

Which route fits your situation?

Each row says what the banks’ own pages state. A blank means the pages read for this guide do not say, not that the answer is no.

Your situationWhat the banks’ pages sayWhere to start
You hold a residence card with more than 3 months left, and the address on it is where you live nowJapan Post Bank’s app needs more than 3 months to run and the current address on the card. SMBC’s app accepts a residence card as the one ID document; SMBC says it may decline when less than 3 months remain.Compare the two app routes below. MUFG does not offer its app to non-Japanese nationals.
Your status is Student or Technical Intern TrainingJapan Post Bank asks holders of the “Student” (留学) or “Technical Intern Training” (技能実習) status for a student ID, employee ID or enrolment certificate together with the residence card, and may contact the school or employer. If you have no ID, the bank provides a form for the school or employer to fill in. The SMBC and MUFG pages read here do not list a separate requirement for these statuses.Japan Post Bank’s counter or app, with the extra document ready.
Your card has little time left, or you are renewing itJapan Post Bank will not open an account if your stay ends within 3 months of the application date, and asks you to apply after renewal with the new card; its app also cannot be used while a card is being renewed. SMBC says it may decline when less than 3 months remain. MUFG’s older English page (March 2020) asks people with 4 months or less left to renew first.Renew first, then apply.
You hold a Special Permanent Resident CertificateSMBC’s app accepts the certificate as the ID. Japan Post Bank’s app is not available to special permanent residents; the counter route applies. MUFG lists the certificate among accepted ID at the branch.SMBC’s app, or a branch.
You want to apply from your phoneJapan Post Bank (app, residence card) and SMBC (app, residence card, a phone that can receive SMS, an email address) both say yes. MUFG says non-Japanese nationals and dual nationals cannot use its smart account-opening app because identity must be confirmed at a counter.Japan Post Bank or SMBC.
You prefer to go in personJapan Post Bank lets you prepare the form online in 16 languages first. SMBC lists a seal for the counter route. MUFG recommends booking a visit in advance and says a branch tablet may be used to open the account.The bank’s branch, with the documents in the table below.
You already hold a general account at the same bankJapan Post Bank’s app is not available to someone who already has a general account. MUFG’s app is, in principle, not available if you want a second ordinary account (with an exception for people whose employer gave them a workplace code); it asks you to visit a branch. Separately, the app is not for non-Japanese nationals.Ask the branch.
You have no residence card (for example a short stay)Japan Post Bank says that if the stay period decided on entry is 3 months or less and no residence card was issued, it cannot open an account at the bank or the post office. SMBC and MUFG list the residence card among their accepted ID documents, and SMBC also accepts the Special Permanent Resident Certificate. The pages read for this guide give no route for a short-stay visitor who has neither.Ask the bank directly. This page does not suggest a workaround.

What each bank says

Three banks that have English or multilingual material and are easy to find in Osaka. These are not the only banks, and the order is not a ranking. Dates are the bank’s own where it shows one; most pages show none, and all were read on 11 October 2026.

  • Japan Post Bank

    ゆうちょ銀行

    An app route that needs a residence card with more than 3 months left, and a counter route at the bank or a post office.

    App
    The “Yucho Procedures” app takes an application for a passbook-less general account (Yucho Direct+) with your residence card; filling it in takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The bank then checks it and says it usually emails the result in about a week, and it can take longer when applications are many. If you want a passbook later, a passbook-capable ATM can issue one; the first issue within 2 months of opening is free.
    Conditions for the app
    More than 3 months from the application date to the end of your stay, and the current address on the card. Not available if you already hold a general account, if you want the account for business, if you are under 16, if you are a special permanent resident or have no residence card, if your card is being renewed or has 3 months or less left, or if you do not live in Japan.
    Counter
    Show the residence card so the bank can check nationality, status and period. A card without a photo needs another document such as a copy of your resident record. People with the Student (留学) or Technical Intern Training (技能実習) status also show a student or employee ID. The bank may also ask for your passport. Opening can take longer, and the passbook may be posted to your home later.
    Prepare the form online
    The bank’s form builder works in 16 languages, including English and Korean, so you can fill in the application before you go.
    Refusal and updates
    The bank says it may refuse an account. After you renew your residence card or move, update the bank promptly in the app or at the counter or transactions may be limited for a while. When you move out of Japan, the bank asks you to close the account.

