The bank is asking for four different forms of photo ID. I do not have a driver’s license so that is not an option for me.
I only have a passport and my zairyu card. What other forms of photo ID do you have? Or what other forms can I get? All of my other forms of ID do not have my recent photo on it.
Is there a permanent residence ID card? The bank said I can use that but is that not the zairyu card?
Edit 1. I showed them my passport and my residency card and they said they needed two additional forms of photo ID. My bank account is frozen with all of my money in it so I’m not going to accept this as a rejection at least not until I get my money out. Both forms of ID are valid and I have permanent residency and I do not think I’ve done anything even remotely illegal to prompt this.
43 comments
A passport and residence card should be enough. Which bank are you dealing with?
Are they asking for 4 different IDs or 1 of the following 4 IDs…
4 different kind of photo ID? Are you trying to get a loan for 200 millions dollars?
Even Japanese people won’t have this many available.
Mynumber card has a picture, your passport, your zairyu card, last one… Costo membership? no idea
Shouldn’t you need only (any) one of the four?
4 forms? I think most people, including Japanese people, would struggle to come up with that.
In all likelihood, they are asking for 4 pieces of ID but 1 or 2 of them have to have photographs? If so, a recent bill and your health insurance card could be the other two.
If you’re not mistaken, I think you best take this as a “soft rejection” and try somewhere else.
People with PR have the same zairyu card except that it just says 永住者 (permanent resident) in the status section and 就労制限なし (no work restrictions) in the visa section. When I got my first bank account in Japan from a local bank they asked for my zairyu card and my passport. When I got a PayPay bank account last year they asked for my zairyu card and my MyNumber card. When I got my first car loan in Japan they asked for my zairyu card, my drivers license, and a certificate from my city office verifying my PR. I’ve never been asked for four forms of ID for anything.
I have neber heard of this situation. Have you asked to speak with a manager? Sometimes you get an oddball staff who either not well trained or being intentionally difficult.
Other options are you health insurance cardwhich is taken very seriously here and your employee id.
Are your names all the same with your zairyu passport and bank account?
Mizuho froze mine when my residence card expired but only had to show them the new one
Try to go again and ask them for what documents you should provide. Discuss honestly that you aren’t sure what else to provide.
The fact that your bank account was frozen without prior warning makes me think something must have triggered the Bank Anti Money Laundering system. Did you forget to resubmit your resident card when your Bank sent you a confirmation letter? Bank do these reconfirmation stuff these days. Did someone overseas sent a huge amount of money?
Either way, you’re dealing with irregular stuff here. It’s not like opening a bank account. You need to escalate this to your Bank’s manager or above. File a claim if you must. Explain the situation and hope you get someone that has the power to unfreeze your account.
In the mean time, open a different Bank account and divert your salary there. This might take a while to get sort out.
It sounds like there is something missing to all of this. It sounds like they are asking you to verify your identity and resident status (current address). This is all linked to financial regulations related to KYC (know your client) and CRS – tax reporting and status. Most banks need to check this once a year now as Japan has joined global agreements to stamp out money laundering and tax evasion. Some banks who have been fined for FSA infractions will have to carry out more of these types of procedures than others.
A utility bill (not mobile phone), national insurance card and a full jyuuminhyo with your my number on it is really all you can provide. There really are no other forms of official jpn govt issued ID apart from the drivers License which you don’t have. There are no other types I can think of that have a photo.
The bank will also definitely provide you a list of the types of ID they will accept, so ask for that.
I’m pissed just reading this! I just came back from SMBC and I’ve always presented only my Zairyu card. I really hope your situation was due to a bad employee. There’s no way anyone has 4 picture IDs. I only have 3 government issued ones. Or if you’re dual citizen, you may have 4 or more.
Afaik you can still close frozen accounts in person.
Something weird is going on, so many japanese people don’t even have one photo id.
Had my bank account frozen last year due to not updating residence card. Went to bank and showed my latest res card, the process was completed. This was on Resona bank. For Mizuho bank, they had sent me envelop , where I had to send a copy of latest res card and send it back to them via post. Process was completed within a week.
Regarding your case, must be a bad staff or something like that. The only way is to do what others have state here. Go to bank again where you opened the account, tell them your bank acc is frozen and need to unlock it, show them your latest res card. If they ask for 4 form of photo id again, then ask them to provide a list of documents they want or list of documents which have such ID they mentioned.
Dont leave the bank if they hesistate, ask for a manager or supervisor , also you can become more straight to them and make them realize you did a mistake opening an account in their bank.
I think the clerk misinterpreted the script. You should request a confirmation of the documents you need.
I think the clerk misinterpreted the script. You should request a confirmation of the documents you need.
I suppose you could stand outside the bank holding a sign and loudly yelling that the bank won’t give you back your money.
Sometimes cunts only understand one language.
Which bank? So that I can stay away from that.
You could maybe get a taspo card, which might give you another form of ID, assuming it’s acceptable.
Maybe ID from your country, student ID/ work ID, the visa, etc?
I have a close family member that works at a bank in Japan and they don’t have 4 forms of photo ID.
They also have no idea why a bank would be asking for 4 types of photo ID.
You don’t even need that much to open the account in the first place.
Seems really weird.
