Just want to share my experience as someone who just got to Japan two weeks ago and has been dreading opening a bank account because I heard it's difficult/impossible.
I walked into a MUFG branch with my 1-year residence card and hanko ready and said I wanted to open a bank account. Got told that for opening account you need a reservation but that I could wait instead, so I waited. After an hour or so got called in.
Had to fill in some basic information, got asked some questions about my situation. Got to choose between a normal cash card and a Disney-themed cash card. I went with the normal one.
The catch is that I can't make bank transfers inside Japan nor use online banking for the first 6 months. But I can still send money from abroad in JPY (which JP Bank does not allow https://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/kojin/sokin/kokusou/kj\_sk\_ks\_gaikoku.html) and withdraw cash. Also automatic withdraws e.g. for daycare payments should work.
That's about it, just wanted to share my experience!
by Important-Cable6573
10 comments
u got very lucky. very lucky day for u.
U should have bought a lottery.
This was also my experience. I think this highly depends on the branch. At that time, I opened an account in Kasai. That area has a lot of immigrants so I think the branch is already used to deal with foreigners.
Mizuho was also super fast, at least for me. Came to Japan a month ago, got a Mizuho bank account in a week. My work helped me out with setting things up, including the application (they asked for residence card + jumihyo). Bank card came in a week, got signed up with Mizuho Direct as well. Very smooth
That was also my experience at MUFG and I didn’t have any limitation at all. I got a debit card and unlimited transfers.
Why didn’t you get the Disney themed card?
>Got told that for opening account you need a reservation but that I could wait instead, so I waited. After an hour or so got called in.
I think you got really lucky. When I walked in, there was a board showing incoming reservations and it only showed like 6 people. I’m like okay, assuming 2 counters, 30 mins each, max 1.5 – 2 hour wait.
Nope, it was 1 counter only, and it ended up taking 6 hours until I was up. And I think they only did that out of pity, as I needed the account opened urgently for my job. They basically shuttered all the doors and some bank employees were already going home. When I was done, security had to walk me out through a back exit.
Congratulations! Glad to hear you had a nice smooth experience. Refreshing to hear good news.
This was my experience with mufg as well. I didn’t have any restrictions on transfers though. And got offered the elusive debit card right off the bat as well.
Do everything you might need to do in these first months because later it will turn more harsh as you approach the renovation date of your residence card. I have been living here for years and was turned down when applying to a new phone line because I didn’t have enough months remaining in my residence card and that pissed me off really bad since a) it’s out of my control, b) you need to wait until the last 3 months to be able to renovate that s**t.
That was my experience at MUFG too, more than 25 years ago now. Funny how they didn’t even notify you when your residence card was nearing its expiry back then though.
Comments are closed.