    口座を開設される外国人のお客さまへ（ゆうちょ銀行） Japaneseゆうちょ手続きアプリ 外国籍の方（ゆうちょ銀行） Japanese and other languagesお手続きの流れ・対応言語・手続きできない場合（ゆうちょ手続きアプリ） Japanese and other languages申込書を作成する（多言語対応・ゆうちょ銀行） Japanese and other languages

  • Mitsubishi UFJ Bank (MUFG)

    三菱UFJ銀行

    Branch only for non-Japanese nationals. Book in advance.

    Route
    Non-Japanese nationals and dual nationals cannot use the smart account-opening app, because identity is confirmed at a counter. Visit a branch; the bank recommends booking in advance, lists reception on weekdays from 9:00 to 15:00 and says a branch tablet may be used to open the account.
    Documents named on the bank’s current page
    Residence card (the bank checks period and status). For a card issued on or after 14 June 2026 the bank may also ask for a passport or a certificate of residence. ID must be valid or issued within the last 6 months. A Japanese passport issued on or after 4 February 2020 has no address column, so a second ID with your current address is needed. A seal is listed for the branch application, and the bank asks you to give your My Number; for an ordinary deposit account only, giving it is optional.
    Who counts as a non-resident
    The bank says a person without Japanese nationality is treated as a non-resident unless they work in Japan (part-time jobs excluded) or have been in Japan six months or more. The older English page also excludes temporary work. The current Japanese page says non-residents may be unable to apply for some products; the older English page names internet banking, credit cards and debit cards.
    An older English page
    MUFG’s English page for personal accounts is marked “as of March 4, 2020”. It lists documents by employment and six-month residence and asks people with 4 months or less left on their period of stay to renew first. The bank’s current Japanese page does not repeat that last point, so confirm it with the branch.

    口座をひらく（口座開設）（三菱UFJ銀行） Japanese口座開設時の本人確認書類（三菱UFJ銀行） Japanese国籍が日本国籍以外だが「スマート口座開設」で口座開設をしたい（三菱UFJ銀行 よくあるご質問） JapaneseMUFG: Clients wishing to open a personal bank account (older English page, “as of March 4, 2020”) English

  • Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)

    三井住友銀行

    An app route with a residence card, and a branch route with ID and a seal.

    App
    The SMBC app takes applications for an Olive account. A foreign national uses one of: the residence card or the Special Permanent Resident Certificate. You need a smartphone that can use SMS and an email address. A credit function, if you want one, is a separate screening started later from the app.
    Branch
    ID (for example a residence card) and a seal. The bank gives its own estimates: the account number within the same day to 2 weeks, and the card within 1 to 2 weeks.
    Residence card details
    If the card does not show a permission date, passport or similar documents may be needed. The bank says that when less than 3 months of your stay remain, it may decline. ID must show your current address and be valid or issued within 6 months.
    Form help
    SMBC publishes foreign-language examples, in English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Portuguese and Thai, of how to complete its Japanese deposit application. They help you read the form. They do not say that the counter works in those languages.

    口座開設（手順・必要書類等のご案内）（三井住友銀行） Japanese口座開設時の本人確認書類（三井住友銀行） Japaneseお取引時確認について（三井住友銀行） Japanese普通預金・総合口座申込書記入例（外国語版）（三井住友銀行） Japanese and other languages

Documents and the Japanese you will meet

Which document is asked for depends on the bank and the route. The last column says where the banks’ pages name it; a blank means the pages read here do not mention it.

