My Number Insurance Card in Japan: How to Use It [2026]

Paper health-insurance cards stopped being issued in December 2024 and all expired on December 1, 2025. You now see a doctor using either the "My Number insurance card" or a "Certificate of Eligibility (shikaku-kakunin-sho)". This guide covers registration, use, benefits, and how to get care if you have no card.

① Two ways to receive care now

• My Number insurance card: a My Number Card registered for use as a health-insurance card
• Certificate of Eligibility: issued to those who don't use a My Number insurance card (used just like the old card)

② What it is & how to register

My Number Card registered for health-insurance use becomes a "My Number insurance card." You can register in three ways:

• Via Mynaportal (smartphone/app)
• At a face-recognition card reader in a hospital/pharmacy
• At a Seven Bank ATM

③ Using it at a hospital/pharmacy

Place your My Number Card on the face-recognition card reader at reception and verify identity by face recognition or a 4-digit PIN (the photo is not stored and is deleted immediately).

④ Benefits

• No "ceiling-amount certificate" needed for the High-Cost Medical Benefit — your counter payment is automatically capped at your limit
• With your consent, doctors/pharmacists can see your past medication and checkup data
• Medical-expense deduction at tax time is easier via Mynaportal linkage

⑤ If you don't have a My Number Card

Even without a card, a Certificate of Eligibility is issued for free without any application, and you can use it at hospitals just like before (issued by your insurer for both National Health Insurance and Social Insurance). The validity is set by the insurer within 5 years.

FAQ

Can I still use a paper health-insurance card?No. Paper cards expired on December 1, 2025. You now see a doctor with a My Number insurance card or a Certificate of Eligibility.

I don't have a My Number Card. Can I go to hospital?Yes. A Certificate of Eligibility is issued for free without any application, and you can use it just like the old card.

How do I register a My Number insurance card?Via Mynaportal, a face-recognition card reader at a hospital/pharmacy, or a Seven Bank ATM.

What is the card's validity for foreign residents?It is set according to your period of stay — in principle until your residence expiry date (10 years for permanent/special permanent residents). Renew the card when you renew your status.

Using your My Number insurance card also makes it easier to access the High-Cost Medical Benefit ceiling automatically. For dental visits covered by public insurance, see Dental Care & Costs for what to expect at the dentist in Japan.