This is a translation of the Japanese original. The Japanese version is authoritative; figures follow Japanese tax law.
In fiscal 2026, about 5.9 million My Number Cards (マイナンバーカード) and about 14.3 million electronic certificates (電子証明書) are expected to come up for renewal[Government Public Relations Online (in Japanese)]. Cards made during the 2020-21 My Number Point campaign reach the five-year expiry of their electronic certificate. Once it lapses you cannot log in to Mynaportal, and you cannot file your tax return through e-Tax with the My Number Card method.
Renewal is free and can be done at your municipal office from three months before expiry. Filing for tax returns opens on 16 February 2027. Look at the front of your card today and check its two expiry dates.
The short answer: the card lasts 10 years, the certificate 5, and the renewal window opens 3 months before expiry
| Item | Card itself | Electronic certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Valid until | The 10th birthday after issue (5th if under 18 at issue) | The 5th birthday after issue, at any age |
| Renewals expected in FY2026 | About 5.9 million | About 14.3 million |
| What goes wrong when it lapses | No longer accepted as ID | e-Tax, Mynaportal and convenience-store certificates stop |
| How to renew | Apply by smartphone etc., collect at the counter about a month later | Written onto the card at the municipal counter (done the same day) |
| Fee | Free | Free |
| From when | From the day less than 3 months remain before expiry (renewal is still possible after expiry) | |
Source: Digital Agency, "Validity and renewal of the My Number Card and electronic certificates"[Digital Agency (in Japanese)]. Counts from Government Public Relations Online (compiled from Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications material).
The card and the certificate expire separately. If you were 18 or over and got the certificate with the card, the certificate expires five years before the card. Within the card's ten years there is therefore at least one certificate-only renewal.
Why renewals bunch up in FY2025-2026: ten years since issue began, five since My Number Points
Two waves overlap. One is ten years on from 2016, when cards were first issued. The other is five years on from 2020-21, when applications surged with the My Number Point campaign.
- FY2025: about 16 million electronic certificates and about 12 million cards[Digital Agency News (in Japanese)]
- FY2026: about 14.3 million electronic certificates and about 5.9 million cards (projected)
- Cards made around 2021 by people then under 18 also expire after five years
Counters get crowded where the two waves meet. Some municipalities take bookings only, so booking as soon as the notice arrives is the quickest route.
When does yours expire? Check the two dates on the card and in Mynaportal
Expiry is set by birthdays, not calendar years. The last valid day is the 5th birthday after issue (the 10th for the card itself).
- Card expiry: printed on the front
- Certificate expiry: handwritten in the box on the front (filled in when you collected the card)
- If the box is blank: log in to Mynaportal and select "My Number Card" to see it
- The face-recognition card readers at clinics also show a warning from three months before expiry
- The certificate expires on the 5th birthday: 20 November 2026. The card itself runs to 20 November 2031
- The notice arrives around August-September 2026. Renewal is possible from late August
- Without renewal, the My Number Card method of e-Tax cannot be used for the filing season starting 16 February 2027
- The card still works as a health insurance card until the end of February 2027, three months after the end of the expiry month (30 November)
Renew while less than three months remain, and the new certificate is valid until the 6th birthday after issue[My Number Card general site (in Japanese)]. Renewing early does not shorten the period.
What stops when the certificate lapses: even the tax-return auto-fill
What stops is the ability to prove who you are online. Showing the card as ID in person still works until the card itself expires.
Still works after the certificate lapses
- Showing the card as ID at a counter (until the card expires)
- My Number health insurance card (for three months from the end of the expiry month; eligibility data only)
- e-Tax ID and password method (only for those already registered)
Stops working
- Logging in and filing through e-Tax with the My Number Card method
- Logging in to Mynaportal and auto-filling your tax return
- Getting a residence certificate etc. at a convenience store
- Private online ID checks, such as opening an online bank account
Source: Government Public Relations Online; Digital Agency, "Validity and renewal", FAQ Q5.
The auto-fill is the painful loss. Mynaportal linkage pulls medical expenses, hometown tax donations, life insurance premiums, iDeCo and more into the return. About 4.08 million people used it for 2025 returns[National Tax Agency, 2026 returns (in Japanese)]. When the certificate lapses, the whole import stops.
Noticing just before filing season is too late: a new card takes about a month
Returns for 2026 income are filed from 16 February to 15 March 2027. The full schedule is in the filing period and penalties for late returns.
If you find the lapse in February, you hit two walls.
- The certificate can only be renewed at the counter (identity is checked in person, so it cannot be done online)
- Renewing the card itself takes about a month from application to the collection notice
- Certificate renewal needs both PINs, and forgetting them adds a reset
- In municipalities that take bookings, a slot may not be free right away
People whose card expires between January and March need to take particular care. Apply by smartphone within the year and the new card will be ready for filing season. How to use e-Tax is explained step by step in filing with e-Tax.
How to renew: the certificate on the same day at the counter, the card starting with a smartphone application
The notice arrives about two to three months before expiry from the Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems (J-LIS). You can renew without it.
Renewing the certificate only
- Check your municipality's website for whether booking is needed. Some municipalities also accept it at designated post offices.
- Take the card and the notice to the counter. Bring any note of your PINs.
- Enter your PINs at the counter terminal. There are two: the signature PIN (6-16 letters and digits) and the user authentication PIN (4 digits). The new certificate is written on the spot.
Renewing the card itself
- Apply with the application form enclosed with the notice. There are four routes: smartphone, computer, photo booth or post. The Digital Agency recommends the smartphone.
