Procedures and requirements for permanent residents to apply for naturalization

This time, if you already have permanent residence, we will tell you about the merits of naturalization, other procedures, requirements, etc.

Advantages and disadvantages of permanent residents applying for naturalization

The following are the advantages and disadvantages of applying for naturalization.

◆ Merit

• ・ You can have a Japanese name
• ・ Having a Japanese family register, the couple can enter the same family register
• ・ You can have a Japanese passport
• ・ Social security will be treated the same as Japanese
• ・ Get suffrage
• ・ It will be possible to take the position of a civil servant
• ・ It will be easier to receive mortgages and loans from banks.

◆ Disadvantages

• ・ Lose nationality of home country (Japan is prohibited from dual citizenship)
• ・ A visa is required to return to your home country (although many Japanese passports do not have a visa)
• ・ Lose the rights of the people in their home country

Naturalization requirements for permanent residents

▼Requirements for normal naturalization

B) Address conditions (Article XNUMX, Paragraph XNUMX, Item XNUMX of the Nationality Law)

　Until the time of applying for naturalization, it is necessary to continue to live in Japan for more than 5 years at a legal address with a valid status of residence.

B) Ability conditions (Article XNUMX, Paragraph XNUMX, Item XNUMX of the Nationality Law)

　You must be at least 20 years old and have reached the age of majority according to the laws of your home country.
　Note: From April 4, 2022, "4 years of age or older" will be changed to "1 years of age or older."

C) Behavioral conditions (Article XNUMX, Paragraph XNUMX, Item XNUMX of the Nationality Law)

　It is necessary that the behavior is good.
　Judgment is made based on common wisdom, based on ordinary people, taking into consideration the presence or absence of criminal records, the mode, tax payment status, and the presence or absence of inconvenience to society.

D) Livelihood conditions (Article XNUMX, Paragraph XNUMX, Item XNUMX of the Nationality Law)

　It is necessary to be able to live in Japan without having to worry about life.
　This condition is judged on a relative basis that makes a living, so if the applicant can lead a stable life with the assets or skills of his / her spouse or other relatives even if he / she does not have income, he / she can use this condition. It will be satisfied.

E) Conditions for preventing dual citizenship (Article XNUMX, Paragraph XNUMX, Item XNUMX of the Nationality Law)

　Those who intend to naturalize must be stateless or, in principle, lose their previous nationality due to naturalization.
　With the exception of this, naturalization may be permitted if the nationality of the country cannot be lost at the will of the individual.

F) Constitutional compliance conditions (Article XNUMX, Paragraph XNUMX, Item XNUMX of the Nationality Law)

　Naturalization is not permitted to anyone who attempts or claims to violently destroy the Japanese government, or who has formed or joined such an organization.

The above are the requirements for naturalization from the normal status of residence.

What happens to permanent residents is that most of them are permanent residents who have already lived in Japan for more than 10 years.
In this case, the conditions for naturalization are relaxed a little,Meet the address requirements after working for more than a year.
thisSimple naturalizationIs called.

Simple naturalization

If you meet certain social status and conditions,Application for partial relaxation of general naturalization requirements.
of the applicantstatus and conditionsThe content of the relaxation will change depending on the

▼ When address conditions are relaxed

● A person who was a Japanese national and has an address or residence (*) in Japan for 3 years or more.

This is a case where a person who originally had Japanese nationality will regain Japanese nationality.The 5 year address requirement will be reduced to 3 years.

● Those who were born in Japan and have an address or residence in Japan for 3 years or more.Or, a person whose real parents were born in Japan

Many special permanent residents meet this requirement.The 5 year address requirement will be reduced to 3 years.

● Those who have been in Japan for more than 10 years

In many cases, special permanent residents, permanent residents, and those who continue to stay in Japan after studying abroad meet this condition.
For general naturalization, it is necessary to live in Japan for 5 years or more and work for 3 years or more, but under this condition,Employed for more than 1 yearmeets the address requirements.

* Address means the home of life in Japan, and in principle, foreigners who stay for more than 3 months are obliged to report their address.
　A place of residence is a place where a person stays for a certain period of time, although it is not the home of life.
　This is the place of residence of short-term residents in Japan.

▼ When address conditions and ability conditions are relaxed

● Foreigners who are spouses of Japanese nationals who have had an address or residence in Japan for more than 3 years and currently have an address in Japan

The point of this condition is that the marriage period does not have to be more than 3 years.
If you have lived in Japan for more than 3 years before getting married, you will meet this requirement when you get married.
In addition, if this requirement is met, minors under the age of 20 can apply for naturalization.

● A Japanese spouse who has been married for 3 years or more and has an address in Japan for 1 year or more.

This is the case when you marry a Japanese person and live abroad for more than 2 years, then move to Japan and live with your Japanese spouse for more than 1 year.
Even if you meet this requirement, you can apply for naturalization even if you are a minor under the age of 20.

