Japan SIM for a long stay? The day count is the easy part
Checked against 8 official sources. 8 minute read.
What to know first
For a stay of 30 days or more, decide first whether you need a Japanese phone number. If you don't, a data-only plan whose validity covers the whole stay is the simplest option. Japan's ID-check law covers voice service, not data-only SIMs. If you do, expect an ID check and a physical step. Without a residence card, that usually means collecting the SIM or access code in person with your passport after you arrive. Day 90 is not a legal cutoff for SIMs; it's a product boundary at some providers. The only official 90-day rule concerns Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on equipment without the Japanese conformity mark.
Conditions to check
- Check whether you need voice service, and match the plan's maximum validity, billing and termination rules to the full stay.
- Confirm the selected provider's accepted documents and delivery or pickup process.
- Provider application terms and the law on identity checks for voice services are different; any 90-day boundary is specific to the product.
- ID-check law
- Covers mobile voice serviceData-only SIMs that can’t carry voice are outside it
- Devices without the Japanese mark
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: up to 90 days from entryCellular use follows separate conditions
- Digital nomad status
- Up to 6 months; not renewable; no residence card
On this page
Conditions that change the answer
- Best for
- Anyone planning 30 days or more in Japan for a long trip, study, work or a stay under the digital-nomad status.
- When it's not worth it
- If your trip is under a month, data-only meets your needs, and your plan covers the entire stay, use our short-term connectivity guides instead.
Choose by traveller type
- What decides it
- Whether you need a Japanese phone number or data only; which ID you can present; whether it shows a current address in Japan; and, separately, whether an imported phone relies on Japan's temporary-use exception.
- What search results often miss
- A product-specific validity or renewal limit is separate from conditional imported-device rules. Crossing day 90 does not by itself require monthly service across the market.
Travel SIM or monthly contract?
One limit is set directly by the carrier
Providers can run two different services under one brand. A travel product is bought once, used and allowed to expire. Monthly service is a recurring contract with an application behind it.
Sakura Mobile is one current example. Its official chooser separates travel service for stays below 90 days from monthly service for stays above 90 days. The travel SIM and eSIM are data-only. Monthly service includes data-only and voice-and-data choices.
That 90-day line is the provider's product and billing structure, not a legal ceiling for every SIM in Japan. Other products can use different terms. The durable lesson is that a longer stay may change the category of service and the application behind it.
Data, or a Japanese phone number?
The question that outranks duration
It sounds like a preference. In Japan it decides your paperwork.
Japanese official guidance separates mobile voice service from a data-only SIM that cannot carry voice. The data-only service sits outside that voice-service identity law. An international travel eSIM issued by an overseas operator also follows a different route from a Japanese mobile voice contract.
This describes what the law requires. It does not promise what a company will ask for. Mobal says its own data-only eSIM does not need an ID upload. Sakura's monthly data-only application asks for documents. Both procedures can coexist because a provider may ask for more than the voice-service law compels.
Decide whether any part of the stay needs a Japanese number and SMS. First use the Short-stay phone number check to separate data, home-number OTP and a real Japanese line. Domestic ticketing is one concrete case: our ticket guide then checks the exact event route.
Match the route to your number and ID
Choose your route
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| Your situation | Route | What to confirm before paying |
|---|---|---|
| Data only, up to the longest travel-plan validity you can find | Prepaid data eSIM covering the full stay | Whether validity starts at installation or first connection; whether top-ups are allowed |
| Data only, longer than any one travel plan | Two consecutive data plans, or a monthly data-only plan | Whether plan two can be bought and installed while in Japan; the monthly plan's document check (Sakura asks for documents even for data-only) |
| Need a Japanese number; you hold a residence card with an address | Monthly voice plan, online | The address on the card matches the delivery address |
| Need a Japanese number; passport only (visitor or digital nomad, no residence card) | Voice plan with in-person collection in Japan | Pickup location, hours and the earliest date after arrival |
| Need the number before you land | Usually not achievable on a voice plan | Plan around your home number or a service that accepts overseas numbers |
| Staying over 90 days with a phone bought abroad | Check the Japanese conformity (Giteki) mark | Without it, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth use is limited to 90 days from entry |
45 days, data only: how much to buy
Worked example
One remote worker, 45 days, no Japanese number needed. A typical day: browsing and app use, 1 hour of video calls on LINE or a similar app, and 30 minutes of HD video. Heavy uploads go over the accommodation's Wi-Fi.
