2025-09-04

When a foreign national seeks to acquire Japanese nationality, they must undergo the naturalization application process. Since this involves relinquishing their current nationality and acquiring a new one, several strict requirements must be met. Furthermore, the review period is longer than for typical residence status applications. How long does it take for an application to be approved?

What is a naturalization application?

A naturalization application is the procedure for a foreign national residing in Japan to acquire Japanese nationality. The application is submitted to the Legal Affairs Bureau (Immigration Services Agency). If approved, the applicant loses their current foreign nationality and acquires Japanese nationality. However, several strict requirements must be met for approval.

For example, the applicant must have reached the age of majority (18 years old). Additionally, they must also be of legal age according to the laws of their current country of nationality.

Furthermore, there are requirements such as not having any tax delinquencies or having received any serious criminal penalties during their current period of residence in Japan.

Naturalization Application Process

The naturalization application process follows these steps:

First, visit the Legal Affairs Bureau (Regional Legal Affairs Bureau) with jurisdiction over the applicant’s address to confirm the required documents. Note that an appointment is necessary before visiting. Some Legal Affairs Bureaus may have appointments booked several months in advance, so it is advisable to make an appointment early.

The staff at the counter will confirm details such as the applicant’s reason for coming to Japan, current residence status, family composition, and criminal history. If it is determined that the applicant meets the requirements for naturalization based on this information, the necessary documents for the application will be specified.

Next, the applicant must gather the specified required documents. Obtaining documents and certificates issued by the applicant’s home country can be particularly time-consuming and difficult. Some documents can be obtained from the Japanese embassy, but others require an actual trip back to the home country.

Once all required documents are gathered, the applicant fills out the application form. Note that the entire form must be handwritten by the applicant. The Ministry of Justice publishes a “Guide to Naturalization” that explains how to fill out the form; use this as a reference.

Afterwards, the application form and required documents are submitted to the Legal Affairs Bureau (a prior appointment is required). If there are no particular issues with the information provided or the required documents, the application will be accepted. However, “acceptance” here means the application and documents are received; it does not signify approval. If there are deficiencies or missing documents, corrections or obtaining the missing documents will be required.

Approximately two to three months after document acceptance, an interview with a Legal Affairs Bureau official will be conducted. This involves questions regarding any points of doubt in the documents, as well as the applicant’s past and current circumstances. If the applicant has a spouse or similar, an interview with that person may also occur.

Additionally, the Legal Affairs Bureau will call the applicant’s company or school to verify employment or enrollment. In some cases, they may also conduct an actual visit to the applicant’s residence.

Finally, if it is determined that the applicant meets the naturalization requirements, the application and documents are sent to the Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Justice then decides whether to grant or deny permission. If permission is granted, the applicant’s name is published in the Official Gazette, and the Legal Affairs Bureau officer will call the applicant. However, if permission is denied, a “Notice of Denial” will be sent.

How long does it take?

The above outlines the general process from submitting the naturalization application to receiving permission (or denial).

The time required to acquire Japanese nationality is approximately 1 to 2 months for document preparation, 2 to 3 months from application to the interview at the Legal Affairs Bureau, and about 10 months from the interview to the decision on approval or denial. Therefore, the total time from preparing the necessary documents to the decision is around 13 to 15 months

Summary

The period required to acquire Japanese nationality is approximately 13 to 15 months. However, this timeframe may vary slightly depending on the applicant’s circumstances, the size of the Legal Affairs Bureau where the application is filed, and its workload. In any case, it is necessary to apply with ample time to spare.