Your Japan Bank Account and My Number When You Move Abroad (2026)
Key takeaways
- File a moving-out notification (転出届) at your municipal office — you can do this from up to 14 days before departure.
- Surrender your residence card to the immigration officer at the airport when you leave for good (unless you hold a valid re-entry permit).
- Your My Number (the 12-digit individual number) never changes; the My Number Card is normally returned or invalidated when you file your moving-out notification.
- Most Japanese banks require account holders to be residents, so leaving can force you to close the account or appoint a representative — check with your bank early.
- Keep one account open long enough to receive your pension lump-sum and tax refunds, then close it cleanly.
- Carrying more than ¥1,000,000 (or equivalent) in cash or other means of payment out of Japan requires a customs declaration.
Step one: the moving-out notification and your residence record
Before anything else, tell your municipality you are leaving the country. You file a moving-out notification (海外転出届 / 転出届) at your city, ward, town, or village office, which removes you from the residence registry (住民票, jūminhyō). This is the administrative act that turns you from a resident into a non-resident, and it is the trigger for almost everything else — pension eligibility for the lump-sum withdrawal, the end of national health insurance, and your tax status. You can generally submit it from about 14 days before your planned departure date.
Do not skip this step to “keep things simple”. Staying on the residence registry when you no longer live in Japan keeps you liable for local charges and complicates your pension and tax position. Japan’s Digital Agency covers the interaction between your residence record and your individual number in its My Number FAQ.
Step two: your residence card at the airport
If you hold a residence card (在留カード, zairyū card) and you are leaving Japan permanently, you must return it. The standard method is to hand it to the immigration officer at the airport or seaport as you depart. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan sets out residence procedures on its official site.
There is one important exception. If you intend to return to Japan and you leave using a re-entry permit or special re-entry permission — you keep the card and tick the “Departure with Special Re-entry Permission” box on the embarkation card (see the Immigration Services Agency’s re-entry permission guidance). But if you did leave on a re-entry permit and then do not return within its validity, you must return the residence card within 14 days, by post to the immigration office if necessary. For a genuine permanent departure, surrendering the card at the airport is the simplest, cleanest route.
Step three: My Number and the My Number Card
Your My Number (個人番号) is a permanent 12-digit identifier. Crucially, it does not change and is not cancelled when you leave — if you ever return to Japan, the same number is reactivated. So keep a record of it. Japan’s Digital Agency confirms the permanence of the individual number in its My Number FAQ.
The physical My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) is handled at the same time as your moving-out notification. Traditionally, non-Japanese residents returned the card when filing to move abroad. More recently, a “continued use abroad” procedure lets certain cardholders keep the card active after departure, but it must be completed by the day before you leave — after your departure date the card otherwise becomes invalid. Ask your municipal office which applies to you when you file the moving-out notification, and settle the My Number Card, the residence card, and the residence-record removal in the same visit where possible.
Step four: your Japanese bank account as a non-resident
This is where departing residents most often get caught out. Japanese bank accounts are generally opened on the basis that the holder is a resident of Japan. Once you file your moving-out notification and lose your registered address, you become a non-resident under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act — and many Japanese banks’ terms require you to either close the account or convert it to a non-resident account, which not all banks offer. Some banks tolerate a dormant account informally; others formally require closure or the appointment of someone in Japan to manage it. There is no single national rule here — each bank sets its own policy — so the essential step is to contact your bank directly and early and ask what they require for departing non-residents.
Practical planning matters because you will likely still have money flowing after you leave: your pension lump-sum withdrawal is paid to a Japanese account, and refunds of over-withheld tax (and any final resident-tax settlement) also run through Japan. A common approach is to keep one account open, in coordination with a trusted contact or tax representative in Japan, until those payments have cleared, and then close it. If you close everything too soon, you may have no way to receive the pension refund or the tax repayment.
Step five: moving your money out and the customs threshold
To bring your balance home you will normally make an international wire transfer (which requires your account to still be open and, for non-residents, sometimes additional documentation) or use a licensed remittance provider. If instead you plan to carry money physically, note the customs rule: Japan Customs requires a declaration when you enter or depart Japan carrying means of payment exceeding ¥1,000,000 or its equivalent — this covers cash, cheques, traveller’s cheques, promissory notes and securities, plus precious metal (gold of more than 90% purity) over 1kg. See Japan Customs’ FAQ Export/Import of Means of Payment and its passenger clearance page. Undeclared transport above the threshold is an offence, so declare it or, better, wire the funds.
A clean departure sequence
Put simply, the order that works is: (1) tell your bank you are leaving and confirm its non-resident policy; (2) settle or arrange a representative for your resident tax and income tax; (3) file your moving-out notification and handle the My Number Card at the municipal office; (4) keep one bank account open for your pension and tax refunds; (5) surrender your residence card at the airport; (6) claim the pension lump-sum and tax refund from abroad; (7) transfer the remaining balance and close the account. Sequencing these deliberately is what separates a clean exit from months of remote paperwork.
How Flyto can help
Flyto moves households from Japan to Europe and worldwide, door-to-door, and we help you sequence the move so the administrative deadlines line up with your shipping and flight dates — including keeping the right account and contacts in place until your final refunds land. We handle the household; for banking and tax specifics we point you to your bank and a licensed adviser. Get a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to close my Japanese bank account when I leave?
It depends on the bank. Japanese accounts assume the holder is a resident, so once you become a non-resident many banks require closure or a non-resident arrangement. There is no single national rule — ask your bank. The non-resident concept derives from the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act; see the Digital Agency and immigration guidance at Source.
What do I do with my residence card?
Surrender it to the immigration officer at the airport when you leave permanently, unless you are leaving on a valid re-entry permit. See the Immigration Services Agency of Japan Source.
Does my My Number get cancelled when I leave?
No. The 12-digit individual number is permanent and is reactivated if you return; only the physical card is returned or invalidated. See the Digital Agency’s Source.
Should I keep a bank account open after I leave?
Usually yes, at least until your pension lump-sum and any tax refunds have been paid, since those are paid into a Japanese account. Coordinate with your bank and a representative in Japan; general procedures are on the Digital Agency Source.
How much cash can I take out of Japan without declaring it?
You must declare means of payment exceeding ¥1,000,000 or its equivalent (cash, cheques, securities, and gold over 1kg). See Japan Customs Source.
When should I file the moving-out notification?
At your municipal office, generally from around 14 days before your departure date; it removes you from the residence registry. See the Digital Agency Source.
Sources
- Digital Agency — My Number (Individual Number) FAQ
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan — official site
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan — Re-entry permission
- Japan Customs — Export/Import of Means of Payment (FAQ 7305)
- Japan Customs — Procedures of Passenger Clearance
- Japan Pension Service — Lump-sum Withdrawal Payments
- National Tax Agency — No.12004 Income tax information for an individual who will leave Japan
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications — Individual inhabitant tax for foreign nationals