MoneyInvesting and NISA

SBI Securities vs Rakuten Securities for foreign residents

SBI Securities vs Rakuten Securities for foreign residents: residence-card rules, fees, foreign stocks, US-person limits and leaving Japan (October 2026).

By JapanHow editors Updated 6 min read

Card time left
SBI 2 months, Rakuten 3
Domestic stock fee
¥0 on zero plans
US stock fee
0.495%, max $22
Scoring
Not scored
Short answer

Both SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities open accounts for foreign residents with a residence card and My Number, as of October 2026. SBI needs at least 2 months left on a non-permanent card and takes foreign applicants by mail only. Rakuten needs 3 months. Both can charge ¥0 on domestic stocks and 0.495% (maximum $22) on US stocks. US persons are restricted at both, and both limit accounts when you leave Japan. We did not score them: we have no published securities method.

Both SBI Securities (SBI証券) and Rakuten Securities (楽天証券) open accounts for foreign residents, and the main differences are small. As of October 2026, SBI wants at least 2 months left on a non-permanent residence card and takes foreign applicants by mail only. Rakuten wants 3 months. Both can charge ¥0 on Japanese stocks and 0.495% (maximum $22) on US stocks. This page is not scored.

Why this comparison is not scored

Our scoring method for each topic is published on the methodology page. It has no method for securities yet. We would rather say “not scored” than invent one. The tables below put the published facts side by side and leave the choice to you.

Everything comes from the two brokers’ own pages. Both are in Japanese. Fees and rules change, so check the current page before you apply.

Can a foreigner open an account at both?

Yes, if you live in Japan. For background on every broker, read our brokerage account guide for foreigners.

SBI Securities Rakuten Securities
ID Residence card (在留カード) or special permanent resident certificate (特別永住者証明書), plus a document showing My Number Residence card or special permanent resident certificate
Time left on card 2 months or more before expiry 3 months or more between your application date and expiry
How foreigners apply Mail only; the online EXPRESS route is not accepted Not stated on the ID page we used
If your card is close to expiring A card with under 2 months left is not accepted With under 3 months left, apply after renewing

Rakuten’s 3-month rule applies to customers with a period of stay (在留期間). Check your card date before you start. Our My Number card guide covers the number you must provide.

Do SBI or Rakuten have English support?

We could not confirm it at either broker. The SBI notice for foreign applicants and its fee table are in Japanese. The Rakuten fee, ID and setup pages are in Japanese too. We found no English account or fee pages on any of them.

Rakuten’s setup guide does let you enter your name and address in English if you have a tax residence outside Japan, along with a foreign taxpayer number. It also has a self-declaration for US taxpayers. That is a form field, not English support.

If you cannot read Japanese, plan to use a translation tool and ask the broker directly about English help before you apply.

How do the stock fees compare?

Domestic stock commissions are almost identical, and both can be zero.

SBI Securities Rakuten Securities
Zero plan “Zero Revolution” (ゼロ革命): ¥0 on any trade size. Not available if you have not signed up for electronic delivery (電子交付) “Zero course” (ゼロコース): ¥0 on any trade size. Needs your consent to smart order routing (SOR), including Rakuten’s own internal matching system
Standard fee, per trade (tax included) ¥55 up to ¥50,000; ¥275 up to ¥500,000; ¥1,013 up to ¥30 million Same figures on the Super-discount course (超割コース)
Daily-total plan Active plan: ¥0 up to ¥1 million a day; ¥1,238 up to ¥2 million One-day flat course (いちにち定額コース): ¥0 up to ¥1 million a day; ¥2,200 up to ¥2 million
Phone orders Not captured Operator-placed orders cost ¥3,795 to ¥4,950 each, whatever your course

SBI’s fee tables are dated March 2025 on its page, so confirm they still apply. Rakuten’s page shows no date we could see.

The practical difference is the condition. At SBI you must use electronic delivery of documents. At Rakuten you must agree to SOR.

What about US and other foreign stocks?

Fees on US stocks are the same on paper: 0.495% of the trade, minimum $0, cap $22 at both. On a $1,000 purchase that is $4.95.

Two cost details differ in what we could see:

  • Rakuten states its currency spread: 25 sen per US dollar each way when you pay in yen. That is ¥250 on $1,000.
  • SBI says yen-settled orders also carry a currency spread, but we did not capture the number.

