When should you think carefully before naturalising?

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）

What is this enquiry about?

A guide for permanent residents who are weighing naturalisation as their next step.

What should I understand before I decide?

Naturalisation involves giving up your home nationality, and as a rule you cannot go back to it.

Naturalisation is a major decision in your life. You give up the nationality of your home country and become Japanese. Once you have naturalised, as a rule you cannot return to your former nationality.

Japan does not allow multiple nationality, so if your naturalisation is approved you must go through the procedure to give up your home nationality. Do not decide by looking only at the benefits. Understand the downsides and the risks too, and weigh them against your own situation.

For the difference between permanent residence and naturalisation, please also read Which is better for you, naturalisation or permanent residence?

What if ties to my home country matter to me?

If your home nationality gives you rights you cannot get otherwise, or you plan to live there, think carefully.

• If you feel strongly attached to your home country: the right to vote there, the right to hold public office, special rights over land or inheritance, and cultural and historical ties are things you may only have with your original nationality. If losing them troubles you, naturalisation is not necessarily the right choice for you.
• If you plan to visit or live in your home country often: if life there is part of your normal routine, or you may return there to live in the future, holding Japanese nationality may make procedures more complicated and may affect your taxes.
• If legal ties to family in your home country matter to you: if you are in an international marriage, or you have many relatives there and want your home country's law to apply to inheritance and to managing property, a change of nationality may create complex problems.

How heavy is the procedure, and how long does screening take?

There are many documents, interviews can happen more than once, and it is not unusual for approval to take 1 year or more.

• Gathering documents: you obtain documents from your home country, have them translated into Japanese, and collect documents from Japanese public offices. The range of documents is very wide, and this is said to take a lot of effort and time. For documents from abroad, please see How to obtain overseas documents for a naturalisation application.
• Interviews at the Legal Affairs Bureau: interviews with an officer of the Legal Affairs Bureau may happen more than once. You will answer a wide range of questions about your life in Japan and your reasons for naturalising. What you are asked at the naturalisation interview explains what happens.
• Screening period: it is said not to be unusual for 1 year or more to pass between the application and approval. Some people find this wait hard.

These are only general tendencies reported in practice. The length and the number of interviews differ from case to case.

What if I am worried about good conduct or making a living?

In practice these are looked at more strictly than for a permanent residence application, so check them in advance.

A naturalisation application has to meet the requirements set out in law. Among these, good conduct and the requirement to be able to make a living tend to be looked at more strictly than for a permanent residence application, or so it is said.

• If you are worried about good conduct: past traffic offences (especially drink-driving or an accident causing injury), unpaid tax, unpaid pension or health insurance contributions, and a criminal record are generally understood in practice to be circumstances given weight in the good conduct screening. If any of these apply to you, it is important to sort out the situation before you apply.
• If you are worried about making a living: no stable income, very small savings, receiving public assistance, or heavy debt are generally understood in practice to be factors that affect the judgement on whether you can live stably in Japan.
• If you are worried about your Japanese: a naturalisation application asks for the Japanese ability you need for daily life. If simple reading, writing and conversation worry you, this may affect the screening.

If I do not care about voting or public office, can I just stay a permanent resident?

If the main benefits of naturalisation do not attract you, keeping permanent residence is a perfectly reasonable choice.

One of the big benefits of naturalisation is the right to vote in Japanese elections and to hold public office, including public service jobs. But some people are not particularly drawn to this.

• You have no strong interest in Japanese politics or elections, and you do not feel troubled by not having a vote.
• You are happy in your current job and have no plan to become a public servant or to hold a particular public office. With permanent residence you can work in almost any job, and your career options stay wide.

Naturalisation is a decision that changes your life. If any of this applies to you, or you feel unsure, do not rush into an application. Take your time and look again at your situation now and at your plans for the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Articles

• Changing jobs before a naturalisation application: when should I submit?
• My naturalisation was denied. What should I watch out for when I apply again?
• My husband went bankrupt before we married. Should I tell the Legal Affairs Bureau?
• My spouse may be transferred abroad. When should I apply for 帰化 (naturalisation)?

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. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.