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| Activity per day | au's figure for 1 GB | Daily use |
|---|---|---|
| 300 page or app loads (about 150 KB each) | About 6,600 pages per GB | About 0.05 GB |
| 1 hour LINE video call | About 3 hours per GB | About 0.33 GB |
| 30 minutes HD (720p) video | About 1.5 hours per GB (12 MB per minute) | About 0.36 GB |
| Maps and navigation | No official figure | Our planning assumption: 0.1 GB |
| Total | — | About 0.85 GB per day |
45 days × 0.85 GB ≈ 38 GB. Add 20% headroom (our judgement): about 45 GB for the stay.
Result: Look for a data plan with at least 45 GB and 45 days' validity, or a monthly plan with a 30 GB+ allowance that you can stop after month two. Compare two quotes on the total for 45 days, not the price per day. If your day includes more video (say 2 hours of HD), the total roughly triples, and an "unlimited"-style plan starts to make sense. Check its daily fair-use limit first.
Rules and figures with dates
Key facts
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| Fact | Value | As of | Official source (checked 8 October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID-check law scope | Covers mobile voice service; data-only SIMs that can't carry voice are outside it | Current | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
| Temporary-use exception for devices without the Japanese mark | Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: up to 90 days from entry; cellular use follows separate conditions | Current | MIC temporary-use exception |
| Digital nomad status | Up to 6 months; not renewable; no residence card | Current | Immigration Services Agency |
| Data per 1 GB (au estimate) | About 6,600 web pages; about 3 hours of LINE video; about 1.5 hours of HD 720p video | Updated 8 April 2026 | au data-usage FAQ |
| Example provider split (not a ranking) | Sakura: travel plans under 90 days, monthly plans over 90 days | Page updated 13 July 2026 | Sakura Mobile product choice |
If you need a number, your documents decide the route
The real application gate
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| What you can present | Official example | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Residence card with registered address, Japanese driving licence or My Number card | Sakura says these documents can support a fully online monthly voice-eSIM process. | The current address, accepted document and activation timing for the exact order. |
| Passport without a registered Japanese address | Sakura directs this route to physical pickup and a face-to-face check. | Which counter, its hours and whether pickup happens after arrival. |
| Qualifying Japanese-address ID | Mobal publishes a Japan Post handoff for voice SIMs and voice-eSIM access codes. | The address match, the first instruction letter and the ID needed for final delivery or collection. |
| Passport collection in Japan | Mobal publishes collection using the purchaser's passport and order confirmation. | The purchaser must appear; another person cannot collect on their behalf. |
These are current examples of how two providers handle the same problem. Neither is a recommendation or a description of the whole market. For the details that decide an order, the operator's current page, not this guide, is the authority.
Travelling on a British, French or German passport? See entering Japan on a UK, French or German passport for stay length, extensions and the departure tax.
Work out your own route
Four common stay types
If data is enough
A data-only travel eSIM can cover this. If you need a Japanese number, a month-long stay follows the same document route as a longer one.
Check your phone model, carrier lock, and regional hardware variantCheck the ceiling instead of assuming
Find the maximum term and extension policy of the specific plan. If the answer is another purchase, confirm what that second order requires while you are already in Japan.
Compare longer-validity and monthly options
Ask which documents are accepted, whether the route finishes online or at a counter and where any physical handoff goes.
If a Japanese number is required
The number question outranks the day count. Solve the identity and handoff route first, then choose the data allowance.
For digital nomads
A six-month stay without a residence card
Japan's published designated-activities status for digital nomads lasts up to six months, is not renewable and does not issue a residence card. That creates an unusual combination: the stay can sit beyond a provider's travel-product range while the document that opens one online monthly route is unavailable.
Of the two procedures checked here, a passport-based collection route is the practical option. Ordering and choosing a collection point can happen before travel; the in-person identity step happens after arrival. This is connectivity guidance, not immigration advice. Confirm the status itself with the Immigration Services Agency or a qualified adviser.
The imported-device question is not a SIM-plan limit
A separate, independent 90-day window
Japan expects radio equipment to meet its technical standards, shown by a conformity mark. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications provides a temporary-use exception for qualifying equipment brought from abroad. For the wireless-LAN and Bluetooth side, that exception is limited to 90 days from entry.
This is not a universal day-91 cutoff for every foreign phone. It matters when imported equipment lacks the Japanese conformity mark and is relying on the temporary exception. A device carrying the mark is outside that specific problem. The official page describes the exception only, so this guide does not guess at penalties or enforcement.
