Hi everyone,
I’m currently living in Italy and will be relocating to Japan in April 2026 for a new job. I’m looking for advice on how to transition my small investment portfolio efficiently.
Current Situation:
Broker: Interactive Brokers (IBKR) Europe.
Assets: Vanguard World ETFs (UCITS).
Portfolio age/size: Started ~1 year ago, relatively small balance.
My Questions:
IBKR Migration: When I change my tax residency to Japan, what happens to my IBKR Europe account? Can I simply update my address, or am I forced to liquidate/transfer?
ETF Compatibility: Can I keep my current Vanguard UCITS ETFs while living in Japan, or do they become a tax/compliance headache? Should I consider selling them before moving and starting fresh?
NISA Strategy: I plan to open a NISA account once settled. Given my portfolio is small, would it be simpler to sell my European assets and "restart" my investment plan directly within the NISA framework in Japan?
Logistics: Is an in-kind transfer from IBKR Europe to a Japanese broker (like Rakuten, SBI, or IBKR Japan) even possible for a small portfolio, or is "cash out and reinvest" the standard path?
I’d appreciate any suggestions on the most tax-efficient and simplest way to handle this transition.
Thanks in advance
by Feeling-Lecture-906