Closing or Maintaining Bank and Brokerage Accounts

To close a bank account in Japan when leaving, or to keep one as a non-resident, start from your bank's own non-resident policy and not from a universal rule.¹ No single national rule decides the question, so each bank and brokerage gives its own answer and its own deadline.¹

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at your bank and brokerage and at Japan Customs and the Japan Pension Service. This article is general information, not financial, tax, or legal advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed financial adviser for investment and account decisions and a tax accountant (zeirishi) for the tax side.

Overview

Leaving Japan forces three linked decisions about money: what to do with bank accounts, what to do with brokerage and 少額投資非課税制度 (shōgaku tōshi hikazei seido, "NISA tax-free investment accounts"), and how to move yen balances out.¹ The move-out notification starts the clock on all three, because losing a registered address turns the holder into a non-resident in the eyes of banks and brokerages.¹²

The default pattern is closure. Most Japanese banks expect the account to close at loss of resident status, and most brokerages expect positions to be sold, transferred out, and closed.²³ The exceptions matter as much as the rule: a few banks maintain non-resident tiers, and a narrow NISA continuation rule covers employer-ordered transfers.²³

This article describes the options without recommending one for any individual reader. Coordination for closure and transfer typically takes 1 to 3 months, so start at least 60 to 90 days before departure (as of 2026-09; confirm current timelines with your bank and brokerage).¹

The residency trigger: why departure forces the question

The trigger is administrative, not financial. Filing the move-out notice removes the resident from the residence registry, and that removal is what banks and brokerages react to.¹

Filing the move-out notice starts the clock

File the 転出届 (tenshutsu todoke, "move-out notification") at the municipal office, generally from about 14 days before the planned departure date.¹ Filing the move-out notification removes the resident from the residence registry (住民票, jūminhyō, "residence record").¹

Residents leaving permanently surrender the 在留カード (zairyū kādo, "residence card") to the immigration officer at the airport.¹ Residents leaving on a valid re-entry permit keep the card instead.¹

The 12-digit 個人番号 (kojin bangō, "My Number") itself is permanent and reactivates on any return.¹ The physical My Number Card is normally returned or invalidated at move-out, with a continued-use-abroad procedure that must be completed by the day before departure.¹

What non-resident status changes at banks and brokerages

Once the registered address is gone, the holder becomes a non-resident under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act.¹² Many banks' terms then require either closure or conversion to a non-resident account, and tighter anti-money-laundering controls are the stated driver of that stance.²

Policy varies by institution in every direction that matters: whether a non-resident tier exists, what it costs, what can still be done online, and which deadlines apply before departure.¹² Confirm each policy directly with each institution holding your money.

Bank accounts: the typical closure pattern

Most Japanese banks require account closure at loss of resident status, with non-resident accounts limited to a subset of banks (as of 2026-06; confirm current policy with your bank).² Most online banks, including Rakuten, SBI Shinsei, PayPay, and Seven, generally require closure on non-resident status (as of 2026-06).² These fall on the close side of the online-bank landscape for foreign residents.

What closure involves in practice

Closure happens at a branch counter with identity documents: residence card, passport, cash card or passbook, and the registered seal where one is on file.¹ Remaining funds are transferred out or received at closure.¹

Before closing, cancel or move every scheduled payment and direct debit tied to the account.¹ Always obtain written confirmation of closure for the record.¹

Exceptions that let you keep an account

A small set of banks maintains accounts for non-residents, each with its own procedure and restrictions (as of 2026-06; confirm current terms with each bank).² The keep side clusters among the large tiers explained in the banking-system overview. Megabanks (MUFG, SMBC, Mizuho) allow accounts to continue with an overseas-address change filed before departure.²

File overseas-use banking options before departure day

Overseas-use services at the megabanks accept applications only before departure: MUFG Global Direct needs about 2 weeks before departure for MUFG Direct members and 3 weeks for non-members, and SMBC Direct Global Service needs about 3 weeks at a branch or by mail (as of 2026-06).² After departure the account itself can still be converted, but the overseas-use option is gone.

