Foreign residents on mid- to long-term visas who want a voice-capable mobile line in Japan — that is, a Japanese phone number — must pass identity verification required by law, and the residence card is the key document. Based on official pages from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and each mobile carrier, this article covers required documents, restrictions tied to your period of stay, payment methods, number portability (MNP), and cancelling your line before you leave Japan, with sources and dates attached. It is compiled from published materials; it does not report hands-on store experiences, and it does not recommend any particular carrier.

Why Voice Contracts Require Identity Verification

When you sign up for a voice-capable mobile line in Japan — a contract that comes with a phone number starting with 070, 080, or 090 — the carrier is legally obliged to verify your identity. The legal basis is the Mobile Phone Improper Use Prevention Act. According to MIC's explanatory page, carriers must verify identity at the time of contract and transfer, and the same rules apply to SIM-card-only contracts (as accessed on August 14, 2026).

By contrast, MIC's Q&A for carriers states that data-only SIMs fall outside this law. That is why short-term visitors can use prepaid eSIMs and data SIMs without identity checks — a topic covered in our separate guide to eSIMs and mobile data for visitors. Residents, however, are frequently asked for a Japanese phone number when opening a bank account or registering for services, so a voice contract with full identity verification becomes a practical necessity. This article focuses on that resident voice contract.

How Identity Checks Are Changing: IC-Chip Reading for Online Sign-Ups

2026 brought a major shift in identity-verification rules. According to povo2.0's official notice, an amendment to the ministerial ordinance under the Mobile Phone Improper Use Prevention Act took effect on April 1, 2026. For non-face-to-face (online) contracts, the old method of uploading document photos plus a selfie check ended on March 24, 2026; since then, the only accepted methods are the My Number card's public key authentication (JPKI) or reading the IC chip of documents such as a driver's license or residence card combined with a facial capture. If you apply online, you effectively need a smartphone that can read your document's IC chip.

For in-store (face-to-face) contracts, the primary-source trail goes only as far as a public comment process: MIC announced on March 13, 2026 a draft ordinance amendment to introduce IC-chip reading for face-to-face verification, with comments accepted from March 14 to April 13, 2026. As of this writing, we could not confirm that the in-store requirement has taken effect, and presenting original documents at the counter remains the baseline.

Support for the second-generation residence card and the specified residence card (with integrated My Number card functions), issued from June 14, 2026 onward, is also in transition. For example, ahamo's official page states these new-format cards cannot be used for online applications (as accessed on August 14, 2026), while LINEMO says support through an alternative verification method is planned. If you hold a new-format card, check each carrier's current status before applying.

Documents Required for Foreign Nationals at Major Carriers

For foreign nationals, the residence card is the core identity document, but the required combinations differ by carrier — and can differ between in-store and online channels at the same carrier. The following requirements were confirmed on each carrier's official pages (all as accessed on August 14, 2026).

Rakuten Mobile also announced on May 15, 2026 that if the address registered on your residence card's IC chip differs from the address printed on the card — for example, after a move — its web-based identity check cannot be used and you must apply at a shop. If you plan to complete everything online, check your card's address registration status and the update history on its back first to avoid a dead end.

  • Docomo (in store): residence card plus a foreign-issued passport; the passport is not required if your status of residence is Permanent Resident. Direct debit set up with a bank passbook and registered seal requires supporting documents such as a residence certificate; credit-card payment and direct debit set up with a cash card do not
  • au (in store): residence card (including second-generation) plus a foreign-issued passport, or a specified residence card. If the address field on your residence card reads "undecided," supporting documents are required
  • SoftBank (in store): a residence card alone suffices for Permanent Resident or Highly Skilled Professional (ii) status; other statuses need a residence card plus a foreign passport, or a special permanent resident certificate
  • Rakuten Mobile: a photo residence card or photo special permanent resident certificate (front and back, valid); if the printed address is not current, a supporting document issued within six months is required
  • ahamo (online): any one of a My Number card, driver's license, residence card, or special permanent resident certificate
  • povo2.0 (online): only three document types are accepted — My Number card, driver's license, or residence card
  • LINEMO (online): permanent residents can apply with a residence card or special permanent resident certificate alone; other statuses need a residence card plus a foreign passport

Restrictions Tied to Your Residence Status and Period of Stay

A short remaining period of stay can restrict what you can sign up for and how you can pay. Explicit official statements we could confirm are as follows. Docomo states that if your period of stay expires in less than three months, payment is limited to a credit card in the contract holder's own name, and that if the remaining period shown on your residence card is shorter than the installment contract period, Docomo's installment plans may be unavailable (as accessed on August 14, 2026). au states that if your period of stay expires in less than 90 days, monthly payment is limited to a credit card in the contract holder's own name, and that if your period of stay is shorter than the installment period, you may not be able to buy a handset in installments. SoftBank likewise states that installment purchase contracts are unavailable if your period of stay is shorter than the installment term. povo2.0 explicitly requires at least 90 days remaining on your residence card when using it for verification.

By contrast, as far as our editorial review could confirm, Rakuten Mobile's official pages contain no comparable explicit rule on payment or installments tied to the remaining period of stay. Nor could we find, on any carrier's official pages, an explicit statement refusing the contract itself below a certain number of remaining days. The thresholds differ by carrier (three months at Docomo; 90 days at au and povo2.0), so a generalization such as "every carrier requires 90 days remaining" would be wrong. If your period of stay is ending soon, confirm your situation on the carrier's official page or at a shop before applying.

