2025-09-09

Permanent residency refers to the “right to live permanently in Japan” for foreign nationals. While residing in Japan for at least 10 years is required to obtain this right, is it impossible to acquire it in less than 10 years? Let’s explain this point.

What is Permanent Residency?

Permanent residency is, literally, the “right for foreign nationals to reside permanently in Japan.”

Foreign nationals can work in Japan with a work-related visa. If they meet certain requirements, such as residing in Japan for over 10 years and holding a status of residence for at least 5 years, they can apply for “permanent residence permission.”

If the application is approved, they can obtain “permanent residency.” This removes any previous restrictions on the length of stay. Furthermore, restrictions on employment are also essentially eliminated. In other words, foreigners with “permanent residency” can live a life almost identical to that of Japanese citizens.

Requirements for Granting Permanent Residency

To be granted permanent residency, four requirements must be met.

First, you must have resided continuously in Japan for at least 10 years by the time of application. Since it states “continuously,” if you lived overseas for several months during this period, it generally does not qualify as “continuous.” Furthermore, at least 5 of those 10+ years of residence must be employment periods.

Second, at the time of application, the applicant must hold the maximum period of stay allowed under their current status of residence. However, if the maximum period is 5 years, 3 years is considered the maximum.

Third, the applicant must have good conduct. This means maintaining a good lifestyle, such as having no tax delinquency penalties, no criminal record, and no serious traffic violations. However, even if there are traffic violations, they may not be an issue if a certain period has passed.

The fourth requirement is that the applicant must be able to sustain their future life in Japan based on their assets and income. Naturally, having a long tenure with a company and the prospect of stable future income is also a key point.

Cases where less than 10 years may be accepted

While the first requirement mentioned “having resided in Japan for 10 years or more,” it is possible to be accepted even with less than 10 years of residence under the following circumstances:

・Spouse of a Japanese national or permanent resident: If the marriage has been genuine for at least 3 years and the applicant has resided continuously in Japan for at least 1 year.

・Long-term resident: If the applicant has resided continuously in Japan for at least 5 years.

・Refugee status holder: If the applicant has resided continuously in Japan for at least 5 years.

・Highly Skilled Professionals with 70 points or more… if they have resided continuously in Japan for 3 years or more.
・Highly Skilled Professionals with 80 points or more… if they have resided continuously in Japan for 1 year or more.

Summary

To obtain permanent residency, you must have resided in Japan for 10 years or more. However, this requirement may be relaxed for spouses of Japanese nationals or spouses of permanent residents, etc.