If I hold 永住許可, what advantages do I have when I apply for naturalisation?

This article is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails. Read the Japanese original（日本語版を読む）

Who this article is forThe enquirer came to Japan 15 years ago and holds 永住許可. He asks how that helps in a naturalisation application.

What is this enquiry about?

The enquirer came to Japan 15 years ago and holds 永住許可. He asks how that helps in a naturalisation application.

How does 永住許可 help in a naturalisation application?

It is proof that you meet the residence requirement, and it can also help on living, conduct and settling into society.

One of the requirements for naturalisation is a residence requirement: having had an address in Japan continuously for at least 5 years. Holding 永住許可 means that you have been legally allowed to live in Japan permanently, so it is strong proof that you meet this residence requirement.

Holding 永住許可 may also help you in the following ways.

• A stable living: to obtain 永住許可 you must have stable income or assets, so it also shows a stable living in the naturalisation screening.
• Good conduct: your conduct was already screened during the 永住許可 process.
• Settling into Japanese society: living in Japan for a long time and obtaining 永住許可 may show that you have settled to some degree into Japanese society and culture.

In the enquirer's case, he has lived here for 15 years, obtained 永住許可 5 years ago and has stable work. It therefore seems likely that he already meets the requirements for naturalisation.

What are the main requirements for naturalisation?

They cover residence, age, conduct, making a living, legal capacity, loss of your former nationality, respect for the Constitution and Japanese language ability.

• Having had an address in Japan continuously for at least 5 years
• Being 18 years old or over, and having legal capacity under the law of your home country
• good conduct
• Being able to make a living from the assets or skills (技能) of yourself, or of a spouse or other relative with whom you share a household
• Not being a person without legal capacity, or a person with limited legal capacity
• Losing your foreign nationality
• Since the day the Constitution of Japan was promulgated, never having plotted or advocated the destruction by force of the Constitution of Japan or of a government formed under it, and never having formed or joined a political party or other organisation that plots or advocates this
• Japanese language ability

How does the naturalisation procedure go?

It runs from a preliminary consultation at the Legal Affairs Bureau for your address, through screening, to notice of the decision.

A naturalisation application is made at the Legal Affairs Bureau that covers the applicant's address. You have to prepare a large number of documents, and the screening can take 1 year or more.

1. Preliminary consultation at the Legal Affairs Bureau: check the procedure and the required documents in detail.
2. Preparing the documents: collect and draw up the documents the Legal Affairs Bureau tells you to bring.
3. The naturalisation application: submit the full set of documents to the Legal Affairs Bureau.
4. Screening: the Legal Affairs Bureau carries out its screening.
5. Notice of the decision: you are notified of the Minister of Justice's decision to grant or refuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

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This article provides general information. Immigration rules change, and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Please check the Immigration Services Agency website or consult a qualified specialist.
This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Because it is a translation, the meaning may differ from the original in places. Where something affects a decision you are making, please check the Japanese version or ask us. The supervision by a 行政書士 is of the Japanese version.