Most DJFT guides stop at the Dutch side. Moving abroad also changes your status in Japan. These are the four things the Japanese government sources we checked mention.
1. Overseas residence registration (在留届)
Under Article 16 of Japan’s Passport Act, Japanese nationals who live abroad for 3 months or more must file an overseas residence registration (zairyū todoke) with the Japanese embassy or consulate. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks you to file it online through ORRnet. In the Netherlands, your consulate is the Embassy of Japan in The Hague.
2. A tax representative (納税管理人)
Once you no longer have an address in Japan you generally become a non-resident for Japanese income tax. If you still need to file a Japanese tax return, for example because you rent out property in Japan, the National Tax Agency says you appoint a tax representative (nōzei kanrinin) and notify the tax office for your tax address. The representative can be a person or a company.
3. Your national pension (国民年金)
Moving abroad ends your compulsory membership of the national pension. According to the Japan Pension Service, Japanese nationals living abroad aged 20 to 64 can join voluntarily (任意加入) to keep building their Japanese basic pension. You arrange it at your municipality before you leave, or afterwards at your last municipality or a pension office. You can’t join retroactively.
4. The Japan-Netherlands social security agreement
Japan and the Netherlands signed a social security agreement on February 21, 2008, in force since March 1, 2009. It prevents you from paying into both countries’ systems for the same work. For a temporary stint abroad you can stay in the Japanese system with a certificate of coverage (適用証明書); self-employed people apply for it themselves at a pension office. If you move to the Netherlands to run your business there for the long term, the Dutch system normally applies instead. Confirm your own situation with the Japan Pension Service before you leave.
A short checklist
- Apostilles for documents the IND needs (from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- Overseas residence registration on ORRnet
- Tax representative, if you’ll still have Japanese income
- Decision on voluntary national pension membership
- Moving-out procedures at your municipality
For the Dutch side, start with the DJFT guide.