A pension withdrawal application can contain the right pension number and still have an incomplete payment section. Before sending it, compare the receiving-account fields with documents issued by your bank. This guide focuses on preparing that evidence, rather than choosing a transfer service or estimating exchange costs.
Start with the current application form
Japan Pension Service revised the form to accommodate international payment information, including SWIFT/BIC and separate address fields. Its instructions require an 11-character SWIFT entry for an overseas account; when the bank supplies eight characters, the final three are XXX. A Japanese receiving bank does not require that field. The same notice excludes Japan Post Bank. Use the official form-change instructions and download the current form through the linked application page.
Do not copy a code from an old blog screenshot. Ask the bank which code applies to this particular receiving account, especially if your everyday banking app displays several international-transfer options.
Gather evidence that identifies the account
The official attachment checklist calls for evidence confirming the bank and branch, branch location, account number and account holder’s name. The account must belong to the claimant. Certain internet banks cannot receive the payment, so an account’s ability to receive ordinary transfers is not enough to establish suitability.
Put the form and bank evidence side by side. Highlight each matching field in a working copy, leaving the document you will submit clean. If an app screenshot omits your name or the branch address, request a bank-issued account confirmation instead of adding those details to the screenshot yourself.
Keep the two addresses separate
The receiving bank’s address and your address after leaving Japan serve different purposes. The revised form separates your street details, city, state or province, postal code and country. The state/province field is unnecessary where your location has none, according to the official instructions above.
For example, someone moving to Manchester while using an account at a London branch should not put the London bank address in their personal-address section. Draft both addresses separately before copying them into the application. This also makes it easier to spot a postal code pasted into the wrong field.
Resolve name differences before submission
A useful preparation step is to compare your passport name, the claimant name on the form and the bank’s recorded account-holder name. Look for omitted middle names, different surname order or a previous surname. Do not assume that a nickname displayed in an app is the bank’s legal account name.
Ask the bank for its recorded wording and ask Japan Pension Service what supporting evidence it needs if the names differ. Keep the answer with your application copy. Never substitute a friend’s account simply because their international payment details are easier to obtain.
Save a payment-information pack
Keep these items together so you can answer a later inquiry without reconstructing the application:
- A copy of the completed receiving-account section.
- The bank document used to support it, with its issue date.
- The bank’s confirmation of the applicable SWIFT/BIC and account details.
- Your complete submitted application and proof of dispatch.
Before making the claim, review the broader eligibility and pension-rights decision in our pension withdrawal guide. The pension withdrawal calculator provides an estimate; a calculated amount does not validate a receiving account. If you intend to retain a Japanese account, check the bank’s residence rules separately using our account-after-departure guide.