Credit cards in Japan for foreigners: how to get approved

Getting one of the credit cards in Japan for foreigners is often harder than people expect. You can have a good salary, a clean record at home and a valid visa, and still be refused. The credit bureaus say openly that they cannot tell you why, because the decision belongs to each card company.

This guide explains what Japanese card companies actually check, why newcomers are refused so often, how the credit bureaus work and how to read your own record, and what to do while you build a history. Everything below was checked against the pages of the credit bureaus (CIC, JICC and the banks' centre), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and card issuers' own help pages on 31 October 2026.

How to get a credit card in Japan: what the card company checks

Japanese card companies are not free to give a card to anyone. Under the Installment Sales Act, METI explains that card issuers must estimate how much you can afford to pay before they issue a card. That estimate starts from your yearly income, takes away an amount for living costs and the credit you already owe, and also weighs things like your payment history.

Three details from METI's FAQ matter for newcomers:

Income is self-declared. The issuer does not have to ask for a payslip or tax certificate, so the figure you type in the form is the figure they use. Use your real gross yearly income.
Your existing debts come from the credit bureaus. Issuers are required to check a designated credit bureau to see what you already owe.
The limit is capped. Under the standard check, a card's limit cannot be set above 90% of the amount the issuer estimates you can afford.

On top of that, each issuer sets its own conditions. AEON Card's FAQ, for example, says you can apply if you are 18 or over, live in Japan, have an income and can be reached by phone (students and full-time homemakers can apply without an income). Every card still goes through screening.

Japanese credit card for foreigners: what the application asks for

Rakuten Card publishes an English guide to its application form. It is a good picture of what most Japanese card applications look like:

Your name exactly as it appears on your ID. A different spelling or order can stop the card being delivered, because the courier checks your ID at the door.
Your address written in Japanese, in the right order, with your room number.
A Japanese bank account, from which the monthly bill is withdrawn automatically.
Your workplace phone number. Rakuten says this is required as part of the screening.
ID at delivery. A residence card is one of the documents Rakuten accepts.

So before you apply, you need a Japanese bank account and a Japanese phone number. If you do not have them yet, our guides to opening a Japanese bank account and getting a Japanese phone number cover that first step.

Your residence card and period of stay

Card issuers also check your status of residence and how long you can stay. Rakuten Card asks members who are not Japanese nationals to submit their residence card so it can confirm the period of stay as part of its screening. EPOS Card goes further: it says it checks your status and period of stay on an ongoing basis, and it stops the card if you do not submit your card or if the period of stay it has on file has passed.

AEON Card sends a letter when the expiry date on your residence card is getting close, and asks for a copy of your new card. If you do not reply in time, you may lose your membership. When you renew your visa, update every card company. Our residence card renewal guide covers the renewal itself.

Why applications get refused

Card companies do not tell you why you were refused, and the credit bureau cannot tell you either. CIC's FAQ answers this exact question: “I have never had credit, so I have never been late. Why was I refused?” The answer is that each company makes its own overall judgement using its own criteria, and that CIC does not screen applications.

That means any list of reasons is a list of what issuers look at, not a list of rules. From the official pages above, the things that can count against a newcomer are:

No record in Japan. A blank file does not show you are reliable; it shows nothing either way.
Income, because the legal affordability check starts from it.
Your period of stay, which issuers check against your residence card.
Details that do not match your ID, or no workplace phone number.
Several applications at once. Each one is recorded at the bureau (see below), and other companies can see it.

Phone handsets bought in instalments go through credit screening too. CIC's FAQ includes a question from someone refused a phone instalment plan.

Japan's credit bureaus and how long your record stays

METI designates credit bureaus under the Installment Sales Act. It explains that card companies must use their data when they check what you can afford, must report your payment status to them, and must get your consent to share it. That consent is part of the application form. The bureaus you will hear about:

CIC, whose members include credit card companies.
JICC, another credit bureau with its own records.
The Japanese Bankers Association's credit centre (KSC), which holds records from its member banks and other financial institutions.

How long things stay on file, from CIC's own pages:

Application information (that you applied, when, and to whom): 6 months from the date the company checked your file.
Credit information (your contract, limit, payments and any late payments): for as long as the contract runs and 5 years after it ends.

JICC lists the same 6 months for application information, and 5 years after the end of the contract for contracts made from 1 October 2019. CIC is also clear that there is no list called a “blacklist”. A late payment is recorded as a fact, and each company decides what to make of it.

If you are refused, wait before you apply again. Your application stays on file at CIC and JICC for 6 months. Applying to several companies in the same week means each new company can see the earlier applications. A simple rule: let the 6 months pass, then apply to one card at a time.

How to check your own credit record

You can ask each bureau for your own record. All three now offer an online route that uses your My Number Card to prove who you are. Our My Number Card on iPhone guide explains what the card can do on a phone.

CIC online: ¥500, by smartphone, 8:00 to 21:45 every day, and you can see the report straight away. You need a My Number Card with a valid signature certificate, and you must call from the phone number you gave to your card companies to get a reference number. By post it costs ¥1,500 and takes about 1 week to 10 days.
JICC app: ¥700, with My Number Card, and the result takes about 1 to 3 days (not counting weekends and holidays). By post it costs ¥2,177.
KSC (banks) online: ¥800, with My Number Card.

The report shows what was recorded, not why a company said no. Both CIC and KSC state that they do not screen applications, so the report will not give you a reason. It is still the fastest way to see whether a late payment or a pile of recent applications is on your file.

Best credit card in Japan for foreigners: a practical order

There is no single best card, because the decision is the issuer's, not yours. What you can control is the order you do things in:

Register your address and get your residence card updated.
Open a Japanese bank account and get a Japanese phone number.
Use a debit card in the meantime. Visa explains that a Visa debit card takes the money straight from your bank account when you pay, and that anyone aged 15 or over with a bank account can apply (the age can differ by bank). AEON Bank says its Cash+Debit card is open from age 15. It pays from money already in your account, and Visa says it works online and in shops that take Visa.
Apply to one card, with accurate details that match your ID, and your real income and workplace phone number.
If refused, wait 6 months before the next application.

Building a history once you have a card

Once you have a Japan credit card, the record it builds matters more than the card itself. Pay the full bill on time, every month. Rakuten Card, for example, takes the bill automatically each month from the bank account you register (automatic debit is kōza furikae), so the simplest habit is to keep enough money in that account on the withdrawal date. If the withdrawal fails, the bill is unpaid, and CIC keeps payment records for as long as the contract runs and 5 years after it ends.

Pay phone instalments and any other credit on time too. And tell your card companies when your address, job or residence card changes.

Daruma helps with the parts around this. It tracks your residence card expiry so you can update your card companies before they write to you, and it scans the letters they send (including a refusal or a request for your new residence card) into plain English. You can also ask it what a card application form is asking for, line by line.

Useful Japanese

審査 (shinsa): screening, the credit check on your application
信用情報 (shin'yō jōhō): credit information, your record at the bureau
情報開示 (jōhō kaiji): disclosure, asking a bureau for your own record
口座振替 (kōza furikae): automatic bank debit
在留期間 (zairyū kikan): period of stay

Where to confirm this

Guides are dated rather than undated: last reviewed 31 October 2026. This is an organisational aid, not legal or immigration advice — always confirm anything consequential with your ward office, the Immigration Services Agency, or a qualified professional.