The mobile part has separate conditions. The ministry describes both international-roaming use and a route where qualifying equipment brought from overseas uses a SIM from a Japanese mobile or BWA operator. Do not treat a Japanese SIM as automatically illegal, and do not reuse the wireless-LAN/Bluetooth 90-day rule as a blanket cellular rule. If the device conditions are unclear, ask the provider or ministry rather than treating a SIM comparison as legal advice. Keep this question separate from the product's validity period: the two 90-day figures have different sources and different answers.
Five things to settle
The pre-payment check
- Confirm the handset before the plan. A locked phone or unsupported regional variant cannot be fixed by a longer contract.
- Ask which document is accepted from you. Do not stop at a provider's general list.
- Locate the final pickup or drop-off point. Online completion, address-matched post and passport pickup are different routes.
- Check what triggers the start of your validity window. Purchase, installation, activation and first Japanese signal are not interchangeable.
- Escalate the device conformity inquiry. If the stay crosses 90 days and the mark is uncertain, use the official or provider channel rather than a travel comparison.
If the plan is already bought, the state-based activation guide separates order delivery, installation, activation and first connection.
Do this now
Next step
- Answer one question: will any service need a Japanese 070/080/090 number? If not, skip to step 3.
- If yes, check which ID you'll hold (residence card or passport only) and find your row in "Match the route to your number and ID".
- Multiply your daily data (the example above) by your days in Japan and add 20%. That's the allowance to shop for.
- Staying over 90 days with a phone bought abroad? Check its regulatory screen for the Japanese conformity (Giteki) mark; if it isn't there, ask the manufacturer before relying on its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth beyond day 90.
After you know what your phone needs
Mobal eSIM options: choose the service, not just the SIM format
You might not need an extra plan
Keep an existing connection that meets your needs. A code sent to your current number does not move to a new Japanese number.
Check the number already linked to your ticket · Check your handset before buyingThis review highlights specific plans from a single provider rather than the full market. No Mobal product guarantees acceptance by any particular ticketing platform or successful identity verification.
Advertisement — affiliate link. Japan, Booked. may earn a commission on an eligible purchase.
A Japanese number; everyday data is already covered
Compare the selected voice plan
The current selector is the place to confirm the voice product offered, its initial eSIM charge, recurring plan charge, call and SMS fees, and billing periods. Select the exact product before comparing its total cost; an older Voice Lite price or image does not establish the current checkout terms.
Check the selected plan’s data allowance and excess charges. A voice plan may include mobile data. Follow that product’s setup instructions and use your intended data line; do not apply an older Voice Lite allowance or extra-data fee to a different product in the selector.
Know before purchase: ID verification (after ordering, or on collection) and a physical eSIM Access Code by post or collection in Japan are required before activation; email delivery is not offered. Check eligible ID, minimum age, collection hours and activation timing. It is not an email-only, immediately usable Japanese number.
For an ongoing monthly service, check termination in MyAccount before departure rather than assuming automatic holiday-plan expiry. Ending the service loses the number. Keep a line active until any ticket delivery, entry and necessary support that depend on that number are complete.
Advertisement — affiliate link. Japan, Booked. may earn a commission on an eligible purchase.
On Mobal, choose the matching product and review the final price and terms.
Mobal Voice-Only eSIM (opens in a new tab)A Japanese number and mobile data on one line
Voice+Data eSIM
Includes a Japanese voice number, SMS and a selected data allowance. The provider page lists an initial eSIM price and separate plan charges. Check whether the selected plan is short-term or ongoing, including usage fees and renewal conditions.
Know before purchase: ID verification (after ordering, or on collection) and a physical eSIM Access Code obtained by post or collection in Japan are required before activation; email delivery is not offered. A paid order is not proof that the number is already assigned or ready for your ticket deadline.
The link opens Mobal’s eSIM product selector, not a preselected checkout. Choose Voice+Data on that page; do not assume the campaign label has selected a duration, allowance or generation of the product for you.
Advertisement — affiliate link. Japan, Booked. may earn a commission on an eligible purchase.
On Mobal, choose the matching product and review the final price and terms.
Check Voice+Data plans on Mobal (opens in a new tab)Maps, web browsing, and messaging apps
Data-only eSIM
No Japanese voice number or carrier SMS. This line does not solve a ticket’s domestic-number requirement. Keep any existing number needed for account access separately.
Digital delivery; choose the data allowance and valid days on Mobal’s site. Check the exact handset, when validity begins, hotspot limits and any speed restrictions before paying.
Compare against your existing roaming plan and the cost for your whole group. Do not buy a voice product just to use online maps.
