Employment Insurance Certificates in Japan: Numbers, Reissuance and Job Changes

An employment insurance insured person certificate, or koyō hoken hihokenshasha shō, records details including your insured person number. A new employer uses the existing number when arranging insurance procedures. If the document is missing, check your records or ask Hello Work rather than assuming you need a new number.

The statement that the certificate automatically expires seven years after leaving and can no longer be reissued is not an appropriate general rule. Numbers generally carry forward, and Hello Work checks previous records. This guide follows current information checked on October 7, 2026.

Distinguish the documents

The certificate does not replace the separation notices needed for basic-allowance procedures. Possessing an old certificate also does not itself prove that your current employer has completed enrolment. Check the current acquisition procedure and confirmation record.

Actions when joining, leaving or changing jobs

The employer’s acquisition notification deadline is generally the tenth day of the month following acquisition. This is different from the date you receive the certificate. Ask about processing and delivery if it has not reached you.

Find the number before requesting a replacement

1. Ask the current or previous employer about document delivery and storage.
2. Check earlier employment insurance documents.
3. If eligible, check available information in My Number Portal.
4. If still unclear, consult Hello Work with your name, date of birth and previous employers.

Do not expect a telephone call alone to disclose the number. Identity verification and the designated procedure are needed. Tokyo Hello Work’s guidance explains unknown and duplicate numbers. Earlier names, addresses and employer details help identify the records.

The current administration handbook treats a previously insured person through reacquisition procedures rather than a universal seven-year certificate expiry. That does not promise every old record can be found immediately; the office establishes the individual history.

Choose the reissuance method

There is no application fee, although postage or electronic preparations can involve costs. Looking up a number in My Number Portal is different from obtaining a replacement certificate. Ask the new employer whether it needs the document itself or only the number.

Electronic signatures and processing time

The e-Gov procedure generally requires an electronic signature. Applicable applications using G Biz ID Prime or Member may omit it. Confirm whether that option is available to you rather than assuming any smartphone can complete the procedure.

The listed standard processing time is generally immediate, but corrections and delivery arrangements affect actual completion or arrival. Postal estimates are office-specific: Abeno’s approximately two-week guidance is not a nationwide deadline. If a joining deadline is close, tell HR that reissuance is in progress.

Use currently accepted identity evidence

Follow the office’s current requirements for a My Number card, driving licence or other accepted documents. Conventional health insurance cards had all expired by December 1, 2025. An older webpage mentioning them does not make them valid for a 2026 application. Ask the receiving office about non-photo combinations or qualification-confirmation documents.

Likewise, do not assume a nationwide three-month validity rule for an authorisation letter. Confirm its wording, date requirements and attachments with the relevant office, and clearly state what the representative may do.

Finish and keep an organised record

1. Confirm whether the employer needs a certificate or the number.
2. Prepare identity evidence and past insurance information.
3. Use the current instructions for your chosen method.
4. Check the issued name and number; report duplicates.
5. Submit through the employer’s designated channel and retain your record.

The number is personal information. Avoid attaching more identity documentation than needed to an ordinary message. Store employment insurance records separately from tax certificates and separation notices so each document can be located when required.

Related guides

• Unemployment Benefits in Japan: Eligibility, Amounts and How to Apply in 2026 (Japanese)
• Employment Guarantor Forms in Japan: Liability Limits, Examples and FAQs (Japanese)
• Japan’s Salary Withholding Certificate: Key Fields, Deadlines and Job Changes (Japanese)

The linked Otame4 guides are in Japanese.

Sources and further reading

• MHLW: Current Employment Insurance Administration Handbook (Japanese)
• Tokyo Hello Work: Insured Person Number Questions and Answers (Japanese)
• e-Gov: Employment Insurance Certificate Reissuance (Japanese)
• Hello Work Abeno: Reissuing an Employment Insurance Certificate (Japanese)
• MHLW: Transition from Conventional Health Insurance Cards (Japanese)