SIGNING UP FOR NATIONAL INSURANCE
If you aren’t covered by other forms of medical insurance, such as a policy provided by your employer, you will need to sign up for national health insurance at your local municipal office.
When you register your address at the local municipal office (read more about this process here), it is likely you will also be directed to the Health Insurance Department. The national insurance registration process is similar – you will need to fill in some forms and present your resident card.
Payments are calculated based on your previous year’s annual income in Japan – so for new residents, the monthly payments would be quite low. Payments are revised yearly, and you will be notified by receiving a letter from the department.
You will receive a national medical insurance card, which you will need to present to clinic and hospital staff for the first visit and the first time of the month you visit a doctor. If you don’t have the card with you for the first visit, you must pay in full. Please keep the receipt and reclaim it later on at the appropriate department.
As with your address, you will need to notify the appropriate department when you change your address, as payments are issued and received by the local ward office.
