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eKYC in Japan: remote checks move to IC chip reading from 1 April 2027
An amendment to the enforcement regulations of Japan's Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds ends remote identity checks based on photos of ID documents and selfies. StackGo does not operate in Japan. This page is a reference for firms watching where identity verification is heading.
- From 1 April 2027, Japanese businesses covered by the Act can no longer verify customers remotely by receiving a photo of an ID document plus an image of the customer's face.
- Remote checks move to reading the IC chip on documents such as the My Number Card, driver's licence or residence card, or to the My Number Card's electronic signature certificate.
- Customers verified by the old methods before 1 April 2027 do not have to be verified again, according to the National Police Agency.
- StackGo does not operate in Japan. This page is for reference.
What it is
The Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds (Act No. 22 of 2007) is Japan's main AML law. Article 4(1) requires covered businesses to verify a customer's identifying details (for a person: name, residence and date of birth) when carrying out specified transactions. The enforcement regulations set the methods.
On 24 June 2025 the regulations were amended twice. The National Police Agency lists both: one abolishes verification methods with a high risk of impersonation, and one adds methods using new technology. The new method lets a customer send My Number Card data held on a smartphone, and it applied straight away. The abolition applies from 1 April 2027, giving businesses about two years to move.
The abolished method is the one many apps use today: the customer uploads a photo of a photo ID and an image of their face through software the business provides. In the combined methods that pair a document with a bank account check, a photo of the document is no longer accepted, only data read from its IC chip. The method of mailing copies of ID documents also ends. Law firm Atsumi & Sakai explains that image-based checks were relatively easy to forge.
Who it applies to
The rules bind the specified business operators listed in Article 2(2) of the Act. StackGo's customers are outside Japan and are not covered.
- Banks, credit cooperatives and other financial institutions
- Real estate brokers
- Judicial scriveners, administrative scriveners, certified public accountants and tax accountants (Art 2(2), items 46 to 49)
- Lawyers, who apply equivalent measures under the rules of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (Art 12)
For firms in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and elsewhere, the change is a signal rather than a rule. A major economy has decided that photo-of-ID checks are too easy to fake for remote onboarding and has moved to reading the chip. The EU wallet takes a similar path. See eIDAS 2.0 and the EUDI Wallet.
What covered businesses have to do
These duties fall on Japanese specified business operators. They are set out here for reference, matched to the kind of work they concern.
- Retire photo-of-ID and selfie methods
Stop using image upload of photo ID plus a face image, and mailed copies of ID, for remote verification from 1 April 2027.
- Move remote checks to the chip or the certificate
Use methods that read the IC chip on an ID document, the My Number Card's signature certificate, or the smartphone My Number Card data.
- Check the chip data is genuine and current
Confirm the expiry date recorded on the chip and that the chip data is authentic, for example by verifying its digital signature with the public key, according to the NPA's Q&A.
- Keep a route for people without chip documents
A method remains that relies on receiving originals of certain forgery-resistant documents, such as a certified copy of the residence record. Separate methods apply to non-resident foreign nationals.
- Leave existing customers in place
Customers verified by the old methods before 1 April 2027 need not be verified again. Changes later learned are noted on the verification record.
What people get wrong
The change is narrower and broader than headlines suggest.
Chip reading also covers driver's licences and residence cards, and a fallback using original forgery-resistant documents remains for people without chip documents, according to the NPA's Q&A.
The NPA says customers verified before the change by an abolished method do not need to be verified again.
The rules bind Japanese specified business operators. Firms elsewhere follow their own country's identity rules.
What happens when
- In force
Two amending orders promulgated; smartphone My Number Card method available Source
- Commencing
Photo-of-ID and selfie methods and mailed copies end for remote verification; IC chip reading becomes the main remote method Source
Confirmed by secondary sources; the regulator has not published the exact date.
Also on the regulatory timeline.
Related guides
Questions people ask
What is changing for eKYC in Japan?
From 1 April 2027, remote identity checks based on a photo of an ID document plus a face image, and on mailed copies of ID, are abolished. Remote checks move to reading the IC chip on an ID document or using the My Number Card's electronic certificate.
Which documents can be read by IC chip?
The NPA's Q&A on the amendment discusses the My Number Card, driver's licences and residence cards.
Do existing customers need to be verified again?
No. The NPA says customers verified by an abolished method before the change do not need a new check.
Does this apply to lawyers and accountants in Japan?
Yes. Judicial scriveners, administrative scriveners, certified public accountants and tax accountants are specified business operators, and lawyers apply equivalent measures under bar association rules.
Does StackGo verify identity in Japan?
No. StackGo does not operate in Japan. For the markets it serves, see types of identity verification.
Primary sources
Checked 5 Nov 2026. We review this page every 90 days and when the rules change.
- National Police Agency (JAFIC), Laws and ordinances: 2025 amendments to the enforcement regulations (Japanese)
- National Police Agency (JAFIC), Q&A on the amendment abolishing high impersonation risk methods (Japanese)
- e-Gov Laws, Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds (Act No. 22 of 2007), Arts 2(2), 4(1), 12 (Japanese)
- e-Gov public comment results, amending order abolishing high-risk methods (promulgated 24 Jun 2025; Japanese)
- Atsumi & Sakai, Newsletter FIN 024: amendments to the enforcement regulations (effective dates; secondary, Japanese)
Where StackGo fits
StackGo does not operate in Japan, and IdentityCheck is not offered to Japanese specified businesses. Its check uses a photo of an ID document plus a live selfie, the kind of method Japan is ending for remote checks.
- In the markets StackGo serves: a photo of a government ID document plus a live selfie with liveness, covering 12,500 document types from 230+ countries and territories, under those markets' own rules.
- It does not read IC chips or use My Number Card certificates.
- It does not meet Japan's rules for remote verification after 1 April 2027, and it is not offered in Japan.
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