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- UQ mobile
UQ mobile: what it costs, and who it accepts
UQ mobile's plans for people living in Japan, what it takes to sign up, and the real monthly cost including the setup fee. Everything here comes from UQ mobile's own official pages.
Heads up: UQ mobile's official application and support are in Japanese only, as far as we could confirm. You (or someone helping you) will likely need to read Japanese to sign up.
UQ mobile, 3GB a month, 12-month cost horizon
UQ mobile35GB
12-month total ¥41,866Setup fee ¥3,850 (included above)eSIM available
- Real monthly cost: the plan price, plus the one-off fees spread over 12 months, plus 20 minutes of calls a month (3 minutes per call); no discount that needs a condition.
- Whether your application is approved is the carrier's decision, not ours.
Who UQ mobile suits
- You hold a residence card — this carrier states officially that it accepts residents.
- You have no Japanese credit card (the official pages list bank transfer); a condition applies, see the conditions table.
- You need English support — application and support are in Japanese only, as far as we could confirm.
- A cancellation fee is stated: ¥1,100 — only if you cancel within 1 year of a new contract made on or after October 1, 2025 (contracts from June 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025: ¥990, and only if the line was not really used or you cancelled another line in your name within a year).
UQ mobile plans
Monthly price before the setup fee, tax included. The real monthly cost above is the plan price, plus the one-off fees spread over 12 months, plus the call charges for 20 minutes of calls a month (3 minutes per call) at the carrier's own per-call rate, with no paid call option and no discount that needs a condition (family, fibre bundles). Calls a plan already includes are free, and discounts with no condition are counted.
| Data | Monthly from | eSIM | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35GB | ¥3,828 | Yes | ¥3,850 |
Sign-up conditions
From UQ mobile's own official pages, checked on October 6, 2026. "Not stated" means we could not find it addressed, which is different from a "no".
| Condition | What the official site states |
|---|---|
| Accepts foreign residents | Yes (stated officially) |
| Residence card as ID | Yes, together with a passport issued abroad (for a residence card or second-generation residence card). |
| Min. remaining validity | If you buy the SIM or phone outright and pay monthly by bank transfer, at least 90 days must remain on your period of stay. If you pay by credit card, the remaining stay is not checked. Instalment purchases can be declined when the remaining stay is below UQ's standard, and foreign residents cannot apply for the 60- or 72-payment plans. |
| Support language(s) | Japanese |
| Credit card | Accepted. Cards issued overseas may not be accepted. |
| Debit card | Not stated |
| Bank transfer | Accepted |
| Convenience-store payment | Not as the monthly payment method: the official FAQ lists only bank transfer and credit card for the monthly bill. Overdue bills and bills that could not be debited can be paid separately (see the official billing page). |
| Setup cost | ¥3,850 |
| Minimum term | Not specified by the provider |
| Cancellation fee | ¥1,100 — only if you cancel within 1 year of a new contract made on or after October 1, 2025 (contracts from June 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025: ¥990, and only if the line was not really used or you cancelled another line in your name within a year) |
The exact list of accepted ID documents is long and partly Japanese-only legal text, so we link to the source rather than translating it: UQ mobile official page on ID documents.
Frequently asked questions
Does UQ mobile accept residence-card holders, and does it run a credit check?
Yes — UQ mobile states on its official pages that it accepts foreign residents. Residence card as ID: Yes, together with a passport issued abroad (for a residence card or second-generation residence card). If you buy the SIM or phone outright and pay monthly by bank transfer, at least 90 days must remain on your period of stay. If you pay by credit card, the remaining stay is not checked. Instalment purchases can be declined when the remaining stay is below UQ's standard, and foreign residents cannot apply for the 60- or 72-payment plans. Being accepted as a foreign resident is a separate question from credit screening for the line contract itself: screening terms exist; see the official page.
Can I pay UQ mobile without a Japanese credit card?
Yes — UQ mobile officially offers bank transfer. See the conditions table below for specifics. If you buy the SIM or phone outright and pay monthly by bank transfer, at least 90 days must remain on your period of stay. If you pay by credit card, the remaining stay is not checked. Instalment purchases can be declined when the remaining stay is below UQ's standard, and foreign residents cannot apply for the 60- or 72-payment plans. About the credit card itself: Cards issued overseas may not be accepted.
Is eSIM available from UQ mobile?
Yes, at least one UQ mobile plan supports eSIM (see the plan table for which).
Sources
- UQ mobile official page 1 (checked October 6, 2026)
- UQ mobile official page 2 (checked October 6, 2026)
- UQ mobile official page 3 (checked October 6, 2026)
- UQ mobile official page 4 (checked October 6, 2026)
- UQ mobile official page 5 (checked October 6, 2026)
- UQ mobile plan page (checked October 5, 2026)
Back to the resident SIM ranking · Paying without a Japanese credit card · What the residence-card requirement means · Full plan details (Japanese page)
Before you apply to UQ mobile
At 3GB a month the real cost is ¥3,489/month. Check the accepted ID documents and payment methods on UQ mobile's official site before applying.
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