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Registering for the My Number Portal

Registering for the My Number Portal turns your plastic card into an online government counter.1 First login runs a short user-registration flow, and after that the portal opens its menus for moving notices, pension checks, tax preparation, and benefit applications.12

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the MynaPortal site and the Digital Agency site. This article is general information, not tax advice; for tax filings prepared through the portal, consult a licensed tax accountant (zeirishi).

Overview​

The マイナポータル (mainapōtaru, "MynaPortal, government online-service portal") is the Digital Agency's online window for individual administrative services.1 Registration here means completing the first-login setup, which is a different job from filing any single procedure inside.2

This article owns the registration angle. For what to file once you are inside, the companion article on procedures via the portal covers moving notices, tax preparation, and certificates in depth.

What registration unlocks​

One login reaches moving procedures, passport applications, certificate requests, pension records, medical-expense views, tax-return preparation, and childcare and benefit applications.134 Which municipal filings actually accept online submission varies by city, so treat the portal as the first place to check.1

Functions keep expanding based on user feedback.1 A procedure that needed a counter visit last year may have an online endpoint now, which is worth rechecking before queuing.

What you need before registering​

Three things must be ready: the physical My Number Card, valid electronic certificates on its chip, and the 4-digit user-authentication PIN set at issuance.25 An expired or locked certificate blocks every login route until the ward office renews it.5

Registration itself is free. The only costs are ones you may already have, such as an IC card reader for the PC route.2

Card, certificates, and PINs​

The login PIN is the 4-digit number tied to the user-authentication certificate (利用者証明用電子証明書, riyōsha shōmei-yō denshi shōmeisho).2 The longer 6-to-16-character signature password is needed only when you sign a filing, not for plain login.6

If you forgot either code, reset happens at the municipal counter. No online recovery path exists, so confirm the PINs before starting.56

Phone, PC, and reader matrix​

Three login routes cover the device combinations.2 A PC with an IC card reader reads the card directly. An NFC-capable smartphone reads it through the MynaPortal app. A QR-mediated handoff lets a phone read the card for a PC browser session.2

RouteDeviceWhat reads the card
Reader loginPC plus IC card readerReader connected to the PC2
Phone loginNFC smartphonePhone itself through the app2
QR handoffPC browser plus phonePhone scans the QR, then reads the card2

The table above covers access routes as a whole (current as described in the MynaPortal Quick Guide). Card-on-smartphone functions add a fourth option on compatible iPhones (from June 24, 2025) and Android devices (from May 2023) (as of 2026-08; confirm current device support with the Digital Agency).7

Registration steps​

The flow below follows the official Quick Guide.2 Allow ten unhurried minutes with the card and PIN at hand.

Install the app and open the portal​

Install the MynaPortal app from your phone store, or the PC version where the guide points, then open the portal top page.2 English guidance exists for the login frame; pick the language toggle before starting if you need it.23

Choose the route matching your hardware from the matrix above. The portal shows all three, so there is no wrong door as long as the reader or phone is ready.2

Read the card and enter the PIN​

Enter the 4-digit PIN when prompted, then hold the card flat against the phone's NFC point or insert it into the reader.2 On phones the read needs direct contact, not a hover; wait for the success message before moving the card.2

Three wrong PINs can lock you out to the counter

Repeated wrong entries lock the certificate, and only the ward office unlocks it. Type slowly rather than retrying from memory at speed.5

Complete user registration​

First login continues into user registration: accept the terms, confirm the basic information read from the card, and set a nickname and mail preferences.2 Submitting that form lands you on the home screen with the full menu.2

After registering: first checks​

Confirm the home screen shows your pension and insurance items correctly. If a record looks stale after a job change or move, the underlying insurer registration is usually the lagging piece, not the portal.1

Two one-time linkages are worth doing early. Register a public-funds receiving account (公金受取口座, kōkin uketori kōza, "benefit-payment account") so refunds and allowances skip the bankbook-copy step.4 Register the card for health-insurance use if you have not already, which the health-insurance article walks through.4

Good to know​

A locked or expired certificate sends you to the counter​

Certificate trouble is the most common registration failure, and every fix runs through the municipal counter.5 Renew before the expiry date rather than discovering the failure the night a filing is due.6

English covers the frame, not every municipal menu​

Core portal guidance exists in English, but many municipal menus behind the portal remain Japanese-only.23 Machine translation handles information pages adequately; file consequential applications such as benefits or exemptions with a reader or at the counter.3

See also​

References​

Footnotes​

  1. Digital Agency. "Improving the Convenience of Citizens' Lives through Mynaportal". https://www.digital.go.jp/en/policies/myna_portal ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  2. MynaPortal. "Quick Guide for Mynaportal" (English login and user-registration guide). https://img.myna.go.jp/manual/english/quickguide.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19

  3. MynaPortal. English top page (service menu: moving, certificates, health, pension). https://myna.go.jp/?lng=en ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. Digital Agency. "My Number (Individual Number) System / My Number Card" portal page. Last updated 2026-08-25. https://www.digital.go.jp/en/policies/mynumber ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Digital Agency. "About My Number Card". Last updated 2026-05-26. https://www.digital.go.jp/en/policies/mynumber/pros-and-safety ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  6. Digital Agency. "FAQ: About My Number Card". Last updated 2024-12-04. https://www.digital.go.jp/en/policies/mynumber_faq_03 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. Digital Agency. "My Number Card on Smartphone" (iPhone from 2025-06-24, Android from 2023-05). Last updated 2026-08-25. https://www.digital.go.jp/en/policies/mynumber/smartphone-certification ↩