Phone shop Japanese: signing a new mobile contract
Short answer
To get a phone contract in Japan as a foreign resident, bring your residence card and passport (permanent residents can skip the passport) plus a credit card or bank cash card in your own name for the monthly bill: that’s the in-store list on docomo’s official ID page, and other carriers publish their own lists. Open with スマホを新しく契約したいんですが。 (“I’d like a new smartphone contract.”)
The situation
Bright lights, a numbered ticket, and a staff member who speaks fluent ギガ. To get a Japanese phone contract you’ll answer five questions: what you want, whether you’re keeping a number, how much data you use, what to do about the phone itself, and your ID and payment. The Japanese is mostly polite questions and katakana. The hard part is keeping up.
The voice scene lets you rehearse it first. You answer out loud, and the shop clerk replies in Japanese, by voice.
Key phrases
スマホを新しく契約したいんですが。
Sumaho o atarashiku keiyaku shitai n desu ga.
I’d like a new smartphone contract.
Japanese / Romaji / English今の番号をそのまま使いたいです。
Ima no bangō o sono mama tsukaitai desu.
I want to keep my current number.
Japanese / Romaji / English新しい番号でお願いします。
Atarashii bangō de onegai shimasu.
A new number, please.
Japanese / Romaji / English日本の番号は持っていません。
Nihon no bangō wa motte imasen.
I don’t have a Japanese number.
Japanese / Romaji / English月に20ギガくらい使います。
Tsuki ni nijū giga kurai tsukaimasu.
I use about 20 GB a month.
Japanese / Romaji / English家ではWi-Fiなので、少しで大丈夫です。
Ie de wa Wai-Fai na node, sukoshi de daijōbu desu.
I use Wi-Fi at home, so a little is fine.
Japanese / Romaji / EnglishSIMだけでお願いします。
Shimu dake de onegai shimasu.
Just the SIM, please.
Japanese / Romaji / Englishクレジットカードがないんですが。
Kurejitto kādo ga nai n desu ga.
I don’t have a credit card…
Japanese / Romaji / English口座振替はできますか？
Kōza furikae wa dekimasu ka?
Can I pay by bank transfer (direct debit)?
Japanese / Romaji / EnglishSample exchange
A practice run, as the app’s voice scene plays it (English in italics is the in-app translation of each line):
店員 (staff): いらっしゃいませ。お待たせいたしました。 (Thanks for waiting.)
店員: 本日はどのようなご用件でしょうか？ (What can I do for you today?)
You: スマホを契約したいんですが。
店員: 今お使いの電話番号はそのままお使いになりますか？ (Keeping your current number?)
You: 日本の番号は持っていません。
店員: 毎月、データはどのくらいお使いですか？ (How much data do you use a month?)
You: 月に20ギガくらい使います。
店員: 機種はどうされますか？ (What about the phone itself?)
You: 今のスマホをそのまま使います。
店員: 本人確認書類と、お支払いのカードはお持ちですか？ (Your ID and a payment card, please.)
You: はい、在留カードとクレジットカードです。
店員: ありがとうございます。それでは、お手続きを進めさせていただきます。 (Thank you. We’ll start the paperwork.)
Q&A
What should I bring to the phone shop?
docomo’s in-store ID page lists, for a foreign resident without a My Number card or driving licence: your residence card, your passport (not needed for permanent residents), and a supporting document, such as a residence record without a My Number on it or a utility receipt issued within 3 months. You can skip the supporting document if you set up payment with a credit card or bank cash card. Originals only, no copies. Other carriers’ lists differ, so check the carrier’s own page. (Source: docomo, https://www.docomo.ne.jp/support/identification/)
Can I use my health insurance card as ID?
Not at docomo. Its page says health insurance cards haven’t been accepted as ID since 2 December 2025. (Source: docomo, https://www.docomo.ne.jp/support/identification/)
What if I don’t have a credit card?
Ask 口座振替はできますか？ (can I pay by direct debit from my bank account?). docomo accepts a bank cash card, or a bankbook with the account’s registered seal, for monthly payment. But if your residence card has less than 3 months left, docomo says payment has to be by a credit card in your own name. (Source: docomo, https://www.docomo.ne.jp/support/identification/)
What does “そのまま” mean when they ask about my number?
It means keeping your current number and moving it to the new carrier (MNP). If you’ve just arrived and have no Japanese number, say 日本の番号は持っていません and ask for a new one.
Can I practise this before I go?
Yes. The “Mobile shop: new contract” voice scene runs through all five questions. You speak, the clerk replies in Japanese, and hints are there if you get stuck.
Official sources (checked 31 Oct 2026)
- docomo, ID documents for in-store procedures: residence card + passport + supporting document, payment rules, health insurance card not accepted since 2 Dec 2025, residence card with under 3 months left = credit card only. https://www.docomo.ne.jp/support/identification/
Practise the phone shop out loud
In the app: Speaking practice → Mobile shop: new contract (level N3)
Open Konbini Legends → Speaking practice → Mobile shop: new contract. Free on iPhone and iPad.
Konbini Legends is a real-time voice conversation app for foreigners living in Japan: you speak Japanese out loud and an AI conversation partner replies in Japanese by voice, in everyday scenes like the konbini, the ward office, a clinic, the bank and a phone shop.