Sony Bank allows a switch to a non-resident account by registering an overseas address plus a domestic contact, with no maintenance fees (as of 2026-06).²⁴ The Sony Bank WALLET Visa debit stays usable for overseas ATMs and shopping, but non-residents cannot send foreign-currency remittances (as of 2026-06).²

SMBC Trust Bank PRESTIA supports non-resident accounts with an overseas address through PRESTIA Online plus the multi-currency GLOBAL PASS debit card, with maintenance fees waived subject to balance conditions (as of 2026-06).² Resona Bank offers a Non-Resident Yen Deposit without closure, but with heavy restrictions: no My Gate online banking from overseas, domestic transfers treated as international remittances, income tax withheld from interest, and no cash-card, loan, or direct-debit functions (as of 2026-06).²

SBI Shinsei Bank moved non-Japanese customer account opening to mail application only, with in-branch opening discontinued from July 2026 (as of 2026-06).⁵ That notice covers how accounts are opened, not a departure keep-or-close rule.

Bank or tier	Non-resident handling	As of	Notes
Most banks and most online banks	Closure required	2026-062	Confirm with each bank; policies change
MUFG, SMBC, Mizuho	Keep with overseas-address change filed before departure	2026-062	Overseas-use services need 2 to 3 week lead time
Sony Bank	Non-resident account, no maintenance fees	2026-0624	Domestic contact required; no foreign-currency remittance
SMBC Trust Bank PRESTIA	Non-resident account via PRESTIA Online	2026-062	Fee waiver subject to balance conditions
Resona Bank	Non-Resident Yen Deposit	2026-062	Keep-the-number option with limited function
Sony Bank non-resident domestic transfer fee	JPY 110	2026-062	Revised down from JPY 1,000

The table above reflects practitioner-reported policies current to mid-2026; confirm every row with the bank before acting.

Brokerage accounts and NISA on departure

Most Japanese brokerages require closure or freeze of brokerage accounts at non-resident status, so the standard path is to sell positions, transfer out, and close (as of 2026-02; confirm current handling with your brokerage).³⁶ The broker-specific product limits below sit in the context of the online brokerages most residents use.

The default: sell, transfer out, close

Non-resident holdable products are typically limited to Japanese equities and retail government bonds.⁶ Mutual funds, US equities, and similar instruments must be sold before departure under that handling (as of 2023-08; brokerage policies changed significantly in 2025, so confirm current product limits with your brokerage).⁶³

A NISA account exists only while its holder is a Japan tax resident.³ On becoming a non-resident the NISA account closes by default and holdings transfer to a regular taxable account, either a 特定口座 (tokutei kōza, "designated withholding account") or a 一般口座 (ippan kōza, "general account").³ No tax triggers at the point of transfer, and the cost basis resets to market value on the transfer date, which keeps NISA-period gains effectively tax-free.³

Selling inside the NISA account before departure locks in gains tax-free in Japan.³ For a voluntary departure this is the cleanest exit available.

The NISA continuation exception for employer-ordered transfers

A 2019 tax reform allows NISA continuation for up to 5 years, but only where departure follows an employer-directed overseas transfer order (転任の命令等, tennin no meirei tō, "transfer order from the salary-paying entity").³ Voluntary resignation, job changes to a foreign company, study, and family moves do not qualify.³

Sony Bank's official non-resident procedure confirms the same limit: continuation only for departure for unavoidable reasons such as an overseas job transfer, holding the NISA balance tax-free for up to 5 years after the continuation filing date.⁴ An accompanying spouse also qualifies; children do not.³

The continuation application (非課税口座継続適用届出書, hikazei kōza keizoku tekiyō todokedesho, "continuation application for the tax-exempt account") must reach the brokerage by the day before departure.³ The deadline is absolute, and late submissions are not accepted.³

