Rakuten Securities
楽天証券Brokerage (NISA/iDeCo) · Rakuten Securities
- Fees
- Varies
- English
- Partial
A leading low-cost brokerage for NISA and index-fund investing, integrated with Rakuten points and Rakuten Bank.
Moving abroad with Japanese investments
What happens to NISA and taxable accounts, broker restrictions, remitting proceeds, exit tax, and a pre-departure checklist.
Direct answers
When you leave Japan, NISA generally cannot continue except in specific qualifying temporary cases, taxable accounts may or may not be maintained depending on the broker and destination, and a separate exit tax can apply to large financial-asset holders — notify your broker and download records before departure.
Key points
- NISA generally closes on becoming non-resident, except a qualifying temporary-departure continuation filed in advance.
- No new NISA purchases are allowed while abroad; the continuation lasts up to a five-year window.
- Taxable accounts may be maintained or restricted depending on broker and destination country.
- A separate exit tax can apply to departing residents with large specified financial assets.
- Notify the broker before leaving, download all records, and plan remittance and home-country tax.
What happens to NISA
NISA is a residents’ benefit, so it generally cannot continue after you become non-resident. There is one exception: a person temporarily leaving for an unavoidable reason (such as a work transfer) may, if the broker offers the procedure and a continuation notice is filed before departure, keep tax treatment on existing holdings — but no new purchases are allowed while abroad, the institution cannot be changed during continuation, and a return notice must be filed by the end of the year containing the fifth anniversary, or the NISA is abolished and holdings move to a general account.
For other departures, or when continuation is not requested, NISA is generally closed and holdings transfer to a taxable account, subject to the broker being able to maintain that account for a non-resident.
Taxable accounts and exit tax
Taxable accounts vary. Whether your specified or general account can remain open after you leave depends on the broker, the destination country, and the products held — some brokers cannot serve residents of certain countries. Failure to notify the broker of your departure can lead to retroactive taxation and account restrictions, so tell them before you go.
Separately, a Japanese exit-tax regime can apply to certain departing residents holding at least ¥100 million in specified financial assets with sufficient prior residence history. This is not a routine rule and is fact-specific — if it might apply to you, get professional advice well before departure.
Pre-departure checklist
Plan the exit before you go. Contact each broker and bank to understand their non-resident policy and get the written departure procedure. Decide, with tax input where holdings are material, whether to keep or sell — do not sell automatically, but compare tax, market, transfer, and continuity consequences. Download all records: annual reports, acquisition costs, dividend statements, and holdings confirmations, which you may need years later.
Also plan remittance of any proceeds (subject to bank, anti-money-laundering, and tax procedures), update contact details, and understand both Japanese post-departure obligations and your destination country’s tax rules. Where holdings are significant or the situation is cross-border, get individual advice.
Who this is for
- Residents planning to leave Japan
- People with NISA or taxable holdings to unwind
What this is not
- Settled long-term residents
- Anyone needing individual tax advice (get a professional)
Important cautions
- Failing to notify your broker can cause retroactive tax and restrictions; exit tax and cross-border rules need professional advice.
Related products & services
SBI Securities
SBI証券Brokerage (NISA/iDeCo) · SBI Securities
- Fees
- Varies
- English
- Partial
Japan’s largest online brokerage by accounts, with a very broad low-cost fund lineup and full NISA/iDeCo support.
Monex Securities
マネックス証券Brokerage (NISA/iDeCo) · Monex
- Fees
- Varies
- English
- Partial
An established online brokerage often chosen for US-stock access and research tools, with NISA and iDeCo support.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to my NISA if I leave Japan?
NISA is a benefit for residents. When you lose Japanese tax residency you generally cannot keep contributing, and brokerages differ on whether the account is closed, frozen, or must be sold — some allow a temporary overseas-resident continuation for limited periods. Because the tax treatment of unwinding matters, plan your exit before building a large balance and ask your brokerage about their specific offshore policy.