SIM Card for International Students in Japan (2026): What to Get and When
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In a hurry? The short answer on a SIM card for international students in Japan:
- Period of stay over three months: you will get a residence card, and you register your address at your city or ward office within 14 days of settling in. To have a Japanese plan waiting when you land, pick up a Mobal or Sakura Mobile plan at the airport with your passport.
- Three months or less, or Temporary Visitor: you won’t get a residence card, which docomo, au and SoftBank list for foreign residents. Mobal and Sakura Mobile accept a passport at pick-up, or use a data-only travel eSIM if you don’t need a number.
- Under 18: Sakura Mobile signs you up with a parental consent form. Mobal doesn’t sign up under-18s, but a parent or guardian aged 18 or over can order in their own name.
- Student discount: Sakura Mobile takes ¥1,100 off its ¥5,500 activation fee for students.
Sakura Mobile describes a real Japanese phone number as the kind you need to open a bank account and rent an apartment. The tricky part for students is timing: which plans you can sign up for depends on whether you have a residence card yet, and whether it shows your current address. This guide to choosing a SIM card for international students in Japan walks through what to get before you fly, on arrival day and after you register your address, using Japan’s Immigration Services Agency pages and each provider’s own pages, checked in October 2026.
First, will you get a residence card?
docomo, au and SoftBank all list the residence card as the ID for foreign residents. According to the Immigration Services Agency, it goes to “mid- to long-term residents”, and these people are not mid- to long-term residents:
- people given a period of stay of 3 months or less
- people given the Temporary Visitor status
So if you are given a period of stay of more than three months, you will get a residence card. If you are given a period of stay of three months or less, or the Temporary Visitor status, you won’t, and the options below for passport holders are the ones that apply to you.
Where and when you get the card
The agency issues the residence card at the airport when you land at one of these 10 airports: New Chitose, Sendai, Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Kobe, Hiroshima, Fukuoka or Naha. (Sendai and Naha were added on March 1, 2026.) If you arrive anywhere else, your passport is stamped with a note that the card will be issued later, and the card is normally mailed to you after you register your address.
Either way, you need to register your address: within 14 days of settling on a place to live, take your residence card (or your passport with the “card to be issued later” note) to the counter at your city or ward office. There is no fee, and you can do it together with the resident registration you file when you move in.
What each provider asks for
This is where the timing matters. The big carriers and Sakura Mobile’s online route expect a residence card that shows your current address, while Mobal and Sakura Mobile also accept a passport if you collect in person:
| With a residence card showing your address | With only a passport | |
|---|---|---|
| docomo, au, SoftBank | Yes, at a shop, with your residence card and passport as original documents | Not listed for foreign residents |
| Sakura Mobile | Online ID check from inside Japan; eSIM by email or SIM by delivery | Pick up in person at Narita, Haneda, Kansai or Fukuoka airport, the Shinjuku office or a partner counter |
| Mobal | Delivery is possible; the ID it accepts for your country is shown at checkout | Pick up with your passport, for example at Haneda, Narita or Fukuoka airport |
Two more points for big-carrier contracts: docomo asks foreign residents with less than three months left on their stay to pay by credit card in their own name, and au says the same for less than 90 days left. For the full lists, see our guide to getting a Japanese phone number.
Students staying more than three months
Here is how the steps line up for most students on a longer stay:
- Before you fly: check that your phone is unlocked (both companies need an unlocked phone). Then order a monthly plan with a phone number from Mobal or Sakura Mobile and choose airport pick-up. Sakura Mobile’s airport counters are at Narita (Terminals 1 and 2), Haneda (Terminals 2 and 3), Kansai (Terminal 1) and Fukuoka. Mobal’s SIM card pick-up points include Haneda Terminal 3, Narita Terminals 1 and 2, and Fukuoka Airport.
- On arrival: collect your residence card at immigration (at the 10 airports above), then collect your SIM or eSIM code with your passport. Mobal assigns your number once the line is activated; requests made between 10am and 6:30pm JST should complete within 90 minutes, and later requests are processed from 10am the next morning.
- Within 14 days of settling in: register your address at your city or ward office.
- Later, if you want: once your residence card shows your address, you can also sign up with docomo, au or SoftBank, or order from Sakura Mobile online.
If you’d rather not collect anything, you can wait until your residence card shows your current address and apply to Sakura Mobile from inside Japan: with a card payment, it can send the eSIM QR code by email. You will need some way to get online until then.