During continuation no new purchases are allowed and automatic plans are cancelled.³ Selling is allowed, dividend reinvestment stops with distributions paid as cash, and a Return Notification (帰国届出書, kikoku todokedesho) is due by December 31 of the year containing the 5th anniversary, failing which the NISA account closes.³

Brokerage support for continuation expanded in 2025 (as of 2026-02; confirm current product coverage with your brokerage).³ SBI Securities allows foreign stocks and investment trusts to be held during overseas assignment from 2025-05-31, with a mandatory standing agent who must be a relative within two degrees or a licensed professional and contact at least 10 business days before departure (as of 2026-02).³ Rakuten supports 1 to 5 year stays with its own standing-agent service at JPY 99,000 per year tax included for up to 10 holdings plus JPY 9,900 per additional holding (as of 2026-02).³

Monex added continuation support in 2025, and Matsui supports Japanese stocks and investment trusts while US stocks must be sold or transferred (as of 2026-02).³

Japan's exit tax (国外転出時課税, kokugai tenshutsu-ji kazei) applies to holders of securities worth JPY 100 million or more with 5-plus years of residence in the past 10 years.³ NISA holdings are exempt from the exit tax.³

Strategy options compared

Three practical strategies recur across departure guides: close everything before departure, keep one account via a non-resident tier, or bridge post-departure yen handling with a multi-currency platform.¹² None of them is right for every reader; the table below states the trade-offs so a reader can discuss the choice with a licensed professional.

Strategy	Effort	What is kept	Main drawback
Close everything before departure	Lowest	Nothing in Japan; clean break	No way to receive post-departure yen payments into a Japan account1
Keep one account via a non-resident tier	Medium; pre-departure filing required	Return option; account able to receive pension or rental yen income	Restricted function abroad; some services need weeks of lead time2
Bridge with a multi-currency platform after departure	Low ongoing cost	Flexible transfers and payments once Japan accounts close	Per-transfer caps; not a substitute for a Japan account that receives pension yen2

Close everything before departure

This is the simplest path: sell, transfer, close, and leave with written confirmation for each account.¹ What is lost is any ongoing Japan financial presence, including the ability to receive yen payments that arrive after departure.¹

Keep one account via a non-resident tier

This path suits readers who may return or who expect ongoing yen income such as pension or rental payments.¹ The pension lump-sum withdrawal is paid to a Japanese account, so the kept account stays open until those payments clear.¹⁷

Coordinate the kept account with a trusted contact or tax representative in Japan until final refunds land, then close it.¹ File every non-resident procedure before departure, since several cannot be filed afterward (as of 2026-06).²

Bridge with a multi-currency platform after departure

Multi-currency accounts such as Wise serve as the transfer and payment layer once Japan accounts close.² The practitioner pattern is to treat kept bank accounts as holding boxes and use the platform for actual fund movement (as of 2026-06).²

Per-transfer caps apply: Wise and Revolut each cap a single remittance at JPY 1 million, so bank channels remain the backup for larger sums (as of 2026-04).²

Departure timeline for accounts

Contact the bank and brokerage as soon as departure is known.³² Many non-resident procedures must be completed before departure, and none of the hard deadlines flex.³²

The sequence below shows the dependency order from policy check to final closure.

60 to 90 days before departure

Confirm each bank's non-resident policy and each brokerage's holdable-product list.³² Sell ineligible products inside the NISA account while sales are still tax-free.³

Test the transfer route with a small amount first

Send a small test remittance before moving the full balance, and confirm it arrives as expected.² A failed large transfer near departure day is far harder to fix than a failed small one.

