Sending Money Abroad From Japan
The demand for foreign employment in Japan is at its peak today and that means the exchange of remittances from Japan to other countries is also growing.
There are a few options that you can consider when choosing how will you send your hard-earned money abroad.
- Western Union Money Transfer
- Japan Post Bank
- SBI Remit
- Bank Transfer
Western Union Money Transfer
You can find the nearest Western Union branch in your location, click here.
You can send money over the counter in one of Western Union’s branch, which is your first option. While you can apply for a Western Union account that allows you to send money through Japan’s major convenience stores: 711 and Family Mart stores.
The fees for sending money are different depending on the amount of money you will send. To give you an idea, we listed below the money transfer transaction fee provided by Western Union Japan.
| Amount to Send | Money Wired Countries * | Other Destinations |
|---|---|---|
| ¥ 1 – 10,000 | ¥ 990 | ¥ 990 |
| ¥ 10,001 – 50,000 | ¥ 1,500 | ¥ 1,500 |
| ¥ 50,001 – 100,000 | ¥ 2,000 | ¥ 3,000 |
| ¥ 100,001 – 250,000 | ¥ 3,000 | ¥ 5,000 |
| ¥ 250,001 – 500,000 | ¥ 5,000 | ¥ 7,000 |
| ¥ 500,001 – 1,000,000 | ¥ 6,500 | ¥ 9,000 |
*The transaction fees and countries above are subject to change.
*Maximum limit for money transfer per transaction is 1,000,000 Yen.
To transfer money abroad you will be asked to provide the following requirements:
- Alien Registration Card ( Residence Card )
- Individual Number ( Tax Certificate/My Number Card/Notification Card )
For more information on sending remittances and western union account application please visit Western Union.
Japan Post Bank
If you have a bank account in Japan and is under Japan Post Bank you can transfer overseas using your account. There are two ways in which you can transfer money.
- Bank Account Transfer
- Sending money using your Japan Post Bank account. You can only send and receive money abroad if you are staying in Japan for 6 months prior to your arrival date. If you are already in Japan for 6 months you can ask Japan Post Bank to activate the Overseas Money Transfer service for your account.
- Payment to Account
- This is an over the counter transaction in Japan Post Bank which means you will be needing to bring your cash over the counter. You can send money abroad even if your stay in Japan is only for less than 6 months.
SBI Remit
SBI Remit is a web based remittance service tied with MoneyGram’s network. It also charges a cheaper transfer fee compared to Western Union. For example sending remittance to Philippines with the amount range of 1 – 10,000 yen will only cost 480 yen transfer fee while for Western Union it will cost 990 yen.
Bank Transfer
Bank money transfer is the safest options that you can consider when sending money overseas.
If you already have a Japanese Bank account, you can already worry less about the account registration that you must do with other remittance centers. However, transaction fees may be a little expensive. If you are planning to send a huge amount of money you can consider this option as banks have a higher transaction amount limit and it is safer.
