- Japan SIM Navi
- Guides
- Residence card
Japan Residence Card for SIM Sign-Up, Explained
The short answer
- 22 of the 27 carriers we track state on their own site that they accept foreign residents; 22 name the residence card as acceptable ID.
- Accepting your ID and running a credit check are two different questions — a carrier can do the first and still require a Japanese credit card.
- Only 5 carriers publish a minimum remaining validity on the card. For the rest we found nothing stated either way.
A residence card (在留カード) is the ID Japanese immigration issues for stays over 90 days. Most carriers list it as acceptable ID alongside a Japanese driver's licence or My Number card — but "acceptable ID" is not the same as "we accept applicants without Japanese credit history". We only treat a carrier as accepting foreign residents when its own site says so.
Carriers that confirm they accept residence-card holders, 3GB a month
Rakuten Mobile3GB–Unlimited
Setup fee ¥0 (included)eSIM available
- Cheapest among the carriers confirmed above; approval is still the carrier's decision.
- 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.
What this page covers
You have a residence card but no Japanese credit history. Carriers say ID is fine — but which ones actually say that in writing?
What carriers actually state
| Carrier | Residence card accepted | Min. remaining validity | Support language(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daredemo MobileDetails → | Yes | Not specified | Japanese |
| Daredemo SumahoDetails → | Yes, with conditions | Not specified | Japanese |
| SunsysconDetails → | Yes, with conditions | Not specified | Japanese |
| TONE MobileDetails → | Yes | 24 months (below that, the application may be declined; conditions apply, see the carrier's page) | Japanese |
| IIJmioDetails → | Yes, with conditions | Not specified | Japanese (conditions apply; see the carrier's page) |
| mineoDetails → | Yes | Not specified | Japanese |
Show the other 17 carriers
| Carrier | Residence card accepted | Min. remaining validity | Support language(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEON MobileDetails → | Yes, with conditions | Not specified | Japanese, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese (conditions apply; see the carrier's page) |
| HIS MobileDetails → | Yes | Not specified | Japanese |
| NURO MobileDetails → | Yes | Not specified | Japanese |
| BIGLOBE MobileDetails → | Yes | Not specified | Japanese |
| y.u mobileDetails → | Yes, with conditions | Not specified | Japanese |
| LIBMODetails → | Yes, with conditions | Not specified | Japanese |
| QT MobileDetails → | Yes | Not specified | Japanese |
| J:COM MobileDetails → | Yes | Not specified | Japanese |
| LinksMateDetails → | Yes | Not specified | Japanese |
| DTI SIMDetails → | Yes, with conditions | Not specified | Japanese |
| ahamoDetails → | Yes, with conditions | Depends on how you pay | Japanese |
| povo2.0Details → | Yes | 90 days | Japanese, English, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese (conditions apply; see the carrier's page) |
| LINEMODetails → | Yes, with conditions | Not specified | Japanese (conditions apply; see the carrier's page) |
| UQ mobileDetails → | Yes, with conditions | Depends on how you pay | Japanese |
| Y!mobileDetails → | Yes, with conditions | 90 days (conditions apply, see the carrier's page) | Japanese, English |
| Rakuten MobileDetails → | Yes | Not specified | Japanese, English (conditions apply; see the carrier's page) |
| SokumobaDetails → | Not stated | Not specified | Japanese |
"Yes, with conditions" means the carrier attaches something to the card: a passport or a supporting document that must come with it, or a different rule for the newer cards (issued from June 14, 2026, or the My Number card-integrated types). Each carrier's page spells out its own. Exact accepted-document lists are long, carrier-specific and often published only in Japanese, so we link to each source from the carrier's page rather than translating legal text.
What the sign-up actually involves
Frequently asked questions
What is a residence card (在留カード)?
It's the official ID card issued by Japanese immigration to foreign nationals staying in Japan for an extended period (generally over 90 days), showing your status of residence, period of stay, and a photo. Most Japanese carriers list it as an acceptable form of ID for signing a SIM contract, alongside a Japanese driver's license or My Number card.
Do carriers require a minimum amount of time left on the card?
Among the carriers we checked, TONE Mobile, ahamo, povo2.0, UQ mobile, Y!mobile state a specific minimum (see the table above). Every other carrier we checked does not specify a minimum either way — that's not the same as "no minimum," just that we couldn't find one stated.
Does a residence card replace a Japanese credit history?
Not automatically — they're different questions. A carrier can accept a residence card as identity proof while still requiring a credit card (which itself may need Japanese credit history to obtain) or running its own screening. See our guide to paying without a credit card for that separate question.
Next step
Cheapest carrier that confirms it accepts residence-card holders: Rakuten Mobile at ¥1,078/month at 3GB. Check the accepted documents on its own site before applying.
See the cost, not just the conditions
The two ranking pages apply the same conditions and then sort by what you actually pay.
- Monthly SIM for residents
Only carriers that confirm they accept residence-card holders, ranked by real monthly cost at 3GB a month.
- eSIM for tourists
Short-term data eSIM ranked by the total price for your trip length and daily data use.
- 日本語版（SIM実額ナビ）
The Japanese site: every brand and plan, ranked by the effective monthly cost including setup fees.
In short
Check two things in this order: does the carrier say it accepts foreign residents, and can you pay the way you need to. Both are in the table above, and the resident SIM ranking then sorts the carriers that pass by what you actually pay each month.
References
Every figure on this page comes from the provider's own official page, checked on November 5, 2026. Prices include tax.
- Daredemo Mobile official page / checked November 5, 2026
- Daredemo Sumaho official page / checked November 5, 2026
- Sunsyscon official page / checked November 5, 2026
- TONE Mobile official page / checked November 5, 2026
- IIJmio official page / checked October 6, 2026
- mineo official page / checked October 6, 2026
- AEON Mobile official page / checked October 6, 2026
- HIS Mobile official page / checked September 11, 2026
- NURO Mobile official page / checked October 6, 2026
- BIGLOBE Mobile official page / checked October 6, 2026
How we calculate and who we are: about us. How we handle advertising: editorial policy. Affiliate status never changes the ranking order, the emphasis, or the wording.
