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.
Changing your NISA brokerage
The one-institution rule, deadlines and documents, existing holdings, why NISA assets are not transferred, and a transition checklist.
Direct answers
You can generally change your NISA institution by year, but only one institution receives new purchases per year, existing holdings stay at the old broker in that NISA relationship, and change/abolition documents must be filed on deadline — start well before year-end.
Key points
- Only one institution receives new NISA purchases per year; changes generally apply by year.
- Whether you already purchased that year affects when a change can take effect.
- Existing NISA holdings stay at the old broker — they are not transferred into the new NISA.
- Selling old holdings restores lifetime capacity next year, usable only at the new institution.
- File change/abolition documents on deadline; start well before year-end.
The one-institution rule
For any given year, only one institution can receive your new NISA purchases, but you may generally change the institution by year. A crucial detail: whether you have already made a NISA purchase in the current year affects when a change can take effect — often a change applies from the following year if you have already bought. Deadlines and forms are institution-specific.
So changing NISA brokers is possible but governed by calendar-year timing and prior-purchase rules. Plan around them rather than assuming you can switch instantly mid-year.
Existing holdings do not move
The most important misunderstanding to avoid: your existing NISA holdings normally remain at the old institution in that NISA relationship — they are not transferred into the new institution’s NISA. Changing brokers changes where you make new purchases, not where your old assets live. So after a change you may hold NISA assets at two firms, keeping records for both.
If you want to consolidate, selling old holdings restores their acquisition cost to your lifetime capacity from the following year, but that restored capacity is usable only through the institution authorised for new purchases that year — and selling has market and timing consequences. Do not sell merely to "transfer."
A transition checklist
Plan a change carefully. Start well before year-end, because deadlines and documents (change and, where relevant, abolition notices) take time. Stop and record any recurring orders at the old broker. Ask both institutions for the current sequence and required forms. Keep confirmations, and verify the new NISA account is active before placing new orders there.
Do not sell holdings solely to move them without checking tax and market consequences, and remember new purchases cannot be duplicated across institutions in the same year. A little planning prevents a gap in your investing or an accidental duplicate.
Who this is for
- People moving their NISA to a new broker
- Investors consolidating accounts
What this is not
- First-time NISA openers (see open-account)
- US taxpayers before review
Important cautions
- Existing holdings stay at the old broker; do not sell solely to "transfer" without checking consequences.
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
Can foreign residents open a NISA account in Japan?
Generally yes, if you are a tax resident of Japan (with a My Number) and at least 18. NISA is tied to residency, not citizenship, so most foreign residents qualify — with two big cautions: US citizens and green-card holders face US tax complications with Japanese funds, and NISA generally cannot continue after you leave Japan. Confirm eligibility and the current rules on the FSA site and with your chosen brokerage.