Advertisement — affiliate link. Japan, Booked. may earn a commission on an eligible purchase.
On Mobal, choose the matching product and review the final price and terms.
Mobal Japan data-only eSIMs (opens in a new tab)Already installed a plan that will not connect? Troubleshoot your current plan before buying a new one. Not sure about the number? Back to the three-way number check.
Sources, review dates, and advertising disclosures
The current product selector and advertised voice-plan prices were checked on 10 October 2026; the detailed product help references below retain their 9 September 2026 scope. Mobal’s ID-verification and eSIM Access Code requirements for voice eSIMs were checked on 23 October 2026. Check again by 23 November 2026, and before purchase. Confirm the selected product’s present price, allowance, billing and termination terms before paying. We have not tested every device model, purchased every plan, or verified ticket authentication workflows. Compare these options with your existing mobile plan.
Questions about this guide
What changes between a 30-day, 60-day and 90-day Japan SIM?
Mainly the validity and data allowance, not the rules. A 30-day plan for a 45-day stay means buying a second plan in Japan, so check that the provider lets you do that. Some providers split their range at 90 days: Sakura Mobile, for example, sells travel plans for stays under 90 days and monthly plans above. That's their product line, not a legal limit.
Can a long-stay visitor get a Japanese phone number without a residence card?
Yes, from some providers, but not instantly. With a passport only, expect to collect the SIM or access code in person in Japan with your passport and order confirmation (Mobal and Sakura both publish this route), so the number works only after that pickup. Delivery to a Japanese address normally needs an ID showing that address, which a passport doesn't.
What ID is required for a longer-stay SIM in Japan?
For a voice plan: identity verification is required by law. That means a residence card, Japanese driving licence or My Number card for online routes, or your passport at an in-person counter. For data-only: the law doesn't require it, but some providers still ask (Sakura's monthly data-only plan does; Mobal's data-only eSIM needs no ID upload).
Should I have a long-stay SIM delivered or pick it up after arrival?
Pick it up if you only have a passport, because delivery within Japan usually needs an ID showing your Japanese address. Choose delivery if you have a residence card at that address and will stay there on the delivery date. For data-only eSIMs there is nothing physical to receive.
Read next
- Pocket WiFi or eSIM for Japan?Compare ways to get online by your phone, data needs and whether you will share a connection with other travellers.
- Choosing a Japan eSIM that works with your phoneCheck device compatibility, carrier locks, and setup steps to pick the right plan.
- Getting your Japan eSIM connectedFollow the setup and activation steps, then run through the essential troubleshooting checks if your data is not connecting.
Sources and how this guide was checked
About this guide
Compare data plans, phone number options, and setup steps for stays of several weeks or more.
How we checked this guide
How we checked this
What changes when a Japan stay becomes a monthly-service decision
Length of stay is just the starting point. Needing a Japanese phone number, the identity documents you carry, and your overseas device's technical certification can each change which connectivity options actually work.
If columns are cut off, scroll sideways. Keyboard: focus the table, then use Left/Right Arrow keys.
| Question | What we found | Where it comes from | What this means for your trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does Japanese mobile identity verification law apply to data-only SIMs? | The ministry says a data-only SIM that cannot provide mobile voice service is outside that law. This does not prevent a provider from requesting documents under its own application policy. | MIC identity-verification Q&A (Japanese) | Data-only plans involve fewer regulatory requirements, but you should still review each provider's specific ID and document rules. |
| Does every foreign phone face a universal day-91 cutoff? | No. The 90-day limit applies only to the temporary-use exception for imported Wi-Fi devices, and only matters if your device lacks the Japanese technical conformity mark and relies on that rule. | MIC temporary-use guidelines (Japanese) | Check your device's technical certification marks and compatibility directly—do not assume it works just because the SIM plan allows it. |
| Can you extend a Sakura Mobile travel plan for a longer stay? | Sakura offers travel plans for stays under 90 days and monthly plans for stays over 90 days, with both voice-plus-data and data-only options. | Sakura Mobile product chooser, English | Check the exact product ceiling and application route before assuming that another travel plan is the only extension method. |
| Is a Japanese voice eSIM always an instant digital delivery? | No. Sakura and Mobal use different procedures for online orders, address-verified delivery, and in-person pickup. Your options depend on the provider and the identity documents you can supply. | Sakura Mobile and Mobal official help, English | Verify accepted ID types, Japanese address requirements, and pick-up details before assuming an eSIM provides immediate access. |
| Do all data-only providers waive document checks? | No. Sakura's monthly data-only application requests documents, while Mobal says its own data-only products do not require an ID upload. | Sakura Mobile and Mobal official application help, English | Do not mistake a distinction in statutory scope for guaranteed approval from your chosen provider. |
| What should long-stay travelers consider before comparing data caps? | Decide whether data is enough, identify the accepted document and handoff route, and keep the imported-device question separate from the plan duration. | Japanese legal regulations combined with step-by-step guides for both carriers | Avoid paying for a mobile plan if it cannot deliver the number you need or cannot be verified using your available travel documents. |
Based on official sources, linked below.