What about short-term visitors (90 days or less) without a residence card? We found no carrier page that says outright that short-term visitors cannot contract, but every carrier's document list for foreign nationals is built around the residence card, and even SoftBank's prepaid phone service (Simple Style) requires original documents such as a residence card plus a foreign passport (as accessed on August 14, 2026). Since the document requirements cannot be met, a voice contract is impractical for short-term visitors, and data-only SIMs and eSIMs — which require no identity verification — are the realistic alternative.

Contract Channels and Payment Methods

There are broadly three places to sign up: major carriers with physical stores (Docomo, au, SoftBank, Rakuten Mobile), online-only plans without stores (ahamo, povo2.0, LINEMO), and MVNOs that lease network capacity (so-called budget SIMs). Online-only plans assume you complete everything on the web, from application to support, which means you need a smartphone that can read IC chips and the ability to complete procedures in a supported language. If you are not confident doing paperwork in Japanese, a store with multilingual staff or a carrier with a multilingual application page is the realistic route.

Payment is generally by direct debit or credit card, and direct debit requires a Japanese bank account. On foreign-issued credit cards, the only official statement our editorial review could find is Rakuten Mobile's guide for foreign nationals, which lists switching to an overseas-issued card as an option when leaving Japan; we could not find official statements on foreign-card acceptance from Docomo, au, SoftBank, or the online-only brands. If you want to contract with a foreign-issued card, confirm in advance at a store or through official support.

Right after arriving in Japan, it is common to have neither a Japanese bank account nor a Japanese credit card yet. The order in which you obtain an account, a card, and a phone number depends on your residence status and the support available from your employer or school, so this article limits itself to one recommendation: payment requirements differ by carrier, so check on the official page before applying whether a payment method you can actually provide is accepted.

Switching Carriers (MNP) and Cancellation Fees

What follows is a snapshot as of August 14, 2026. Keeping your number while switching carriers (MNP) became simpler with the one-stop system launched on May 24, 2023. According to MIC's mobile phone portal, between participating carriers you simply apply on the new carrier's website with no need to obtain an MNP reservation number, the port-out fee is free for web procedures, and applications by phone or in store may incur a fee of up to 1,100 yen. Participating carriers include the four major carriers and their online-only brands, plus MVNOs such as Japan Communications, mineo, and IIJmio (list as of September 30, 2024).

On cancellation fees, the assumption that "no one charges them anymore" can now cost you. Docomo abolished its fixed-term contract cancellation fees on October 1, 2021, and au's FAQ states no cancellation charge applies to its 2-year contract plans (updated August 20, 2025). SoftBank, however, states in its FAQ that lines newly signed up or ported in on or after July 1, 2026 will be charged a contract cancellation fee of 385 to 1,100 yen (tax included), depending on the plan, if cancelled within 12 months of the month service starts (as accessed on August 14, 2026). Number migration to Y!mobile or LINEMO and the eight-day cancellation right are exempt.

Whether Docomo, au, or Rakuten Mobile have introduced similar short-term cancellation charges could not be confirmed from official primary sources as of this writing. Because the existence and amount of cancellation fees can change, check the latest terms on the official pages both before you contract and before you cancel.

Cancelling Your Line When You Leave Japan

The worst outcome when leaving Japan is departing without cancelling your line. Rakuten Mobile's official guide for foreign nationals states plainly that if you do not complete cancellation procedures, monthly charges continue to accrue after you return home, and it also warns that once your period of stay expires, Japanese-issued credit cards and bank accounts may stop working (as accessed on August 14, 2026).

The same guide lists options before departure: switching payment to an overseas-issued card, paying by convenience-store payment slip, or having a family member pay on your behalf. As far as our editorial review could confirm, no other carrier publishes an equally comprehensive cancellation and payment guide for foreign nationals, and cancellation procedures and contact points differ by carrier. Once your departure date is set, check the cancellation method and billing cutoff on your carrier's official page early, and complete the procedure before you leave. If you are still paying for a handset in installments, confirm how the remaining balance will be handled as well.

Multilingual Support Desks and Checking the Latest Rules

Multilingual support varies considerably between carriers, based on what could be verified on official pages (all as accessed on August 14, 2026).

This article is compiled from official pages of MIC and the carriers; in-store handling has not been tested first-hand. Verification methods, document requirements, cancellation fees, and support languages are all in motion, so check the latest terms on your carrier's official page immediately before applying or cancelling. The primary sources are listed at the end of this article.

  • Docomo: the Information Center handles English, Portuguese, Chinese, and Spanish (0120-005-250 from landlines, 9:00–20:00)
  • au: phone support in nine languages including English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Nepali (9:00–20:00; theft and loss 24 hours), plus a search tool for shops with multilingual staff
  • SoftBank: the English support page directs customers to shops with multilingual staff, such as Ginza and Omotesando; no English-only phone number is listed
  • Rakuten Mobile: an official site switchable between eight languages including English; phone support is explicitly Japanese-only
  • LINEMO: the application pages have supported English, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese since March 26, 2025

Sources & References