Just checked my wallet and I couldn’t come up with four either. Zairyu, drivers license and passport. That’s it. Unless I count the fake ‘International Press’ card I bought in Thailand all those years ago.
That sounds highly off. I would call the Financial Services Agency (FSA) and discuss it with them.
Well, I can produce four photo IDs (My Number card, license, passport, and zairyu card), but no-one has ever asked me to do this in the 8 years I’ve lived in Japan. I wish I had a solution. Your bank is off-the-scale crazy
Could you just ask them for a list of photo IDs they accept? Like other commenters, I struggle to think of 4 photo IDs…
4 forms of photo ID is excessive. Are you sure they all have to be photo ID? Generally banks etc require 2 forms of photo ID, plus two documents that prove your address, such as a recent utility bill and a 住民票.
I can think of the following options for photo ID:
Passport, zairyu card, driving licence, Mynumber card, 住基カード (which you can’t get anymore), student ID if you’re a student, employee ID if your company does that (not many do), foreign photo ID documents like foreign driving licence.
Basically if you need 4 forms of photo ID and don’t have a driving licence, you’re SOL unless you can apply and receive a learner’s licence card quickly.
I’m sure you must have misinterpreted them though – 2 forms of photo ID, plus a utility bill, a 住民票 and your 印鑑 if you have one registered with your bank should prove your identity beyond any reasonable doubt.
This sounds wrong. A Zairyu card usually suffices. That and a passport is proof enough. Maybe try another bank or branch?
If push comes to shove, try your insurance card. But in any case, I have never heard of four IDs for a regular account.
I’ve heard that an electric or gas bill with your name on it will work. It’s often not the quality of the ID it is checking off a box internally.
* Make a sony bank account
* Get the mizuho account unlocked
* Tell the staff you want to make a money transfer
* Profit
This is highly irregular. I would suggest going in and explaining that you don’t have any other photo ID, but show them every card you have with your same name on (my number, health insurance etc, juuminhyou)
If they still say no, then someone there is being a fuckwit and difficult on purpose.
After you go back tomorrow with a Japanese friend, please don’t forget to update the post!
4 for the average person would be: driver’s licence, residence card, my number card and passport.
What if you don’t have a driver’s licence or you are still on paper MuNumber? You are unable to prove your identity to them? Something is weird.
I would ask them to show me on the paper why and how they can demand this. And then ask for a manager. This is really ridiculous
I’ve been in Japan for over 20 years and I don’t have 4 forms of photo ID. I have:
– passport
– 在留カード
– driving license
What bank is that? I want to make sure not to use it ever.
Someone is misinterpreting the rules. Ask to speak to the boss and ask to see the book where it says four types of ID. If you still don’t make any progress, you may need to go to a larger branch.
FWIW, most Japanese could at most produce one or two forms of photo ID, and as far as Japanese government issued photo ID goes, there are only three for Japanese nationals: passport, drivers license, my number card. I doubt there are any Japanese who could produce a fourth government-issued photo ID, at least not one available to the general public.
There is no way anyone requests for 4 types of IDs. They are gaslighting you.
When we had a bank issue, we called the government office of our city for human rights – explaining the issue and raising doubts that the bank is asking excessive request based on the fact we are not Japanese.
These people are highly helpful, and even proposed us to call the bank on our behalf.
Once we involved a government office in the matter, the bank attitude changed radically and the problem was quickly solved.
I suggest you to look for office human rights in your city and call them for advice – I think there should at least one for every prefecture.
In Japan, it is expected to have four photo IDs and to rotate them with the seasons.
On a more serious note: Did you physically go to the bank? Bring a native friend who doesn’t mind informing them of how stupid that requirement is.
I have read more of the comments and note you talk of the bank freezing your account. Am I right in interpreting this as meaning you have an account that you have been using regularly (depositing and withdrawing funds) with no problem and suddenly, for no apparent reason, the bank has frozen it and is denying you access to your funds?
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Did you recently make a very large deposit that would make them suspect illegal activity of some kind?
If your mom is Japanese can you bring koseki? I dont know why but it is like this big powerful piece of paper lol.
Juminhyou, koseki – even if not photo ID i would bring it. And ask to speak to the manager. Bring a man with you maybe too- ridiculous but it might help. And then switch banks. This is crazy!
4 forms of ID? That’s just ridiculous. Our society has lost its way. Pretty soon we’ll all get chips embedded and even that won’t be enough!
I think the key takeaway from now is not use either yuucho, or mizuho.
They seem to be freeze-happy when it comes to foreigners, or people with foreign blood nowadays.
What in the blimey…
Half Japanese Office Lady, and they’re making her jump through hoops!
First of all you have the right to know why they froze your account. After presenting your notebook and one form of photo id at the counter.
Second if the reason is suspicious transaction you have the right to ask when and where they sent the notice. They must have notified you by mail. More info here:
https://www.fsa.go.jp/news/30/20180427/20180427.html
Ask them for written confirmation of this requirement with a list of ID’s they will or will not accept. If they really require this, they will have to give you an official paper or an official link to their bank website stating these requirements.
This sounds like an asshole at the bank not wanting to help you for whatever reason. Make them prove it with something official. If it is true, name and shame them. I would name and shame them anyways, but I do understand the reluctance to do so as they have your money still.
Did they tell you why your account was frozen?