SBI says US stocks bought in the NISA growth frame (成長投資枠) have no commission. Rakuten’s US fee page does not mention NISA. It says only that stocks it designates separately have free purchase commissions. Read our NISA guide for foreigners before you use NISA, because it has its own rules when you leave Japan.

Many residents want stocks from their home region. SBI’s fee page also lists China, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Fees there are higher: for example 2.2% on Vietnam and 1.1% on Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, each with a minimum. Vietnam and Indonesia also take a 0.1% sales tax on sales. We did not check which foreign markets Rakuten covers beyond the US.

What can US citizens buy?

US citizens, green-card holders and US residents face limits at both. Rakuten says they cannot trade any foreign stocks. SBI restricts their new purchases of some products; we could not read its product list reliably, so check it first.

Neither restriction page lists Japanese stocks as restricted. Ask a US-qualified tax adviser about US filing duties.

What happens to the account if I leave Japan?

SBI Securities Rakuten Securities
Rule All trading is restricted abroad. If you have no plan to return, close the account Under 1 year away: no procedure. 1 year or more: keep it only if you expect to return within 5 years
What you need File by the business day before you leave; appoint a standing proxy (常任代理人) Request forms at least 2 weeks before leaving; appoint a standing proxy
While abroad Sell and withdraw only through customer service Sell-only; foreign stocks and bonds cannot be bought or sold

At Rakuten, missing or late documents move NISA and tokutei holdings to a general account, and tokutei holdings generally cannot be moved back when you return. SBI says its tokutei holdings go to a general account and can be moved back on return. Read our leaving Japan checklist before you go. Ask a tax accountant (税理士) about your own case.

Best for …

We don’t pick one. These are the situations where the rules point one way:

  • Short time left on your card: SBI’s 2-month rule is a month shorter than Rakuten’s 3 months.
  • Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand or Malaysia stocks: SBI lists them. Check the fees first.
  • You may leave and come back within 5 years: Rakuten publishes a way to keep the account, sell-only. SBI says to close it if you have no plan to return.

Start with the brokerage account guide for foreigners. Next, read NISA for foreigners and iDeCo for foreigners. If you are leaving soon, see the leaving Japan checklist.

Questions people ask

Is SBI Securities or Rakuten Securities better for foreigners?

We don't rank them. Fees on domestic and US stocks are almost the same. The difference for you is the residence-card rule (2 months at SBI, 3 at Rakuten), SBI's mail-only application and each broker's rule when you leave Japan.

Does SBI Securities have English support?

We found no English account pages or English fee pages on the SBI pages we used. Its foreign-account notice and fee table are in Japanese. Ask SBI directly if you need English phone help, because we could not confirm it.

Does Rakuten Securities have English support?

We found no English account or fee pages at Rakuten Securities either. Its setup guide lets you type your name and address in English if you have another tax residence country, but the pages themselves are in Japanese.

Can a US citizen use SBI or Rakuten Securities?

You can usually open an account, but with limits. SBI restricts new purchases of some products for US persons. Rakuten blocks all foreign stocks for US citizens, green-card holders and US residents.

What happens to my account if I leave Japan?

SBI says to close the account if you will not return. Rakuten lets you keep it as sell-only if you expect to return within 5 years and name a standing proxy. Both ask you to file before you leave: SBI by the business day before departure, Rakuten if you will be away a year or more.

Sources

  1. 学生や外国籍でもSBI証券の口座開設申込みはできますか, SBI証券 (SBI Securities) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
  2. 外国籍のお客さま（個人）の口座開設手続きについて, SBI証券 (SBI Securities) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
  3. 手数料 (SBI Securities fee page), SBI証券 (SBI Securities) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
  4. 米国人・グリーンカード保有者・米国居住者への販売制限について, SBI証券 (SBI Securities) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
  5. 海外出国時(非居住者)の手続きについて, SBI証券 (SBI Securities) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
  6. 本人確認書類について, 楽天証券 (Rakuten Securities) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
  7. 現物取引手数料, 楽天証券 (Rakuten Securities) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
  8. 米国株式 手数料, 楽天証券 (Rakuten Securities) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
  9. 初期設定のご案内, 楽天証券 (Rakuten Securities) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
  10. 米国人・グリーンカード保有者・米国居住者への取引制限について, 楽天証券 (Rakuten Securities) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
  11. 海外出国のお手続き, 楽天証券 (Rakuten Securities) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)

Spotted something out of date or wrong? Email [email protected] and we will check it against the source. See our corrections policy.

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