Review dates and complete update history
Guide updates Review overdue
When this guide was checked and what changed
- First published
- Last checked
- Check again by
- What we checked
- Based on official guidance from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and the Immigration Services Agency, alongside current signup requirements from Sakura Mobile and Mobal.
- Latest update
- : Merged the two opening summaries into one short answer and added a route chooser, a 45-day data worked example, key facts checked on 8 October 2026 and direct answers on plan length, ID and pickup. Source verification dates elsewhere in the guide are unchanged.
The date above reflects when these checks were last run. If an individual source was rechecked later, you’ll see that date next to it below. Other copy edits are listed in the update history.
Who edits this guide
One editor looks after this guide
Japan, Booked. is run and edited from Japan. The same editor checks the Japanese and English sources, writes the traveller-facing guidance and keeps the correction history up to date.
What changed
Update history
- Added a route chooser, worked example and key facts
Merged the two opening summaries into one short answer and added a route chooser, a 45-day data worked example, key facts checked on 8 October 2026 and direct answers on plan length, ID and pickup. Source verification dates elsewhere in the guide are unchanged.
- Added disclosed partner links
Added three affiliate options from Mobal’s product families alongside free alternatives, with notes on Voice Lite data fees and SIM delivery. Source verification dates elsewhere in the guide are unchanged.
- Clear requirements for devices brought from overseas
We clarified MIC guidance on eligible Japanese mobile and BWA SIM use, distinguishing it from the 90-day rule for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The review date for the broader guide remains unchanged.
- Published the long-stay document-route guide
Clearly distinguishes tourist plan durations, paperwork required for Japanese phone numbers, carrier identity verification workflows, and conditional rules for imported devices.
If an operator, organiser or product changes in a way that affects the guide, we check it again sooner. Reader reports help us spot what to investigate, and we verify them against current official information before publishing. Read our update and corrections policy. See every guide's review schedule. Suggest an improvement to this guide.
Official sources and what each confirms
Official sources
- MIC: temporary use of foreign devices in Japan
What this confirms: The inbound exception treats cellular/BWA use separately from wireless LAN and Bluetooth. Eligible cellular/BWA devices brought from overseas can use international roaming or a SIM from a Japanese mobile/BWA operator if the stated technical conditions are met. The 90 days from entry applies to temporary wireless-LAN/Bluetooth use, not to cellular use in general.
Last checked - MIC: identity verification for mobile voice services Q&A
What this confirms: The identity-verification law covers mobile voice service. A data-only SIM that cannot provide mobile voice service sits outside that law, while providers may still impose their own application checks.
Last checked - Immigration Services Agency: digital-nomad designated activities
What this confirms: The official digital nomad status allows stays of up to six months, cannot be renewed, and does not issue a residence card. This guide therefore focuses on passport-based provider options.
Last checked - Sakura Mobile: choosing travel vs. monthly plans
What this confirms: Sakura presents travel service for stays below 90 days and recurring monthly service for stays above 90 days. The split is the provider's product and billing structure, not a universal legal cutoff.
Last checked - Sakura Mobile: identity verification for monthly voice eSIMs
What this confirms: A passport or another document without a current official Japanese address requires physical pickup and a face-to-face check. A residence card with registered address, Japanese driving licence or My Number card can support an online process.
Last checked - Sakura Mobile: monthly data-only application procedure
What this confirms: Sakura's monthly data-only service asks for application documents even though data-only service is outside the mobile voice identity law. Its published routes include residence-card delivery and passport pickup.
Last checked - Mobal: ID requirements for voice products
What this confirms: Mobal's voice-capable SIM/eSIM products use either ID-matched delivery or collection in Japan with the purchaser's passport and order confirmation. Its own data-only products do not require an ID upload.
Last checked - Mobal: shipping and delivery inside Japan
What this confirms: Japan delivery for a voice SIM or eSIM access code is not instant: Japan Post first sends instructions and the named user must complete delivery or collection using qualifying Japanese-address ID. Mobal says a passport is not accepted for this route.
Last checked