▼ When address conditions, ability conditions, and livelihood conditions are relaxed

● A real child of a Japanese citizen who has an address in Japan

This applies when the father or mother first applies for a naturalization permit and then naturalizes to Japanese nationality, and then the child applies for a naturalization permit.
This also applies to children of parents (Japanese and non-Japanese nationals) who have been married internationally and who did not select Japanese nationality when selecting their nationality, but who later naturalize.
If you meet this requirement, your ability and livelihood requirements will be relaxed regardless of the number of years you have been in Japan.

● A person who has been adopted by a Japanese citizen, has an address in Japan for more than one year, and was a minor under the law of his / her home country at the time of adoption.

A person who has been adopted by a Japanese citizen, has an address in Japan for more than one year, and was a minor under the law of his / her home country at the time of adoption.
This applies to children whose parents have married a Japanese and adopted a step-parent when they were a minor.

● Those who have lost their Japanese nationality and have an address in Japan

This applies when a person who was originally Japanese but has lost Japanese nationality regains Japanese nationality.
However, this requirement does not apply if a person who has been naturalized once and has acquired Japanese nationality applies for naturalization again after losing Japanese nationality.

● Those who were born in Japan, have no nationality since they were born, and have an address in Japan for more than 3 years since they were born.

This applies if you were born in Japan, have been stateless for some reason, and have an address in Japan for more than 3 years since you were born.

Naturalization application procedure for permanent residents

◆ Flow

1. ① Reservation for prior consultation with the Legal Affairs Bureau or Regional Legal Affairs Bureau that has jurisdiction over the address
2. ② Prior consultation at the Legal Affairs Bureau
   　 * At this time, the approximate required documents will be confirmed.
3. ③ Collection of documents required for naturalization application
4. ④ Preparation of naturalization application
5. ⑤ Ask the Legal Affairs Bureau of the jurisdiction where you consulted in advance to check the application form in advance.
   　 * The number of attached documents for naturalization application may be 100 or more, so it is important to have the documents confirmed in advance for smooth application.
6. ⑥ Submit a set of naturalization application documents to the Legal Affairs Bureau
   • * Application set (example)
   • ・ Naturalization application form set
   • ・ Residence card or Special Permanent Resident Certificate
   • ·Driver's license
   • ·passport
7. ⑦ Interview at the Legal Affairs Bureau
   　 *The date and time of the interview will be specified by the Legal Affairs Bureau about 3 months after the application.The naturalization application interview is an important point for obtaining naturalization
8. ⑧ Examination by the Ministry of Justice
   　 * After the interview, a set of related materials will be circulated to the Ministry of Justice main office and will be examined by the Ministry of Justice.
   　 　It generally takes about 6 months to 1 year from the application to get the result.
   　 * The status of residence in Japan during the examination period is also included in the examination.
   　 　Therefore, every time you change your address, change your workplace, or go on an overseas trip, report it to the Legal Affairs Bureau where you submitted your application.
   　 * If your period of stay is approaching, you will need to apply for permission to renew your period of stay as usual.
   　 　In addition, as a matter of course, residence tax and pension insurance premiums must be paid on time, and traffic violations and traffic accidents under examination also affect the examination.
9. ⑨ Permit / disapproval of naturalization
   　 * The name of the naturalized person will be published in the official bulletin.Naturalization will take effect (= acquisition of Japanese nationality) when it is published in the official bulletin.

▼ Requirements for special permanent resident

Those who have a status of residence stipulated in the Special Law Concerning the Immigration Control of Persons Who Lost Japanese Nationality Based on the Peace Treaty with Japan (Immigration Control Special Law), which came into effect on November 1991, 11,Special permanent residentIt's called.
Specifically, Koreans in Japan and Taiwanese in Japan (subject to the Korean Family Register Ordinance and the Taiwanese Family Register Ordinance), who were deemed to have withdrawn from Japanese nationality under the San Francisco Treaty of San Francisco, which came into effect on April 1952, 4. Those who have been resident in Japan since September 28, 1945) are eligible.
Those who have left Japan and lost their status of residence (generally those who have returned to the Democratic People s Republic of Korea) do not fall under this category.
The basic requirement is that the person is a direct descendant of a person who has left the nationality of the Peace Treaty and was born in Japan and then continues to reside in Japan.

▼ Comparison of special permanent residents and permanent residents when applying for naturalization

Basically the documents to be submitted arethere is no big difference.
However, since most of the people were born and raised in Japan,Many people take time to collect foreign family registersIt looks like
Naturalization requires not only your own documents but also the documents of your parents and siblings, so you need to collect them from a foreign country.

Summary

This time, I explained the case where permanent residents are naturalized.
Being a permanent resident means that you have at least a long history of living in Japan, can speak Japanese to some extent, and are familiar with culture.
I think it is a very important decision whether such a person will remain a permanent resident or naturalize.
We hope that you will understand that naturalization has both merits and demerits, and that you can look ahead to your own future and use it as much as possible in your decisions.

For inquiries about naturalization application, please contact the administrative scrivener corporation Climb!
Please feel free to contact us by phone or inquiry form!

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