2025-07-10

Permanent residence is literally “the right to live permanently in Japan,” and is a coveted right for foreign nationals residing in Japan. However, there are strict conditions that must be met in order to obtain this right. We will explain the conditions in detail.

What is permanent residence?

Permanent residence literally means “the right to live permanently in Japan. Compared to other residence statuses, there are no restrictions on the period of stay, and the work you can do is basically unrestricted. However, the conditions are stricter and the examination process takes longer.

Advantages of Permanent Resident Status

One of the advantages of Permanent Resident Status is that, as explained earlier, there are no restrictions on the period of stay. However, the period of validity is seven years, so it is necessary to renew the status each time. Also, you can freely choose your occupation. With other residence statuses, the types of work you can do is limited, but with permanent resident status, there are basically no restrictions on the type of work you can do.

Furthermore, with permanent resident status, even if you divorce your Japanese spouse, you can continue to live in Japan. If your status of residence is “Spouse or Child of Japanese National”, you will lose that status upon divorce and will have to obtain another status of residence or, in the worst case, return to your home country.

With permanent resident status, the spouse and children (both of whom are foreign nationals) can obtain “spouse or child of permanent resident” status and there will be no work restrictions. With other statuses, the spouse and children (both foreign nationals) will be granted “Family Resident” status and will only be allowed to work 28 hours per week. Other advantages of permanent residence include increased social credibility and ease of obtaining a mortgage loan.

Conditions for Applying for Permanent Residence

To apply for permanent residence, you must meet the following four conditions.

First, you must have lived in Japan continuously for at least 10 years. The first condition is that the applicant must have lived in Japan continuously for at least 10 years. In addition, if the period of study abroad is included in the 10 years or more, the period of employment must be at least 5 years.

Secondly, at the time of application for permanent residence, you must have the longest of other statuses of residence. In the case of a status of residence with a maximum period of five years, a three-year period is also considered the maximum period.

Third, there must be no problems with your conduct. The applicant must have a good attitude toward life, with no delinquent tax payments, no criminal record, no traffic violations, etc. However, if there are traffic violations, etc., the applicant must have a good attitude toward life. However, even if there are traffic violations, etc., they may be considered acceptable if a certain period of time has passed.

Finally, fourth, the applicant must be able to live on his/her own assets and income without any problems in the future. Of course, it is also important that the applicant has been employed for a long time and can expect a stable income.

Summary,

conditions for permanent residence are that the applicant has lived in Japan for many years, that the current status of residence is for the longest period of time, that there are no problems with his/her attitude and behavior, and that he/she has no financial concerns about his/her future life in Japan. All of these conditions are essential for permanent residence in Japan in the future.