Family membership

Dependent certification procedures apply for any changes involving dependents—for example, when a family member is added as a dependent due to marriage, birth, or cohabitation with one or more parents, or when a family member is removed as a dependent due to employment, death, or living in different residences.
Persons aged 75 or older who join the Medical Care System for the Advanced Elderly are not eligible to be dependents under the Health Insurance Association.
Certification as a dependent requires that the person in question meet certain criteria for family relationship and income.

Description

Procedures

FAQ

Adding a family member
Removing a family member

Adding a family member

Submit the Dependent (Change) Notice with the required documents.
See the List of Required Documents attached.

List A	for persons less than 18 years of age or less than 25 years of age and attending school during the day	List
List B	for persons to whom List A does not apply	List

Required documents	Dependent (Change) Notice for Health Insurance System Employees [Form　Sample completed form] Special-Case Retired Insured Persons and Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons [Form]
Required documents	Dependent Status Notice
Deadline	Within five days of the date of change in dependents
Applies to	Changes in dependents
Submit to	Please check here.
Notes	Certification of a dependent requires various documents to confirm the status of the person to be certified. Before applying to add a dependent, refer to the List of Required Documents and the List of Documents to Submit for Certification of Dependents In principle, the dependent will be certified as a dependent on the date the Health Insurance Association approves his or her certification.

Documents to attach for dependents who qualify for exceptions to the domestic residency requirement even though they do not have addresses in Japan

Reasons for exception		Certifying documentation
1	Student studying abroad	Copy of visa, student ID, certificate of school attendance, certificate of school admission
2	Family member accompanying an insured person posted abroad	Copy of visa, written appointment overseas, certificate of residence issued by a foreign public agency, etc.
3	Person traveling abroad temporarily for sightseeing, recreation, volunteer activities, or other reasons unrelated to employment	Copy of visa, certificate of agency dispatched for volunteer activities, certificate of consent to participate in volunteer activities
4	Person recognized as equivalent to 2 above due to family relationship to an insured person arising while the insured person is posted abroad	Copy of documentation certifying birth, marriage, etc.
5	In addition to 1-4 above, person recognized to have a livelihood based in Japan in consideration of purposes of traveling abroad and other circumstances	Subject to determination on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the Health Insurance Association.

Note: If documents were prepared in a foreign language, please attach a Japanese translation signed by the translator.

Removing a family member

Required documents	Dependent (Change) Notice for Health Insurance System IBM employees/part-time employee [Form　Sample completed form] Employees of affiliates [Form　Sample completed form] Special-Case Retired Insured Persons and Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons [Form　Sample completed form]
	Health insurance card (for dependent to be removed)
	Elderly Benefits Card, Certificate of Application of Maximum Copayment Amount (if issued)
Deadline	Within five days of the date of change in dependent(s)
Applies to	Insured persons with dependents to whom any of the following applies: Those no longer eligible as dependents due to change in employment status, start of residence separate from the insured, death, or other reasons Those no longer meeting the conditions for certification as dependents due to increased income Those no longer dependent on remittance of funds from the insured person for a living
Submit to	Please check here.
Notes