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Dual citizenship and giving up your nationality

Japan does not let anyone who naturalizes — adult or child — keep a second nationality: your current nationality must, as a rule, end. What the Nationality Act says, in which order the steps usually go, what proof the Legal Affairs Bureau asks for, what happens if your country will not let you go — and the dual-nationality rules for Japanese citizens.

Japan’s rule

Process and documents

Checked against the Nationality Act and the Ministry of Justice on 7 October 2026 · All about Japanese citizenship

Dual nationality on naturalizationNot allowed, as a rule

Legal basisArticle 5(1)(v)

ExceptionArticle 5(2), at the Minister’s discretion

Japanese by birth with two nationalitiesChoose by 20

Japan’s rule

Why you have to give up your nationality

Article 5(1)(v) of the Nationality Act: the Minister of Justice can permit naturalization only if you are stateless, or if you lose your current nationality by acquiring Japanese nationality. The Ministry of Justice calls this the condition to prevent dual nationality (重国籍防止条件). It applies to every applicant, adults and children alike: the simplified cases of Articles 6–8 (spouses, children of Japanese nationals, people born in Japan) do not waive it.

You cannot simply keep the old passport in a drawer: the Legal Affairs Bureau asks for proof that your nationality has ended. And the rule works the other way too — a Japanese national who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses Japanese nationality (Article 11).

Check your own country’s law. Whether your nationality ends automatically, needs an application, takes months or is not possible at all is decided by your country, not by Japan. Ask your embassy in Japan early, and tell the Legal Affairs Bureau what you learn at the consultation. Laws and fees change — check them again before you file.

When to start

Before or after approval — it depends on your country

The Ministry of Justice publishes no country-by-country procedure. Below is how Japanese administrative scriveners (行政書士) describe the practice.

Nationality does not end by itself

Renounce first, then approval

Near the end of the review the Legal Affairs Bureau contacts you and gives you a document stating that Japanese nationality is expected to be granted. With it you apply to give up your nationality at your embassy, bring the certificate of loss back to the bureau, and approval follows — in practice about a month later.

Starting earlier is usually not possible or not wise: many countries want proof of the new nationality, and without Japan’s decision you could end up stateless.

Nationality ends automatically

Approval first, then the loss is recorded

Some countries’ laws end the nationality the moment a citizen voluntarily takes another one. Then naturalization is approved first, and you report the loss to your embassy afterwards, as your country’s rules require.

Some countries are in between: taking another nationality is a ground for loss, but an authority still has to decide. Ask at the consultation which order the bureau will use for you.

What Japan asks for

Proof that your nationality has ended

  • At filing: proof of your current nationality (国籍証明書) and civil-status documents from your country — the bureau tells you which ones (Ministry of Justice Q&A).
  • Before or after approval: in practice, an official document from your country showing that the nationality has ended — for example a certificate of renunciation or loss — or the bureau’s instructions for your country.
  • Translation: every document not in Japanese with a full Japanese translation that names the translator.
  • Your old passport: handled under your country’s rules; the bureau may ask to see it.

Plan the time: in practice renunciation can take from a few weeks to a year or more, depending on the country. Settle debts, fines and other obligations in your country early — they are a common reason for delays.

Article 5(2)

If your country will not let you go

Some countries do not allow their citizens to give up their nationality, or only in narrow cases. For this, Article 5(2) of the Nationality Act says the Minister of Justice may permit naturalization even without condition (v), if you cannot lose your nationality regardless of your own will and there are special circumstances — family ties with Japanese nationals or your personal situation.

This is a discretionary decision, not a right. The law does not list countries; in practice the Legal Affairs Bureau tells you what written statement or proof it needs to show that renunciation is not possible.

Japanese citizens with two nationalities

Choosing a nationality (国籍選択)

These rules apply to Japanese nationals who also hold a foreign nationality — most often children of mixed couples.

Rule What it says Article
Deadline to choose Two nationalities before age 18 — choose by 20; after 18 — within 2 years 14(1)
How to choose Japan Give up the foreign nationality, or file a declaration of choice (選択の宣言) at a city office or Japanese embassy 14(2)
After the declaration You must try to give up the foreign nationality; whether it ends depends on that country 16(1)
If you do not choose The Minister may send a written reminder; no choice within 1 month — Japanese nationality is lost 15
Taking another nationality voluntarily Japanese nationality is lost automatically 11(1)
Giving up Japanese nationality Notification to the Minister of Justice, if you hold a foreign nationality 13

For children: Japanese nationality for children · the whole procedure: naturalization process.

FAQ

Questions about dual citizenship

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Does Japan allow dual citizenship?

Not for anyone who naturalizes, adult or child. As a rule you must be stateless or lose your current nationality by becoming Japanese (Nationality Act Article 5(1)(v)); the simplified cases in Articles 6–8 do not waive this. People with two nationalities from birth may keep both until the Article 14 deadline, then must choose one.

It depends on your country’s law. If your nationality ends automatically when you become Japanese, approval comes first. If it does not, in practice the Legal Affairs Bureau tells you near the end of the review to renounce it, and approval follows once you bring proof.

In practice, an official document from your country showing that your nationality has ended or will end, with a Japanese translation. The bureau tells you which document it accepts for your country.

Article 5(2) lets the Minister of Justice permit naturalization when you cannot lose your nationality regardless of your own will and there are special circumstances, such as family ties with Japanese nationals. It is an individual decision, not a right.

Not if your old nationality has ended. What happens to the passport depends on your country’s rules. Where the old nationality continues under Article 5(2), ask the Legal Affairs Bureau how the choice-of-nationality rules apply to you.

Yes. A Japanese national who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses Japanese nationality automatically (Article 11).

Japan charges nothing for naturalization. Your country may charge a fee for renunciation — ask its embassy in Japan.

Sources

Where this information comes from

Facts were checked on 7 October 2026 against the Nationality Act (国籍法) and the Family Register Act (戸籍法) on e-Gov, the website of the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Affairs Bureaus (法務局). The Ministry publishes no figures for some points — how long a trip abroad breaks your residence, what income is enough, how long the review takes. There we rely on what Japanese administrative scriveners (行政書士) consistently report and say “in practice”.

This page is general information, not legal advice. The Minister of Justice decides each application, and the Legal Affairs Bureau may ask for more documents. Rules for your current nationality come from your own country’s law.

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