• What is Naturalization
• The Naturalization Process
• The 7 Requirements for Naturalization
• About the New Standards Effective April 2026
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Fees

What is Naturalization / How It Differs From Permanent Residency

Naturalization refers to a person who does not hold Japanese nationality acquiring Japanese nationality.
The application procedure required for this is called a naturalization application.

How It Differs From “Permanent Resident” Status

A common question is what exactly the difference is between naturalization and obtaining “Permanent Resident” status. While these are easy to confuse, there’s a clear distinction: naturalization means “acquiring Japanese nationality and living as a Japanese national,” whereas being a Permanent Resident means “holding the right to reside in Japan indefinitely, as a foreign national.”

Once naturalized, you become a Japanese national — so naturally, a residence card is no longer needed, and you’re entered into a family register (koseki). You’re also granted the right to vote, and since you’re no longer a foreign national, there’s no longer any risk of deportation.
On the other hand, naturalization comes with a “loss of nationality requirement” — so if you acquire Japanese nationality, you must apply with a full understanding that you will lose your nationality of origin.

The Naturalization Process & Our Office’s Role

Applications for statuses of residence are made to the Immigration Services Agency, but naturalization applications are submitted to the Legal Affairs Bureau (Homukyoku) instead. Online applications are not possible.

The actual steps taken with the Legal Affairs Bureau are simple in outline:

1. Preliminary consultation
2. Application (followed by review and an interview)
3. Notification of approval (or denial)

However, the number of matters to check and documents required is substantial.

As for the review period, it takes at least 6 months to a year from the time of application, so you’ll also need to check the remaining period of your current status of residence. If your period of stay expires after you’ve applied, you’ll need to renew it — so please be careful about this.

Before Step ① above, our office first meets with you to check whether you meet the requirements for naturalization. Once you formally request our services, we provide comprehensive support at every stage leading up to the application — including preparing the full set of naturalization application documents, advising on required documents, helping with document collection, translating foreign-language documents, and accompanying you to the Legal Affairs Bureau. Please feel free to consult us about anything you might find hard to ask the Legal Affairs Bureau directly.

Our Representative’s Experience & Approach to Naturalization

Before registering as an administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi), our representative worked as a staff member of a supervisory organization supporting the acceptance of technical intern trainees, and has also personally gone through international marriage. He has consulted with people in many different situations — those choosing naturalization after building a life in Japan, and those torn between aiming for permanent residency or naturalization.

Permanent residency and naturalization share common ground as “options for continuing to live in Japan long-term,” but they differ greatly in nature. Permanent residency lets you reside in Japan while keeping your foreign nationality, whereas naturalization means acquiring Japanese nationality and losing your nationality of origin. There are also non-trivial practical differences — such as whether you have the right to vote, or whether you’re subject to deportation.

Which option to choose depends on your own and your family’s future plans, and your relationship with your home country. Our office values not just explaining the institutional requirements, but also being a place where you can consult us about the background behind this choice.

The 7 Requirements for Naturalization

Frequently Asked Questions

If I naturalize, what happens to my nationality of origin?

Since Japan generally does not permit dual nationality, acquiring Japanese nationality through naturalization means losing your nationality of origin. Depending on your home country, a nationality renunciation procedure may also be required, so it’s important to check this in advance.

Specifically, how has the residency requirement changed under the new standards effective April 2026?

The text of the Nationality Act itself (“continuously for 5 years or more”) has not changed, but in practice, the operation is reported to have shifted toward requiring a longer period of residence. The periods checked for tax and social insurance payment history have also been extended. Whether this applies to your own situation requires individual assessment, so please consult us first.

How much Japanese language ability is required?

This isn’t explicitly stated in the text of the law, but in addition to conversational ability, reading and writing ability tend to be weighted heavily in the review. As a general guideline, it’s reassuring to have around JLPT N1 or N2 level.

Can my family apply for naturalization at the same time as me?

If each family member meets the requirements, applying at the same time is possible. In particular, if your spouse or parent already holds Japanese nationality, you may qualify for “simplified naturalization,” where some requirements are relaxed.

Fees

Our office offers an “Approval Guarantee (full refund policy)” for status-of-residence applications, under which we refund the full fee if an application is denied. However, due to the nature of naturalization, we charge 50% of the fee at the start of work and the remaining 50% at the time of filing, as compensation for “document preparation and related work leading up to the application,” regardless of the outcome.

Please note in advance that naturalization applications are not eligible for our refund guarantee policy.

Our fees for this service, when requested, are as follows.

Service	Fee	Notes
Naturalization Application	￥220,000	Change of nationality (※Not eligible for the refund guarantee policy)