Students staying three months or less
Without a residence card, you won’t have the ID that docomo, au and SoftBank list for foreign residents, so this section covers a plan with a number from Mobal or Sakura Mobile, or a data-only eSIM:
- You need a Japanese number: Mobal or Sakura Mobile, picked up with your passport. Sakura Mobile says you don’t need to be a resident of Japan to apply. Its help page also suggests that people on a temporary visitor status look at its travel plans.
- You only need data: a travel eSIM is simpler, but data-only plans don’t come with a phone number. Our comparison of travel eSIMs for Japan covers the options.
Mobal or Sakura Mobile for students?
Both sell monthly plans with a real 070, 080 or 090 number on the Docomo network, in English, with no minimum contract. The differences that matter most to students:
| Mobal | Sakura Mobile | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | ¥4,950 for the SIM or eSIM (eSIM ¥4,455 through our link) | ¥5,500 activation fee, or ¥4,400 for students |
| Monthly, with a number | From ¥1,430 (voice and SMS only) or ¥1,650 (1GB); 30GB ¥4,378 | From ¥3,278 (5GB); 30GB ¥4,378 |
| Under 18 | No (a parent or guardian can order in their own name) | Yes, with a parental consent form |
| Payment | Card or PayPal | Card (cards issued outside Japan accepted) or cash at convenience stores |
| eSIM by email | No (the access code is posted or collected) | Yes, with an online ID check using a residence card or My Number Card that shows your current address |
| Cancelling | Any time, no termination fee | At the end of a month; request by the 25th |
To get the Sakura Mobile student discount, choose the student option in step 2 of the application. If you don’t see it, Sakura Mobile says to enter the coupon code “studentdiscount” on the final step. If you pay in cash, note that Sakura Mobile asks for a deposit and doesn’t offer airport pick-up for cash payments.
Through our Mobal link below, the eSIM costs ¥4,455 instead of ¥4,950 (10% off), and you don’t need a discount code. The discount doesn’t apply to the monthly plan fees.
See the Mobal eSIM → See Sakura Mobile plans →
For more detail, see our Mobal vs Sakura Mobile comparison, our Mobal guide and our Sakura Mobile guide.
Choosing a SIM card for international students in Japan
- You want to pick up a plan as soon as you land: Mobal or Sakura Mobile, picked up at the airport with your passport.
- You need a number but very little data (for example, you have WiFi where you live): Mobal’s voice-only plan (¥1,430) or 1GB plan (¥1,650).
- You are under 18, or want to pay in cash: Sakura Mobile.
- You don’t want to collect anything: Sakura Mobile online, once your residence card shows your current address.
- You are staying three months or less and only need data: a data-only travel eSIM.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a Japanese SIM before I arrive?
You can order before you fly. With a passport, both Mobal and Sakura Mobile hand over the plan in person in Japan, at an airport counter or another pick-up point. Mobal can also deliver: it shows the ID it accepts for your country at checkout and ships to the address on that ID.
Do I need a residence card to get a SIM in Japan?
Not for Mobal or Sakura Mobile if you collect in person with your passport. docomo, au and SoftBank list a residence card for foreign residents, and Sakura Mobile’s online route needs an ID with your current Japanese address, such as a residence card or My Number Card.
How long do I have to register my address?
Within 14 days of settling on a place to live, at your city or ward office. The Immigration Services Agency says this applies whether you got your residence card at the airport or your passport says it will be issued later.
Is there a student discount?
Sakura Mobile takes ¥1,100 off its ¥5,500 activation fee for students.
What if I land at an airport that doesn’t issue residence cards?
Your passport is stamped with a note that the card will be issued later. Take that passport to your city or ward office when you register your address, and the card is normally mailed to that address afterward. Until it arrives, you can still pick up a Mobal or Sakura Mobile plan with your passport.
Final thoughts
For most international students, the simplest route is to order a monthly plan before you fly and pick it up at the airport with your passport, then register your address within 14 days. If you are staying three months or less, you won’t get a residence card, so look at Mobal or Sakura Mobile with your passport, or a data-only eSIM. Sakura Mobile’s student discount and under-18 sign-ups make it the more student-friendly of the two, while Mobal’s smallest plans (voice-only ¥1,430, 1GB ¥1,650) cost less than Sakura Mobile’s smallest (5GB ¥3,278) if you need very little data.
