Using My Number Card Functions on Your Smartphone with Electronic Certificate Installation Service

On May 11, 2011, a smartphone electronic certificate installation service was launched that incorporates My Number card functions into smartphones. I actually registered and tried this service that allows you to use some functions of my number card without carrying a card.

My number card (partial functions) can be used on smartphones

My number card (part of) in smartphone

With the smartphone electronic certificate service, a certificate issued using two certificates, an electronic certificate for user authentication and an electronic certificate for signature, which are built into the IC chip of the My Number card, can be sent to your smartphone. to be saved in and used.

Strictly speaking, it is not “saving my number card on a smartphone”, but only “partial function of my number card”.

An overview of electronic certificates for smartphones.It is tied to the electronic certificate of the My Number card, has the same expiration date and expires at the same time as the card certificate, but the card is not affected by the electronic certificate for smartphones.

It’s a little confusing, but instead of copying the digital certificate itself in the card and saving it on your smartphone, you can use the certificate in the card to create an electronic certificate for your smartphone and save it. Since it is different from the electronic certificate of the card, even if the electronic certificate of the smartphone is deleted (revoked), the electronic certificate of the card will not be affected.

The advantage is that tasks such as logging in to Mynaportal and sending data using the electronic certificate of the My Number Card can be completed with just a smartphone without using the My Number Card. Convenience is improved without the trouble of taking out the card.

It should be noted that, at this time, smartphones equipped with Android OS and verified by the Digital Agency will be compatible. In addition to setting it with Pixel 7 Pro, I also confirmed the operation with Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Compatible devices as of April 19

Log in to Mynaportal with just a smartphone

Try accessing the Mynaportal site.

When you select “Login” in the Mynaportal app, you used to be prompted to read your My Number card, but now you will be prompted for the password for your smartphone’s electronic certificate for user authentication. If you tap “Use biometric authentication etc.” on the screen, you can also log in with biometric authentication.

Login screen of Mynaportal.You can log in with biometric authentication by entering 4 digits to log in, or by selecting “Use biometric authentication” at the bottom.

If you set biometric authentication in the “Authentication method settings” mentioned above, biometric authentication will be used from the beginning, so you can log in by selecting “Login” and performing smartphone standard biometric authentication. It’s very easy compared to taking out a card and holding it up until now.

Personally, I thought it would be nice to be able to log in to Mynaportal on another smartphone by holding up a smartphone equipped with a smartphone electronic certificate, but this was not possible.

However, when logging in to the Mynaportal site on a PC, you can use the electronic certificate for smartphones. Select “Login with QR code”, read the QR code displayed on the screen from the Mynaportal app on your smartphone equipped with a smartphone electronic certificate, and authenticate with biometric authentication to log in to Mynaportal on the PC site. increase.

The login screen of the PC Mynaportal app. Select “Login with QR code”

Read the displayed QR code with the Mynaportal app on your smartphone and log in.

Compared to the conventional method of logging in using an IC card reader or smartphone Mynaportal app and My Number card, it is now easier to log in. A notification will be sent to the registered email address each time the electronic certificate for smartphone is used.

As a point of caution, it is necessary to change the smartphone model and deal with loss. In this case, it is necessary to delete (revoke) the electronic certificate for smartphones. You can revoke the electronic certificate on your smartphone by selecting “Revoke” from “Various settings for electronic certificates for smartphones” in the Mynaportal app.

If you do not have your smartphone at hand due to loss or other reasons, you can contact the call center and set a temporary suspension measure for 24 hours, but another smartphone such as a family member (or another terminal of your own) can read your My Number Card. If it is compatible, you can revoke the electronic certificate of other smartphones by holding your My Number card over the Mynaportal app.

Also, even if you do not revoke it, if you set a new electronic certificate on another smartphone, the previous electronic certificate will automatically be revoked.

Will it become more convenient in the future?

At this time, there is not much that can be done with electronic certificates for smartphones. Recently, the usage environment has increased, but cards are still the basics, and there are not many services that support electronic certificates for smartphones.

At this time, you can log in to Mynaportal to check medication/examination information, view maternal and child health handbooks, and vaccination notifications. In addition to being able to apply online for childcare support, etc., we plan to support online applications for moving (from July 2023) and tax returns (from 2024).

At the time of writing the article, we have only confirmed that Liquid and Cybertrust are planning to support eKYC, but the Digital Agency has been working on private companies since May 2022. Therefore, it is expected that more services will be provided in the future.

What you can do with the service equipped with an electronic certificate for smartphones (Source: Digital Agency)

For example, if a service that uses the electronic certificate of the Individual Number Card to verify identity is compatible, it will be possible to easily send a strict identity verification using biometric authentication, which will improve convenience. It seems that the opening of a bank or securities account, the contract of a mobile phone, and the application for cashless payment are assumed.

In addition, support for health insurance cards, which is scheduled to be supported around April 2024, will also be convenient in terms of reducing the number of cards to carry around. Even if you don’t need it right now, it might be a good idea to set it up on your smartphone once you get your My Number Card.