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What to Do Before Moving Out of Japan?

When you ask someone who has experience of moving, they will tell you that moving is one of the most stressful things you can experience during your lifetime. If you have spent a significant number of years in an area, you will certainly feel sad when the time comes to leave. In some cases, you will have to move out of a country, which is an even more stressful process.

When we say this, we are talking about moving out of one country and moving to another one. Needless to say, every time you move to another country it means that you will have to adjust to the mentality and local culture of the country you are moving to.

Without a doubt, we are talking about a pretty hard and stressful procedure. Not to mention there are a large number of things for you to take care of before leaving a country. One of the best examples of this procedure is the one you will face in Japan. Many people are not aware of the fact that moving from this country is much harder than leaving some other countries. There are some processes you need to complete before you can actually move out of Japan.

If you have some additional luggage to handle, you can always hire a moving company to help you out. If you are in need of these services, there are some international moving companies in Japan which give you all kinds of information useful for your move such as what kind of documents you need, how you should pack your items, how shipping charges are calculated, etc. You can read more here. In addition to the emotional stress you should overcome, you will need to complete all of these things. It seems that this became a pretty important topic in the last couple of years as many people move internationally, we would like to present you with the most significant things you need to do before you can leave.

Get Rid of Unnecessary Items

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One of the first points you need to take care of is getting rid of all the things that you don’t really need. Just think about it, you will need to move a significant number of things from a country to another, meaning moving between two different foreign countries, which is normally a struggle. Therefore, you should dispose of all the things that are not vital for you.

Thankfully, you will find many different places where you can recycle these items without throwing them into the garbage. You should take a look at sayonara sales, and inform yourself about the whole concept a little bit better. Of course, there are recycling shops you will be able to take your things to. So, you can rest assured that finding these places will not be as hard as you might think.

Terminate Apartment Obligations

It’s needless to say that being fully aware of deadlines is an absolute must. Chances are you will leave the apartment before your contract expires. Therefore, you will need to cancel it at some point. Plus, chances are that you will have some clauses in that contract that could force you to pay some serious amount of money as penalties to the landlord. So, you will need to be careful when making that contract. When the time for the cancellation comes, you will be required to cancel all the utility bills as well. Naturally, you will need to gather all the unpaid bills, and you will need to pay them before you leave. While you can pay some of these taxes upfront with cash, there are others that will require you to leave some amount of money in the bank account. In addition, you should terminate all the services, like TV license, internet, and all other services.

Check Your Visa

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When you’re leaving the country, you will need to check the validness of your visa. If your visa is about to expire, you will need to visit the immigration agency to file and apply for temporary resident status. Going to the airport without having a valid visa is a very bad decision. Sometimes, you can expect that they can ban you from visiting Japan ever again. And this would be a shame, right? Without a doubt, this is a country that simply wants you to return.

Paying all the Taxes

If you have been employed while you were in this country, you need to pay for all the residence taxes. In case you have any kind of uncertainties about this topic, you should consult with the National Tax Agency. Most of the time, your employer will take care of taxes. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t see if all the things have been done properly.

Otherwise, you would face some consequences. Nobody would like that right? In case you would like to get a pension refund, you should think about appointing a tax representative. It goes without saying that you would need to find someone trustworthy. That way, you will avoid all the unexpected surprises. So, be careful and aware of all the things that revolve around any kind of tax.

Inform Authorities that You’re Leaving Japan

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Since you live in Japan, you are perfectly aware of your obligation to go to the city hall and inform them about your arrival when you move to Japan. The process is pretty much the same when you are moving out of the country. Both of these moments will require you to fill a form about your arrival and your departure. Thankfully, this process will not take too long, and you will be able to finish it in a couple of minutes.

The Bottom Line

Anyone who’s been to Japan knows how beautiful this country is. We cannot understand who would like to move out of it. However, life is life, and sometimes we need to do something we don’t like. Here, we’ve presented you with the most important things you need to do before you move out of this beautiful country. All of these points are equally important. So, take a look at them carefully and fulfill them before you move out.

About Suzan Vega