Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) for foreigners: opening, limits, ATM and transfers

A foreigner can open a Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) account with a residence card (在留カード) that has more than 3 months left on your period of stay, as of October 2026. The bank’s foreigner page lists no 6-month residence rule. You also need a photo ID that shows your address, and students and technical interns bring a school or employer ID. Sending money abroad is now online only and needs My Number (マイナンバー) registered on the account.

This guide covers Japan Post Bank only. For the other banks, see which banks open accounts for foreigners.

What do you need to open a Japan Post Bank account as a foreigner?

Bring your residence card. If it shows no photo, the bank also wants another document, such as a copy of your certificate of residence (住民票). The bank may ask to see your passport too, and it copies what you hand over.

If your status of residence (在留資格) is Student (留学) or Technical Intern Training (技能実習), also bring a student ID or employee ID. If you have none, the bank’s page offers an enrollment certificate form that your school or employer fills in. The bank may contact your school or employer.

The bank cannot open an account if your stay was set at 3 months or less on entry and you have no residence card. If you are about to renew, wait: apply after the extension, with the new card.

The bank may also refuse an account in some cases, and it can take time. The passbook may be mailed to your home.

Do you need a seal or Japanese to open the account?

At the counter, the bank’s general individual-account page lists a registered seal (印章, お届け印) among the items to bring. The foreigner page does not mention a seal. Bring one if you have it, or ask before you go. The app route needs no seal.

The foreigner page does not say counter staff speak English. It says the bank may ask you to bring someone who understands Japanese well if you cannot follow the Japanese explanation. We could not confirm English service at any specific branch.

Can you open the account online in English?

Yes. The ゆうちょ手続きアプリ (Yucho procedure app) handles account opening in English, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Indonesian, Nepali, Burmese and Japanese. No membership registration is needed. Free-text fields must still be filled in Japanese.

For foreign residents, the bank says you can open an account with a residence card and a smartphone. The time from the application date to the end of your period of stay must be more than 3 months, and the card must show your current address.

The app opens only the passbook-free ゆうちょダイレクト+ account. If you want a passbook, go to a counter.

How much do the ATMs cost, and what is the daily limit?

Fees below are per deposit or withdrawal, tax included, with a Japan Post Bank card, as of October 2026.

Post office ATMs are free at all hours except for coin transactions, and a few ATMs beside post offices may charge. Balance checks are free. Post office ATMs run at most 7:00 to 23:00 on weekdays and Saturdays, and 7:00 to 21:00 on Sundays and holidays. Convenience-store ATMs run 0:05 to 23:55.

The default daily ATM limit for individuals is ¥500,000, and since 17 August 2026 that is also the cap for PIN-authenticated cards. Limits set before that date do not change by themselves. Once you lower yours to ¥500,000 or less, you cannot raise it above that again. To take out more than ¥500,000 in a day, the bank points to ATM biometric authentication in the ゆうちょ通帳アプリ, valid for about 15 minutes.

The bank’s ATM pages do not say whether ATM screens offer English. We could not confirm this.

What does it cost to transfer money inside Japan?

Prices are per transfer, tax included.

Transfers or payments over ¥100,000 from accounts without completed identity verification are not accepted at ATMs.

Can you send money abroad from Japan Post Bank?

Yes, but only online. The counter and ゆうちょダイレクト overseas transfer service ended at the end of August 2025. Its replacement, ゆうちょの国際送金, started in July 2025 and works from a PC or smartphone, for individuals only.

• Fee: ¥3,000 per transfer, with no consumption tax. Intermediary bank, recipient bank or account registration fees may be deducted from the amount.
• Limits: under ¥1,000,000 per transfer, up to ¥2,000,000 per day and up to ¥5,000,000 per month.
• My Number: required. You can send only from an account with your My Number registered. You do that at a bank or post office savings counter first.
• Speed: can take more than a month in some cases because of checks. The bank may ask for documents by email or mail and cancels the transfer if you miss the deadline.

The bank may reject an application, and intermediary banks may return the money. Compare the total cost with other options in sending money from Japan. If you need a My Number card for ID, see the My Number card for foreigners.

What do you do when your residence card is renewed or you leave Japan?

After a renewal, update your residence card details. Upload a photo of the valid card on the bank’s customer information website, or visit a savings counter or post office with the card and your bankbook or ATM card. An ATM message may ask you to do this. The bank says some services may be unavailable until you do, and that transactions may be restricted temporarily if you do not update after a renewal or address change. Do it as soon as possible, even without a message.

Close the account before you leave Japan, as the bank asks. Never sell or hand your passbook or cash card to someone else: the bank says transferring accounts is a crime.

Debit card rules for foreigners are a separate topic: see debit cards for foreigners in Japan.

This is general information, not individual advice. For questions about your status of residence, ask the immigration bureau or a licensed immigration and administrative specialist (行政書士).

More guides: opening a bank account in Japan, sending money from Japan, debit cards for foreigners and the My Number card.