JapaneseWhat it isWho names itNotes
在留カード / 特別永住者証明書Residence card / Special Permanent Resident CertificateAll threeJapan Post Bank’s app needs the current address on the card and more than 3 months left. SMBC may ask for a passport if the card shows no permission date. MUFG may ask for a passport or certificate of residence with cards issued from 14 June 2026.
本人確認書類ID documentSMBC, MUFGBoth say it must be valid, or issued within the last 6 months, and show your current address.
印鑑Personal seal (hanko)SMBC, MUFG (branch)Listed for the branch route. MUFG’s app, which non-Japanese nationals cannot use, needs no seal registration. Japan Post Bank’s pages read here do not mention it.
マイナンバー確認書類Document confirming your My NumberMUFGMUFG asks to be notified; for an ordinary deposit account only, giving it is optional. Not mentioned on the Japan Post Bank or SMBC pages read for these routes.
住民票の写しCopy of your resident record (certificate of residence)Japan Post Bank, SMBC, MUFGJapan Post Bank asks for it, or similar, when the residence card has no photo. SMBC accepts it as one of two documents; it must be an original issued within 6 months. MUFG may ask for it with new cards.
学生証 / 社員証 / 在籍証明書Student ID / employee ID / enrolment certificateJapan Post BankFor the statuses “student” (留学) and “technical intern” (技能実習).
パスポートPassportAll three, in some casesSee the residence card row. A passport without an address column cannot be the only ID at SMBC or MUFG.
SMS対応のスマートフォン / メールアドレスA phone that can receive SMS / an email addressSMBC (app); Japan Post Bank (email)SMBC’s page names both for the app route. Japan Post Bank sends its app result to your email address.
通帳 / キャッシュカードPassbook / cash cardJapan Post Bank, SMBCA passbook-less account can get a passbook later at a passbook-capable Japan Post Bank ATM. The card is a separate item from the account.

From choosing a route to using the account

Times are each bank’s own statements, not promises.

  1. 1. Pick a route

    Use the first table. If you meet the conditions of an app route, applying on a phone is an option; if you want to talk to someone, go to a branch.

  2. 2. Read the bank’s current page

    Open the pages linked in each bank’s box above. Conditions and documents change, and the bank’s page is the one that applies.

  3. 3. Gather the documents

    Use the documents table. Check the address on your residence card and the date it ends.

  4. 4. Apply

    In the app, or at the branch. If you go to a branch, book ahead where the bank recommends it, and take someone who understands Japanese if you need it.

  5. 5. Wait for the bank’s notice

    Japan Post Bank says it usually emails the result of an app application in about a week, and that in some counter cases the account is not opened on the day and the passbook is posted later. SMBC says the account number comes within the same day to 2 weeks and the card in 1 to 2 weeks. MUFG’s page says the account number is notified the same day and the cash card arrives in about a week; that is its general statement for the branch route, not a promise for any one application.

  6. 6. After you have the account

    Update the bank when you renew your residence card or move. Japan Post Bank says transactions may be limited if you do not, and it asks you to close the account when you move out of Japan. Ask your own bank what it requires.

Language: page, app and counter are three different things

The language of a page, of an app and of the person at the counter are separate facts. These are the statements the banks make.

BankPages and formsApp or onlineCounter
Japan Post BankOfficial pages are in Japanese. The online form builder works in 16 languages, including English and Korean.The application app works in Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Nepali and Burmese. Korean is not on the list.The bank explains important matters in Japanese and may ask you to bring someone who understands Japanese.
SMBCForeign-language examples showing how to complete the Japanese application form: English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Portuguese and Thai. They help you read the form.The SMBC app can switch its main screens between Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. The pages read here do not say whether the account-opening steps are offered in those languages.Not stated on the pages read here.
MUFGAn English page exists but is marked as of March 2020. The current account-opening pages are in Japanese.Not available to non-Japanese nationals.Not stated on the pages read here. Ask when you book.

If you do not meet a condition, or it does not work

What this page does not cover

  • It is not financial advice and does not rank or recommend a bank. It cannot say how an application will turn out.
  • It covers three banks. Others, including Resona, whose official page could not be read when this was written, and many regional banks and credit unions, have their own conditions.
  • It does not give fees, minimum balances, interest, opening-time guarantees or campaign terms. These change; use the bank’s page.
  • It does not cover business accounts, credit cards, loans, sending money abroad, or what a non-resident can do.
  • The conditions here are what the pages said on 11 October 2026. The bank’s page that day is the one that applies.
  • OsakaList does not open accounts and is not a bank or an official site. Most of the bank pages are in Japanese.

Where this comes from

Official bank and OFIX pages read on 11 October 2026. A date is the one the page or file shows (for some, an “as of” date); pages without one are shown without a date. Most are in Japanese.

OsakaList is an independent guide and not a bank or an official website.