Looking to close my UFJ account and am unsure where to start as my Japanese sucks despite living here so long. Does anyone know if there is anyway to transfer UFJ bank funds to an American account online or do I have to go in person to withdraw the funds and close the account? I don’t think I ever made an online login or anything like that… Again, I’m anxious because my Japanese isn’t great and going in person in the past has been stressful. Any guidance would be appreciated! Thank you in advance 🙂
2 comments
I think you need to physically go to the bank to close the account and sign/hanko the paperwork.
You can do an international wire transfer from the bank or setup a Wise account to do the transfer of money to your American bank account.
If you are in a hurry, take your phone for translation support and go into the bank. Any branch can help you but it will be easier if you go to your home branch. Arrange the transfer first (it will cost 5000en or 6000en to do the transfer), and then close the account. Just tell them you’re leaving the country next week, it will speed things along and avoid any possible attempts on their part to retain you as a customer.
If you have more time you can consider other options for better exchange rates and lower transfer fees. If less than 500,000yen then a Wise account. If more than 1mil JPY then a Shinsei or Sony account. If between 500,000 and 1mil JPY then it’s a bit of a wash between Wise and Sony/Shinsei. You can check the /r/japanfinance wiki for more details.
If it’s a very small amount of money (100,000yen for example) then just take out cash and exchange it for USD at the airport on your way out of the country. It will save you time and frustration of trying to do a transfer at MUFG.