Eligibility quiz
Is or was one of your birth parents a Japanese citizen?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Live in Japan for life
Your right to live in Japan has no end date.
You do not need to renew your permission to stay, though you must renew your residence card.
Study in Japan
Holders can study in Japan without changing their status.
Residents can use public education under the usual eligibility rules.
Work in Japan
Holders can work for any employer, change jobs or run a business without changing their status.
They can also choose not to work.
Travel and return
Holders can leave and return to Japan using a valid passport and residence card.
They can normally use a special return permission for a trip of up to one year.
A longer absence requires an ordinary return permission.
Use public healthcare
Residents can use public health insurance and medical care under the same eligibility rules as other residents.
Access is not automatically free and can depend on where you live, your age, income and contributions.
Use public support
Residents can use pensions, welfare and municipal services under the same eligibility rules as other residents.
Access can depend on where you live, your age, income and contributions.
How to apply
Applying at a local officeApplying at a local office
Find your immigration office
Find the regional immigration office that handles applications for the place where you live in Japan.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Japan regional immigration office handles permanent residence permission applications for your city?”
Download the application form
Download the permanent residence permission application form and the checklist for a child of a Japanese citizen. You can also get paper forms at a regional immigration office.
Download the formFill in the application
Fill in and sign your application, and ask your guarantor to complete and sign the guarantor letter.
Get help filling itSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in Japan’s permanent residence permission application and guarantor letter?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the immigration office.
See required documentsHand in your application
Bring your completed application and documents to your regional immigration office, and present your passport and residence card. A person permitted to submit it for you can go instead, but must also present their own identity and authority documents and your passport and residence card.
See how to applySearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a permanent residence permission application at a regional immigration office in Japan?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for the immigration office to examine your application, and send any additional information it asks for.
See how decisions workSearches DuckDuckGo for “How long does a permanent residence permission decision take in Japan?”
Receive your result
Follow the immigration office’s instructions to receive your result. If approved, follow its instructions to pay the permission fee and complete the residence-card procedure; you can then live in Japan as a permanent resident.
See what happens nextSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I receive my permanent residence permission result, pay the fee and update my residence card in Japan?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Parent's family register
Get a complete family-register certificate (戸籍謄本) for your Japanese parent from the municipality that keeps their family register. Japanese certificates should have been issued within the last three months.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Residence card and records
Register your address with your municipality within 14 days of establishing or changing it.
Report changes to your name, citizenship and other required card details within the time allowed.
Carry and show your residence card when the law requires, and renew it before it expires.
For holders aged 16 or over, a card is generally valid for ten years under the rules in force since 13 June 2026.
For a holder under 16, it generally lasts until their fifth birthday after issue, though transition rules apply.
Failing to renew is a breach of immigration rules and can contribute to cancellation of your status.
Missing return deadline
You can lose your status if you do not return to Japan by the deadline on your return permission.
The usual special permission is for return within one year of departure; a longer absence requires ordinary permission.
Status can be cancelled
Your status can be cancelled for a false address or for getting it through fraud.
It can also be cancelled if you leave your registered address and, without a good reason, fail to report a new one within 90 days.
Certain immigration breaches and serious crimes can also put your status at risk.
Deliberately refusing to pay public dues, including public health insurance and pension contributions, is relevant to cancellation policy.
Express rules on meeting legal duties and paying public dues are scheduled to take effect on 1 April 2027.
For newer cancellation grounds, you will ordinarily be changed to another status unless continued residence is inappropriate.
If continued residence is inappropriate, your status may be cancelled and you may have to leave.
You can also be deported for certain offences, including drug offences or a prison sentence exceeding one year.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
For Foreigners Living In Japan
English Facebook group for people living in Japan interested in Japanese visas
Join on Facebookr/movingtojapan
English Reddit group for people living in Japan interested in Japanese visas
Join on RedditMoving to Japan
English Facebook group for people living in Japan interested in Japanese visas
Request to joinConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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