Did you know? What can prove Japanese nationality?
The most common way for foreign nationals to obtain Japanese citizenship is to apply for naturalization. If you fulfill several requirements and pass the examination of the Immigration Bureau, you will become a “Japanese citizen. In this case, what can be used to prove Japanese citizenship?
How to acquire Japanese nationality
The most common way for a foreign national to acquire Japanese nationality is to apply for naturalization. After gathering the necessary documents for naturalization, the application is submitted to the Immigration Bureau.
However, in order for naturalization to be granted, several requirements must be met. For example, the applicant must have lived in Japan for at least five years, be of good conduct (e.g., not in arrears of taxes or having never been convicted of a crime), and have a job or assets in Japan that will enable him or her to continue to live in Japan.
The Immigration Bureau will make a decision on whether or not to approve naturalization based on the submitted documents and the results of an interview with the applicant.
Procedures for obtaining Japanese citizenship
If naturalization is approved after application, the applicant’s name and address will be published in the official gazette. This is called the “notification of naturalization. Approximately one or two weeks after the notification, a “notice” will be sent to the applicant. The applicant is required to bring the “notice” to the Legal Affairs Bureau to receive the “naturalization identification card.
To do so, you must go to the municipal office of the address where you live or your permanent domicile, which you specified when you applied for naturalization, within one month from the date of notification, and submit your “naturalization certificate” and “notification of naturalization” at the counter. This procedure takes about one or two weeks.
This procedure will result in the creation of a new family register in approximately one or two weeks. In other words, your family register will not be automatically created just because your naturalization is approved. Failure to file this notification may result in a fine.
What can prove Japanese nationality?
By creating a family register, you have acquired Japanese nationality and will assume a new name as a Japanese national.
You must also go through the procedures to change your my number card at the municipal office where you have your certificate of residence. You must submit the notification of naturalization, notification of acquisition of Japanese nationality, and your My Number Card to the counter to change your name, etc. However, since there is no indication of nationality on the My Number Card, there is no need to change your nationality even if you have acquired Japanese citizenship.
If you have a driver’s license, you must also go through the nationality change procedure. However, since nationality is not indicated on the driver’s license, it cannot be used as proof of Japanese nationality.
Therefore, if a foreign national has acquired Japanese nationality, a “family register (koseki) transcript (kohon)” is generally required as proof.
Summary
When a foreign national acquires Japanese nationality, the only proof of Japanese nationality is a “family register (koseki) transcript (shohon)” that can be obtained at the place of domicile. This is because nationality is not indicated on a my number card or driver’s license, which can be used as identification.
