# Getting Money Home in 2017



## Turtleman

Hi everyone,

let's give this discussion a 2017 update.

After working in Japan for a while with resulting JPY savings in a local bank account, I think there are 3 options to handle the JPY savings when it comes to returning to the home country:

a) Transfer the JPY from the local bank account in Japan to a bank account in the home country (e.g. via TransferWise). This requires willingness to transfer the money at current exchange rates.

b) Empty the JPY bank account and take everything home in cash. Note that tax declaration is required at immigration control if a certain threshold is exceeded, e.g. the equivalent of 10 K-EUR in case of entering the EU.

c) Find a way to keep the JPY on a bank account in Japan (ideally one which can also be used for pay-outs in ATMs in the home country)


I am leaving Japan in a couple of weeks and ask for your advice on option c). It seems that CITIBANK was previously the best option for keeping JPY on a bank account that does not need to be closed when permanently leaving the country. However after the acquisition of CITIBANK Japan by SMBC I think this is no longer possible. 
Shinsei Bank also requires customers to close their bank account when they leave the country. So in case you have your JPY funds at Shinsei, you need to find a solution.

...I want to make this thread a guide but also ask for your help. 

What bank is there in Japan that allows foreign citizens working in Japan to keep their bank account even if they permanently leave the country? Or is there another smart solution to the problem (besides investing)?

Cheers,
Turtleman


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## larabell

I don't think it's the bank's decision... it's a Japanese government regulation. You need to maintain a valid local address. If you have a friend who is willing to be your "address", that should be good enough. That said... banks don't generally check your address once the account is established -- I left three accounts open the first time I left Japan and nothing happened. I also just updated the address on one that was pointing to a previous address for the last five years and nothing happened in the interim.

The bigger problem is transfers. Other than Citibank (now operating under a different name), I've never seen a bank that supports international transfers online. So while it shouldn't be a problem to leave the account open, you might need to come back to Japan in order to get the money out.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to be in that situation. It's not like Japanese banks are a good investment.


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