Job Discussion Forums

[Mr_Chips]

Hello,
A friend had told me that it was possible to avoid paying back payments if you change prefectures before signing up for NHI.

Can anyone confirm whether this is still the case?

I've been here for 4 years living in the same prefecture, and have up until now relied on private insurance.

Thank you.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

In the past you could stop paying health insurance at all in that they wouldn't look in other prefectures for you. It didn't mean that you 'got out of paying' though. It just meant that nobody tracked you down and so if you didn't go to register you didn't pay. If you DID go to register, then you still had to make the back-payments.

However, two things. One: they fixed that problem, so you can no longer do that. Two: even then it didn't mean that you didn't have to pay back-payments.

You'll still have to pay back-payments- but not on all four years, jut on two (plus the current year, of course).

[Glenski]

Couple of people have posted their supposed victories in doing the move and avoid. Believe them if you want. One guy actually moved, registered his "new home", then moved back where he really wanted, so he claimed.

Just be an adult and pay what you rightfully owe.

[Apsara]

I have personal and quite recent experience of this. Not too long ago I moved to another area of Tokyo and signed up for NHI when I went to the new city office to update my ARC. I was resigned to having to make back payments if necessary, but several months down the track I have only been asked for regular (and quite reasonable) monthly payments based on last year's income. No mention of back payments has been made.

Note that I didn't move prefectures, just between municipalities in Tokyo.

Maybe I was just lucky, maybe this is standard.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

I don't think it's standard. I moved from one prefecture to another, didn't sign up for health insurance and a few months later started getting letters asking for it from my old city in another prefecture. Eventually (like over a year later) I got a summons to go to Tokyo about it. Same thing happened to other foreigners around here, too- so it seems that they were (are?) doing this kind of thing in regional blocks because we all got the letters within two weeks of each other.

It is possible that it could come back to you, though when you try to get a visa renewal though (but maybe not).

[slodziak]

Before you take yourself off private health insurance be aware that the situation regarding visa renewal being linked to national health insurance membership has changed. Thanks to Kobe City Assembly, the national government has withdrawn the guideline; something to do with freedom of choice.
See this link for more:

http://www.eltnews.com/news/archives/2009/11/immigration_gui.html

[Apsara]

[ShioriEigoKyoushi]

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