Opening a bank account in Tokyo: the hanko, the six-month rule and you

Your employer won't pay you in cash and your Aussie card won't pay your rent. You need a Japanese account, and the first month is the hard part.

The short version

• Register your address at the ward office first. Banks want a residence card with your address on it [1][2].
• Japan Post Bank is the usual first account. It takes a residence card valid for more than three months and can be opened at a post office or through its app [2].
• For your first six months you're treated as a non-resident under foreign exchange rules, so some features are limited until you go back and switch your status [1][2].
• A hanko (personal seal) is optional at most banks you'll use. A signature does the job [1][2].
• Keep your Australian account, tell your Aussie bank you're a foreign resident if you've left for tax purposes, and use a licensed transfer service to move money [3].

Why opening an account takes longer than at home

In Australia you can open an account on your phone before you land. In Japan, banks follow strict anti-money-laundering rules and lean heavily on your residence status, so they want proof you live here, a Japanese address and ideally a Japanese phone number.

That puts the bank account in the middle of a chain:

1. Residence card at the airport.
2. Ward office registration within 14 days, which puts your address on the card.
3. Japanese phone number, because many banks need a local number for security codes.
4. Bank account.
5. Payroll, rent and utilities set up from the account.

Tohoku University's 2026 guide to Japan Post Bank puts it bluntly: you must complete residence registration before applying, and you should allow about two weeks [1]. It also notes that foreign phone numbers aren't accepted on the application, though a temporary number can sometimes be used and updated later [1]. Our guides to your residence card and ward registration and getting a Japanese phone number cover the first steps.

Which banks take new arrivals

Policies vary by bank and even by branch. japan-guide.com notes that people who've lived in Japan for at least six months can generally open an account with a residence card, while newer arrivals may be refused or asked for proof of employment [4].

Japan Post Bank

This is where most Australians start. In person at a post office, bring [2]:

• your residence card showing your current address and a stay of more than three months
• your passport
• your name written in katakana, as you want it on the account
• a hanko if you have one (a signature is usually accepted instead)
• a student or staff ID if you have one.

Your passbook is usually issued on the day. The cash card comes by registered post, typically in one to two weeks [2]. You can also apply through Japan Post Bank's account-opening app, which scans your residence card and takes an identity photo, then posts the card to your registered address [2].

One thing that surprises people: a Japan Post Bank cash card is an ATM card, not a debit card. You can withdraw and deposit, but you can't tap it at the supermarket [1].

Big banks and online banks

If your employer pays through a particular big bank, ask HR whether they have a relationship with a nearby branch. A letter from your employer often smooths things over. Online banks are popular once you're settled because they're cheap and can be run from your phone, but check the requirements on each bank's own site before you apply.

The six-month rule, explained

This one causes the most confusion, partly because people mix up two different things.

Foreign exchange status. Under Japan's Foreign Exchange Act, banks generally treat people who've been in Japan for less than six months as non-residents [2]. At Japan Post Bank, the account is set to non-resident status even if your residence card gives you a three-year stay, and you can't change it until you've actually been in Japan for six months [1]. Non-resident status restricts some functions, such as certain domestic transfers, and some transfers may be processed and charged as international ones [1][2].

Bank policy. Separately, some banks simply prefer customers who've lived in Japan for six months or more, and may knock back newer arrivals [4]. That's a policy choice, not a law, and it can differ between branches.

Switching to resident status

Banks don't always do this automatically. At six months [1][2]:

1. Check the date you entered Japan on your residence card or passport stamp.
2. Get the change-of-status form from the post office or bank.
3. Bring your residence card, cash card, passbook and your hanko if you registered one.
4. Sign with your registered signature. Tohoku notes the form needs it [1].
5. Confirm the change has gone through before you set up big direct debits.

Do you need a hanko?

A hanko (or inkan) is a small name seal stamped in red ink instead of a signature. Japanese people use them for bank accounts, contracts and deliveries, and older bank forms still have a little circle for the stamp.

For an Australian new arrival, the short answer is: usually no. Japan Post Bank lists a seal only "if you have one", and a signature is usually accepted [2]. If you register a seal, though, you'll need it every time you change details or fill in some forms at the counter, so lose the hanko and you've got a headache [1].

Reasons you might still want one:

• Your employer or landlord asks for a stamp on contracts. Some companies still prefer a seal for paperwork.
• Deliveries. A cheap ready-made stamp makes signing for parcels quicker.
• Souvenir value. Many Aussies get their name carved in katakana and take it home.

If you decide to register one with the bank, the stamp-maker on your local shopping street can carve your name in katakana in a few days. Keep it separate from your cash card and passbook; together they're a thief's toolkit.

Moving money between Australia and Japan

Keep your Australian account

Don't close your Aussie accounts. You'll want somewhere for your super, any tax refund and money for trips home. Our guide to keeping your Australian accounts while abroad covers the practical side.

If you've become a foreign resident for Australian tax purposes, tell your Australian bank and give it your overseas address. Interest paid to foreign residents generally has withholding tax taken out (10% for non-treaty countries; treaty terms vary), and you usually don't need to declare that interest in an Australian return [3]. If you don't tell your bank, it may withhold at the top rate of 47% [3]. Not sure whether you've stopped being an Australian tax resident? See our guide to Australian tax residency after moving.

Sending money each way

International wire transfers into a Japanese account usually cost several thousand yen in handling fees, and domestic transfers within Japan typically cost the sender ¥100 to ¥600 [4]. The exchange rate margin is often the bigger hidden cost, so compare the total amount that lands, not just the fee. Licensed online money transfer services are usually cheaper than a bank wire. Our guide to sending money home explains how to compare them.

Two more rules worth knowing:

• Cash at the border. Carrying more than ¥1 million (or the equivalent, in any form of currency) into or out of Japan must be declared [5].
• Australian cards in Japan. Some Japanese bank and convenience-store ATMs reject foreign cards, and cash is still preferred in many places [5]. Carry some yen for small restaurants and clinics.

Mistakes that cost Australians money

When you leave Japan, closing an account usually means visiting the bank with your cash card, passbook and residence card [4]. Time it after your final pay lands.

The Australian Embassy in Tokyo can't open a bank account for you or intervene with a Japanese bank, but its website and Smartraveller are the place to check if you're dealing with a lost passport or card scam [5].

Want to know which branch near you is easiest for foreigners this year? Ask in Cooee Japan, our Facebook group for Australians in Japan, where members compare notes on banks, payroll and cheap ways to send money home.

Sources

1. Support for opening a bank account (Japan Post Bank), 2026 – Tohoku University
2. Opening a bank account in Japan, updated October 2026 – Selectra Japan
3. Interest, unfranked dividends and royalties for foreign residents – Australian Taxation Office
4. Banks in Japan, updated December 2025 – japan-guide.com
5. Japan travel advice – Smartraveller

Keep reading

• Your residence card in Tokyo: ward registration and the My Number card
• Phone and internet in Tokyo: getting connected without a credit history
• Cost of living in Tokyo vs Sydney and Melbourne
• Sending money home without losing it to fees