What's my name?

[goodandbadjapan]

When filling in the application online for SBI and the like, you often get the space for your name in kanji and then the one below for the kana of that name. For foreigners without Kanji, in the first one did you use your actually properly spelled name, or did you use katakana and then just us katakana again in the second place. Also, my bank details include my middle name - if I fail to include my middle name when applying, am I going to run into problems?

Simple questions but from many years dealing with banks here I know that even a slight deviation from what is on their records can cause lots of anguish! Want to get it right before I start the form filling!

[Dan]

It wasn't a problem to open my SBI account with just my family name and first name written in Western letters in the main field and katakana in the furigana field. They registered my account straight away even though my middle name is listed on my IDs. It wasn't a problem to open NISA with them either.

Recently I have applied to open an iDeCo account with them. I included my middle name in the forms that will be send to the government authorities even though it is missing from the registration form for SBI. They could potentially ask me about which is right but so far I haven't heard anything from them yet. Will let you know if they do.

[goodandbadjapan]

Thanks Dan - good to know.

[adamu]

I usually put my romaji as written on my residence card in the "kanji" section, and the photenic katakata in the kana section.

Specifically regarding SBI, they say that your linked bank account must send the transfers in the same name as your SBI account. But most furikomis use a half-width katakana name, which could be different to your romaji SBI account name. I've been adding my romaji SBI name into the comment field before my default bank account name in the transfer each time, and it's gone through with no problems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1c2OfAzDTI

[goodandbadjapan]

Ended up having to phone SBI and get them to send me application packs as the online form wouldn't accept my name in any form! Half-width and full-width both tried as well as alphabet. Input accepted but on going to next page it just said an error was made! Not a great start, but at least I've taken the first step.

[RetireJapan]

Ended up having to phone SBI and get them to send me application packs as the online form wouldn't accept my name in any form! Half-width and full-width both tried as well as alphabet. Input accepted but on going to next page it just said an error was made! Not a great start, but at least I've taken the first step.

This is one reason why naturalizing is appealing! Just having a standard name that fits in all the boxes

[Akatani]

I had to remake a Japan Post bank account because with my two middle names, my entire name was too long for the SBI form.
Registering for Ideco took 3 or 4 goes as they kept changing their minds about how to write my name.

[Jamo]

I had to remake a Japan Post bank account because with my two middle names, my entire name was too long for the SBI form.
Registering for Ideco took 3 or 4 goes as they kept changing their minds about how to write my name.

The SBI application was a pain! Half-width katakana and the like... And my name was also too long. I complained to them a lot and they ended up getting me to create a Sumishin Netbank account which they linked manually afterwards.

[DragonAsh]

Since my 住民票 is in katakana, that's what I use for my name unless told or instructed otherwise.
Seems to be the path of least resistance