If seeking NISA continuation, identify a standing agent (常任代理人, jōnin dairinin): a relative within two degrees or a licensed professional residing in Japan.³

Final weeks and after departure

Submit all brokerage paperwork, including the continuation application, departure notification, and standing-agent designation, by the business day before departure.³ File the move-out notification at the ward or city office and surrender the residence card at the airport on permanent departure.¹

From abroad, apply for the pension lump-sum withdrawal within 2 years of losing resident status.⁷ The final tax return for the departure year is filed by the tax representative by March 15 of the following year.⁷

Declare large cash movements at customs

Carrying means of payment exceeding JPY 1,000,000, including cash, cheques, promissory notes, and securities, or gold over 90 percent purity above 1 kg out of Japan requires a customs declaration.⁸ Wire the funds instead where possible.

Good to know

Closing the refund-receipt account too early

The pension lump-sum withdrawal is paid to a Japanese account, and over-withheld tax refunds also run through Japan.¹⁷ Closing the only Japan account before those payments land leaves no way to receive them.¹

Appointing a tax representative (納税管理人, nōzei kanrinin) before departure keeps the refund path open.⁷ Without one, the final tax return cannot be filed and withheld-tax refunds cannot be claimed.⁷

Non-resident procedures that cannot be filed after departure

Overseas-use banking services at several banks accept applications only before departure, typically 2 to 3 weeks ahead (as of 2026-06).² After departure the account itself can still be converted to non-resident status, but the overseas-use option is no longer available.²

Brokerage continuation paperwork carries the same shape of risk with a harder edge: the NISA continuation application must reach the brokerage by the day before departure, and late submissions are not accepted.³

Silent dormancy instead of a formal non-resident notice

Leaving an account silently registered at a domestic address after moving out invites freezing.² Undelivered mail is the leading trigger, and discovery through overseas-IP access or My Number linkage can freeze the account with unlocking that may require a temporary return to Japan (as of 2026-06).²

File the formal non-resident notice or close the account before departure.² Either path beats silent dormancy.

See also

• Departure Checklist: The 90-Day Run-Up
• Mail Forwarding, Pet Repatriation, Cargo Shipping
• Leaving Japan: The Emotional Offboarding
• Multiple-Account Strategy for Foreign Residents
• Hiring a Cross-Border Tax Advisor
• Bank Account in Japan for Foreigners: The Six-Month Rule

References

Footnotes

1. Flyto Editorial Team, reviewed by Ariel Keisa. "Your Japan Bank Account and My Number When You Move Abroad (2026)." Last reviewed 2026-09-03. https://flytorelocation.com/jp/jp-bank-account-mynumber-leaving-2026/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸

2. YOSHI (Singapore-licensed CFP, single author). "What happens to your Japanese bank account when you move abroad? A summary by bank for non-residents and personal experiences." Published 2026-06-27. https://note.com/yoshi_25_25/n/ne46ceb1654b1?hl=en ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹ ↩³² ↩³³ ↩³⁴ ↩³⁵ ↩³⁶ ↩³⁷

3. JapanTalkback (kantenna.com). "Leaving Japan? What Happens to Your NISA Account." Updated 2026-02. https://kantenna.com/series/nisa-guide-foreigners-japan/leaving-japan-nisa-account-what-happens ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸

4. Sony Bank. Official non-resident procedures page "お手続やご注意事項" (Procedures and notes). https://sonybank.jp/guide/support/nonresident/01.html ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. SBI Shinsei Bank. "Changes to Account Opening Procedures for Non-Japanese Residents." Published 2026-06-05. https://www.sbishinseibank.co.jp/info/news2606_accountopening_e.html ↩

6. tsukurue.com (kenichi, single author). "If I become a non-resident, how will I be treated by Rakuten Securities?" Published 2023-08-30. https://tsukurue.com/en/archives/210 ↩ ↩² ↩³

7. Money Hub Japan. "Departing Japan: Tax & Money Checklist for Foreign Residents (2026)." Last updated 2026-05-19. https://moneyhub-japan.com/en/guide/departing-japan-checklist/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

8. Japan Customs. FAQ 7305 "Export/Import of Means of Payment, etc." https://www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/keitaibetsuso/7305_e.htm ↩