Can a foreigner not open a bank account in Japan without disclosing their parents’ nationality and place of birth?
Obviously, if status as a USC was known, FIs in *any* (FATCA-compliant) country would report accounts to the US. But the point is, how would a Dutch national carrying a Dutch passport and born in the Netherlands be identified as a US person?
Reporting the accounts currently has no negative consequences for a dual citizen not interested in moving to the US, but that’s another issue. Still worth avoiding, on principle.
“ Can a foreigner not open a bank account in Japan without disclosing their parents’ nationality and place of birth?”
In short, no. A few years ago I opened a new account to find out for myself and to report here what the current requirements were. First I had to present my “Gaijin” card. Long explanation on this cut short. The new “Gaijin” card is optional for Japanese nationals but required of resident aliens. Upon this card is listed one’s nationality and immigration status. Despite that fact that I am a legal, Permanent Resident, I could not open the account until I returned with my passport and U.S SSN card or other proof of my SSN. As a USC, no US SSN=no account. I was also given a FATCA letter and release form to sign stating that I gave the bank permission to report all account activity to the IRS. If any of these were missing, I would not have been able to open the account. (Beyond this, when I first came to Japan as a civilian, one had to allow any rental service to photo copy your passport or gaijin card before engaging the service. Illegal for them to require these but if you refused, they refused you service.)
Additionally, I had to provide my Japanese My Number card which all Japanese residence are to have. Think of it as a super duper SSN. Its stated purpose is to make life more convenient by having a single number for ALL purposes. Not there yet but well on the way and again, that is its stated purpose.
My children were born in Japan. Their mother is Japanese. They have Japanese passports but have not been registered at the US embassy and do not have US SSNs. Yet, due to the fact that their My Numbers are linked to the Family Registry, the fact that their father was a USC at the time of their births is forever linked to their MY Number.
For the Dutch national in question, it would depend upon to what degree the automatic sharing of immigration info has progressed and how Japanese Immigration treat dual nationalities. I know that Japan does not in general recognize dual nationality with their own citizens but I do not know how they treat duals without Japanese nationality.
However, whatever the current situation is, it is undoubtably moving in directions that are unfavorable for us, including this Dutch national.
Talk about “I wish I knew this before.”, if I knew about CBT, I would never have ventured abroad with out taking precautions to protect myself, business associates and most importantly, family.
If our Dutchman does not in someway take care of his problem, he will constantly need to research what the current climate towards USCs are in each and every country he may wish to work in and possibly travel to or through. He would also have to consider the implications for any children he may have.
This is a cancer, ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.
@JapanT
Assume for the purposes of argument that our hypothetical Dutchman-born-in-the-Netherlands is willing to lie, or more benignly, remains blissfully unaware of his possible US citizenship via parentage. (I say possible because of course US citizenship is not automatically transmitted to all children born abroad.)
It’s possible that the immigration paperwork he fills out when entering Japan could ask for information about parents, including birthplace and nationality. That is the case for Germany, though the form field for place of birth (I just checked) is very small and there are no details given for what information belongs there. Again, the fact that one parent was born in the US does not automatically mean that a person is a US citizen.
However, you are suggesting that one parent’s US birthplace would be taken as a determination of US citizenship, and this information would find its way from an immigration form to a Japanese bank, during or after the process of opening an account?
Can a foreigner not open a bank account in Japan without disclosing their parents’ nationality and place of birth?
Obviously, if status as a USC was known, FIs in *any* (FATCA-compliant) country would report accounts to the US. But the point is, how would a Dutch national carrying a Dutch passport and born in the Netherlands be identified as a US person?
Reporting the accounts currently has no negative consequences for a dual citizen not interested in moving to the US, but that’s another issue. Still worth avoiding, on principle.
“ Can a foreigner not open a bank account in Japan without disclosing their parents’ nationality and place of birth?”
In short, no. A few years ago I opened a new account to find out for myself and to report here what the current requirements were. First I had to present my “Gaijin” card. Long explanation on this cut short. The new “Gaijin” card is optional for Japanese nationals but required of resident aliens. Upon this card is listed one’s nationality and immigration status. Despite that fact that I am a legal, Permanent Resident, I could not open the account until I returned with my passport and U.S SSN card or other proof of my SSN. As a USC, no US SSN=no account. I was also given a FATCA letter and release form to sign stating that I gave the bank permission to report all account activity to the IRS. If any of these were missing, I would not have been able to open the account. (Beyond this, when I first came to Japan as a civilian, one had to allow any rental service to photo copy your passport or gaijin card before engaging the service. Illegal for them to require these but if you refused, they refused you service.)
Additionally, I had to provide my Japanese My Number card which all Japanese residence are to have. Think of it as a super duper SSN. Its stated purpose is to make life more convenient by having a single number for ALL purposes. Not there yet but well on the way and again, that is its stated purpose.
My children were born in Japan. Their mother is Japanese. They have Japanese passports but have not been registered at the US embassy and do not have US SSNs. Yet, due to the fact that their My Numbers are linked to the Family Registry, the fact that their father was a USC at the time of their births is forever linked to their MY Number.
For the Dutch national in question, it would depend upon to what degree the automatic sharing of immigration info has progressed and how Japanese Immigration treat dual nationalities. I know that Japan does not in general recognize dual nationality with their own citizens but I do not know how they treat duals without Japanese nationality.
However, whatever the current situation is, it is undoubtably moving in directions that are unfavorable for us, including this Dutch national.
Talk about “I wish I knew this before.”, if I knew about CBT, I would never have ventured abroad with out taking precautions to protect myself, business associates and most importantly, family.
If our Dutchman does not in someway take care of his problem, he will constantly need to research what the current climate towards USCs are in each and every country he may wish to work in and possibly travel to or through. He would also have to consider the implications for any children he may have.
This is a cancer, ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.
@JapanT
Assume for the purposes of argument that our hypothetical Dutchman-born-in-the-Netherlands is willing to lie, or more benignly, remains blissfully unaware of his possible US citizenship via parentage. (I say possible because of course US citizenship is not automatically transmitted to all children born abroad.)
It’s possible that the immigration paperwork he fills out when entering Japan could ask for information about parents, including birthplace and nationality. That is the case for Germany, though the form field for place of birth (I just checked) is very small and there are no details given for what information belongs there. Again, the fact that one parent was born in the US does not automatically mean that a person is a US citizen.
However, you are suggesting that one parent’s US birthplace would be taken as a determination of US citizenship, and this information would find its way from an immigration form to a Japanese bank, during or after the process of opening an account?