ATTN: Transferring money from JP Bank
International students who have been in Japan for less than 6 months are considered “non-residents” and need to be careful when transferring money at a bank.
Banks are required under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law (Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law) to confirm that remittance procedures for “non-residents” do not fall under regulated transactions, etc. In response to this, Japan Post Bank and other banks will, in principle, treat some domestic remittances related to “non-residents” as “international remittances.
Foreign nationals who have been in Japan for less than six months are, in principle, considered “non-residents,” and international students are treated in the same way.
Please note that when you pay tuition, various fees, or airport tax to a travel agency while you are a “non-resident,” your remittance will be treated as an “international remittance” and you may be required to pay an international remittance fee of approximately 7,500 yen. (In some cases, remittance may be treated as a domestic remittance if the remittance is made using a request form for transfer of tuition and other fees issued by the university.)
Also, please note that when you receive scholarship funds from a university while you are a “non-resident,” it may be treated as an “international remittance,” and your account may be credited later than the scheduled payment date, or you may be charged a separate fee for receiving an “international remittance.
Please remember to change your status from “non-resident” to “resident” at a financial institution such as Japan Post Bank after 6 months have passed since your arrival in Japan. If you do not follow this procedure, you will continue to be treated as a “non-resident,” so please be careful.
The above procedures vary, so please check with your financial institution for details.