Whether you can keep a Japanese bank account after moving abroad depends on your bank, account, nationality, reason for leaving and plans to return. Tell the bank about your move before departure and confirm both account retention and the transactions you will need.
Confirm your status with the bank
Immigration status, tax residence and a bank’s foreign-exchange classification are separate questions. Do not assume that filing a moving-out notice creates the same account conversion at every bank on the following day. Explain your actual circumstances and ask which notifications and restrictions apply.
Even a transfer between two Japanese bank accounts can require additional checks when a non-resident is involved. MUFG’s guidance on non-resident domestic transfers explains this distinction. Being allowed to keep an account does not mean all previous services remain available.
Bank-by-bank departure checks
The following summaries point to official guidance checked on September 9, 2026. They are not approvals for your account. Confirm your circumstances, current charges and application deadlines directly with the bank.
| Bank | Official guidance and next action |
|---|---|
| SMBC Trust Bank PRESTIA | Its address-change guidance asks foreign nationals returning home or transferring to another country to close their accounts. If you plan to re-enter Japan and want continued use, contact the bank about your circumstances. Non-resident services have restrictions; do not assume blanket eligibility. |
| Sony Bank | The overseas relocation guidance describes continued use for existing customers with Japanese nationality. Its foreign-resident guidance says customers permanently leaving Japan need to close their accounts. Ask Sony Bank whether you can retain your account in your circumstances. |
| SBI Shinsei Bank | The overseas move FAQ requests closure in principle. It also describes exceptional retention, for example when a financial product has not matured, with a domestic agent-address procedure. Ask whether your circumstances qualify and what transactions remain possible. |
| MUFG | Global Direct is available for specified departures with a planned return, including overseas assignments, diplomatic work, study and accompanying family. New applications are not accepted after departure. Confirm eligibility and the required application lead time. |
| SMBC | SMBC Direct Global Service lists eligible overseas assignments, study and accompanying family with a planned return. Its application guidance specifies three weeks before departure. Confirm how your existing products affect the procedure. |
| Mizuho | Its domestic remittance service for customers overseas requires notification and a separate request for each transfer. This service description is not a general account-retention approval; confirm your account and departure arrangements with your branch. |
| Japan Post Bank | The guidance for foreign customers directs customers moving outside Japan to close their accounts. Arrange outstanding payments and closure with the bank before leaving. |
Your My Number and your card are different
Your individual number is not canceled simply because you move abroad. The Digital Agency explains that you generally use the same My Number when returning to Japan.
Card validity is a separate matter. Under the Digital Agency’s card guidance, question 3-19, non-Japanese nationals must complete the return procedure when moving abroad; the card becomes invalid. Japanese nationals can arrange continued overseas use through the required procedure. Ask your municipality about your card and your bank about the documents it accepts for your proposed transaction.
Plan final payments and pension-related funds separately
- Final salary, deposits and bills: list expected dates and agree an accepted receiving or payment method before closing an account.
- Pension lump-sum payment: use the receiving-account requirements in the official claim form. Start with our pension application guide.
- Any tax refund: confirm the receiving and forwarding arrangements with your tax agent. See our tax filing guide; neither the full withheld amount nor a fixed payment date is guaranteed.
Do not ask your tax agent to fund your personal Wise JPY pay-in account. Wise requires payment from a bank account in your own name for that funding route. Opening Wise before departure does not establish that a later transfer is supported. Compare permitted routes and current costs in our transfer guide.
Get these answers before canceling your Japanese phone service
- Can I retain this account in my circumstances, and which products or functions must stop?
- What address, residence and identity documents must I submit, and by when?
- How will I authenticate transactions, receive required correspondence and replace a card abroad?
- Can the account receive my remaining payments and make the specific transfer I intend?
- What fees apply, and how will I close the account or recover access from abroad if needed?
Keep the bank’s instructions and a record of completed procedures. Paperless statements do not replace an address update, and a working login does not prove continued permission to use every service.