- About a month later a collection notice (postcard) arrives. Booking instructions may be enclosed.
- Collect the new card at the counter with your current card and the notice. You set PINs on the new card, and the certificates are loaded too.
Source: Digital Agency, "Four ways to renew the card" and "Renewing the electronic certificate"[Digital Agency (in Japanese)].
- You fill in the enquiry and reply form (照会書兼回答書) enclosed with the notice, seal it and hand it to the proxy
- The proxy brings your card, the sealed form and their own photo ID
- If a PIN on the form is wrong, renewal cannot be done that day
Already lapsed? You can still renew, and health insurance use carries on for 3 months
You can renew at the same counter after expiry[My Number Card general site FAQ (in Japanese)]. There is no penalty. In order of urgency:
- Seeing a doctor: for three months from the end of the expiry month you can use the card as a health insurance card. Renew within that time and you do not need to register it again
- More than three months have passed: if you have no valid insurance card and have not renewed, an eligibility certificate (資格確認書) is sent without application
- The card is away for renewal: apply to your insurer for an eligibility certificate[Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (in Japanese)]
- Filing season is close: you can still post or hand in a paper return at the tax office
How eligibility certificates are sent is covered in who receives an eligibility certificate, and high medical bills in the ceiling certificate and the My Number insurance card.
New IDs and passwords for the e-Tax ID and password method stopped being issued on 1 October 2025[National Tax Agency (in Japanese)]. Those already registered can still use it, but the government's priority plan (Cabinet decision of 21 July 2026) says it will end "early in 2027" after the filing season for 2026 income. It is no fallback for a lapsed certificate.
Who still gets stuck after renewing: PINs, smartphones, moving house and scams
Even after renewing at the counter, some people trip over the points below. Dealing with them at the same visit saves a second trip.
- Forgotten PIN: it can be reset at the counter. The user PIN locks after 3 wrong tries in a row and the signature PIN after 5. If you remember one of them, you can also reset at a convenience-store terminal with a smartphone app
- Certificate also on your smartphone: the smartphone certificate shares the card's expiry and lapses with it. After renewing at the counter, apply through Mynaportal to reissue the smartphone one
- New address or name after moving or marrying: the signature certificate lapses at that point[Public Certification Service for Individuals (in Japanese)]. Have it reissued at the counter where you register the move
- Lost card: renewal on expiry is free, but reissue after loss or damage is charged (1,000 yen in Adachi Ward)
- Renewal scams: neither the state nor municipalities ever ask for your PIN or a fee by phone
On 25 August 2026 the Mynaportal app and the authentication app were merged into the "Myna App" (マイナアプリ). If you file by smartphone, update the app and register for it too. The paperwork for the year you move is covered in tax and procedures in the year you move house.
The next-generation card is targeted for FY2029: renew your current card rather than wait
The next card, which extends the certificate to ten years, is still some way off. The priority plan of 21 July 2026 "aims to introduce it within FY2029 (令和11年度)"[Digital Agency priority plan (in Japanese)]. Around 2026, ten years after issue began, had originally been in view, but the date has slipped.
- Certificate validity extended from five to ten years (five years remain for under-18s)
- Sex no longer printed on the card
- Card renewal applications allowed from one year before expiry
Source: final report of the next-generation Individual Number Card task force (March 2024)[Digital Agency (in Japanese)]. No start date has been set.
Waiting for the next card does not extend your current expiry. If yours falls in FY2026, renewing the current card is the safe course. How My Number itself is handled is explained in can you refuse to give your My Number.
Summary
- In fiscal 2026, about 5.9 million cards themselves and about 14.3 million electronic certificates are expected to reach their renewal period.
- The card itself is valid for 10 years, the electronic certificate for 5 years. Renewal is free and can be done from 3 months before expiration.
- If the electronic certificate expires, the My Number Card method for e-Tax and auto-fill on Mynaportal both stop working.
- Electronic certificate renewal is available only at counters, and receiving a renewed card takes about 1 month. Tax return filing opens from February 16, 2027.
- Renewal is still possible after expiration, and the My Number health insurance card function remains usable for 3 months after the end of the expiration month. First, check both expiration dates on the front of the card.
References (sources)
- Digital Agency, "Validity and renewal of the My Number Card and electronic certificates" (in Japanese) - expiry, four application routes, FAQ (three-month insurance use, smartphone certificates)
- Government Public Relations Online, "Check the expiry of your My Number Card and electronic certificate" (June 2025, in Japanese) - projected FY2026 renewals
- Digital Agency News, "Check the expiry of your My Number Card and electronic certificate" (in Japanese) - FY2025 counts, PINs
- My Number Card general site, "Renewal procedures" (in Japanese) - renewal window, proxies
- My Number Card general site FAQ, "When you receive an expiry notice" (in Japanese)
- National Tax Agency e-Tax, "The My Number Card method" (in Japanese)
- National Tax Agency, "Suspension of new ID and password issuance" (in Japanese)
- National Tax Agency, "2026 returns are easier with a smartphone and Mynaportal linkage" (in Japanese)
- Digital Agency, "Priority Policy Program for Realizing a Digital Society" (Cabinet decision of 21 July 2026, in Japanese)
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Eligibility certificates" (in Japanese)
- Public Certification Service for Individuals, "Moving house or changing your name" (in Japanese)
* This article is general information. For your own procedure or how to book, ask your municipal office, the My Number toll-free line or the tax office.
