If you are 70 or older and live in Fukuoka City, the city gives you a yearly transport benefit called the senior transit pass (高齢者乗車券, koreisha joshaken). After you apply, it takes about 1.5 to 2 months for the city’s decision notice to reach you, and if you apply by December 2026 you get the full amount: ¥12,000 or ¥8,000. What arrives, and when, depends on the type of pass you choose.
In short
- Who: people 70 and over who live in Fukuoka City and are registered there, in nursing-care insurance premium levels 1 to 7.
- Choose one: taxi coupons, coupons for other city transport, or a welfare IC card for trains and buses. You cannot change it after you apply.
- Apply by December 2026 for the full amount. From January 2027 the amount goes down each quarter.
- Apply online or by post. The pass or notice comes by post or email.
- The application form and online system are in Japanese. The city’s page does not say which languages the call center can use; ask them before you call in another language.
Checked with official pages on October 26, 2026.
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1. When does the senior transit pass arrive?
Fukuoka City
The pass for the 2026 year (令和8年度, reiwa 8 nendo) covers trips from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. Applications opened on July 15, 2026 and close on September 30, 2027. You must apply every year.
The city started sending passes in late September to people whose application arrived by August 25. Later applications are handled in the order they arrive. According to the city’s newsletter of October 15, 2026, a decision notice (交付決定通知書) takes about 1.5 to 2 months to reach you.
1.1 If you already have a welfare IC card
If you have a welfare IC card issued in fiscal 2020 or later and choose to add points to it, your application must reach the mail center by the 25th of a month to get a notice from the middle of the next month. The 25th counts the day it arrives, not the day you post it.
If you applied online, the notice usually comes by email to the address you used. If you applied by post, it comes by ordinary mail. With an email notice, open the link in the email and download the notice as a PDF.
When the notice arrives, you add the points to your card yourself. You can do this at the ticket machines in all 36 Fukuoka City Subway stations, or at 17 point-charge machines. These are at the ward offices, the Iribe and Seibu branch offices, Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station, Ohashi Station and some community centers.
1.2 Taxi coupons, other coupons and new IC cards
Taxi coupons, other-transport coupons and new IC cards come to your home by registered mail (簡易書留, kan-i kakitome).
To check whether your application has arrived, or if nothing has come, call the Senior Transit Pass Mail Center at 0120-502-633 (free). Staff answer on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00. While an AI phone guide is on trial, general questions can be asked 24 hours a day. The city says the line is easier to reach on weekday afternoons in the middle of the week, and that many people dial a similar wrong number.
2. Who can get it?
Fukuoka City
You need to meet both of these conditions:
- You live in Fukuoka City, are registered as a resident there (住民登録, jumin toroku), and are 70 or older.
- Your Fukuoka City nursing-care insurance premium level (介護保険料所得段階, kaigo hokenryo shotoku dankai) for fiscal 2026 is 1 to 7.
You can apply from the day before your 70th birthday. Your premium level is on the nursing-care insurance premium notice (介護保険料徴収通知書) that the city mails from July 15.
People who hold a physical disability certificate (身体障害者手帳) of grade 1 to 3, an intellectual disability certificate (療育手帳) A, a mental disability certificate (精神障害者保健福祉手帳) of grade 1, a war-injury certificate (戦傷病者手帳) or an atomic bomb survivor’s certificate (被爆者健康手帳) get a different welfare pass (福祉乗車券) instead. If you moved to Fukuoka City on or after January 2, 2026, you may need an income certificate from your previous city; ask the mail center.
3. How much? Apply by December for the full amount
Fukuoka City
The amount depends on the month you apply and your premium level, and it drops from January 2027.
| You apply in | Levels 1–5 | Levels 6–7 |
|---|---|---|
| Jul–Dec 2026 | ¥12,000 | ¥8,000 |
| Jan–Mar 2027 | ¥9,000 | ¥6,000 |
| Apr–Jun 2027 | ¥6,000 | ¥4,000 |
| Jul–Sep 2027 | ¥3,000 | ¥2,000 |
4. Which type should I choose?
Fukuoka City
There are three types, and you choose one. You cannot change the type after you apply. Only the person who received the pass may use it. Carry ID that shows who you are, and show it if station staff ask.
4.1 Taxi coupons (タクシー助成券)
Each coupon is worth ¥500, and you can use up to two (¥1,000) per ride. You cannot use one if the fare is under ¥500. From ¥500 to under ¥1,000 you can use one, and from ¥1,000 you can use two. Other people can ride with you, but the limit stays at two coupons per ride.
Ask the driver whether the taxi takes the coupons. When you get off, tear off the coupons you use and hand them to the driver; coupons torn off in advance are not valid. You cannot combine them with other city taxi tickets for welfare or transport services, and unused coupons cannot be exchanged or refunded. They are valid until September 30, 2027.
4.2 Other-transport coupons (その他共通利用券)
These work on the Fukuoka City ferries, the Nagisa bus on the Imajuku–Meinohama route, shared taxis in Sawara Ward’s Oaza Nishi area and on the Magaribuchi route, and Choisoko Fukuoka, among others. They are also valid until September 30, 2027.
4.3 Welfare IC card (交通用福祉ICカード)
The card works on the Fukuoka City Subway, JR, Nishitetsu trains and buses, Showa Bus, JR Kyushu Bus, Noruto and other lines in Japan’s nationwide IC card network. A few stations do not accept it. You cannot use it for taxis, for the other-transport coupon services, or as e-money in shops.
Do not add cash to the card: cash charges are never refunded. Cards issued from fiscal 2020 are used again in later years, so keep the card even when the balance is zero.
5. How do I apply?
Fukuoka City
- Have your nursing-care insurance premium notice ready. The city checks your identity with your Fukuoka City nursing-care insurance number on it. If you do not know the number, or you are in another city’s nursing-care insurance, attach a copy of an ID document.
- Apply online or by post. Online, use the “申請フォームはこちら” link on the city’s senior transit pass page; a step-by-step guide (PDF) and a video, both in Japanese, are on the same page. By post, fill in the form and send it to 〒812-8623 高齢者乗車券郵送受付センター 行. No street address is needed, but you need a stamp.
- Wait for the pass or the notice. The mail center may phone you to check details. The pass or notice then comes by post or email.
You can download the paper form from the city’s page, and ward offices and community centers (公民館, kominkan) also hand it out.
6. Lost card, moving away
Fukuoka City
If you lost a welfare IC card issued in fiscal 2020 or later, the city takes ¥500 from your amount as a reissue fee when you apply. The ¥500 is not returned if you find the old card later.
If you move out of Fukuoka City, or the pass holder dies, return the pass to the welfare and nursing-care insurance section (福祉・介護保険課) of your ward office or send it to the mail center. IC cards issued in fiscal 2019 or earlier are no longer used. When the balance runs out, post them with your application or drop them in the return box at a ward office; there is no deadline.
For trains, buses and IC cards in general, see Getting around Fukuoka City.
