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Japanese citizenship · 帰化 · procedure

How to apply for Japanese citizenship: steps, documents and timeline

Naturalization goes through the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) for your address: a consultation by appointment, a large set of documents, filing in person, an interview in Japanese and about a year of review. There is no government fee. Every step, and what to do after approval.

Check your path

Naturalization requirements

Checked against the Ministry of Justice and the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau on 7 October 2026 · All about Japanese citizenship

Whole process (practice)1–2 years

Standard processing periodNone set

Government fee¥0

City-office notification after approvalWithin 1 month

Steps

From the first phone call to the decision

The Ministry of Justice sets no standard processing period. In practice the whole path takes 1 to 2 years; one bureau (Maebashi) says at least about 1.5 years from the first consultation.

1. Book a consultation

By phone with the Legal Affairs Bureau for your address. In Tokyo, in practice, the wait is 1–3 months. Bring your passport, residence card and papers on your family and work.

2. Consultation

An officer checks the basic conditions and gives you the document list for your case. In practice it takes 1–3 visits until the set is complete.

3. Collect documents, 1–6 months

Japanese certificates from the city office, tax office and pension office; documents from your country through its embassy or your family. Japanese certificates are valid only for a limited time.

4. File in person

You sign in front of the officer. From 15 you come yourself; for children under 15 the parents come. No fee.

5. Interview, 2–4 months later

In practice: in Japanese, 30–60 minutes, sometimes a short written test. A Japanese spouse is often invited too.

6. Review and decision

A call to your employer is usual, sometimes a home visit. Approval is published in the official gazette (官報): from that day you are Japanese.

Where to apply

The Legal Affairs Bureau for your address

Applications are accepted by the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局 / 地方法務局) that covers your address — its nationality section (国籍課). You cannot apply by post or through a representative: the Ministry of Justice requires you to come in person and apply in writing. An administrative scrivener (行政書士) can help with the documents, but you go to the bureau yourself.

Tokyo: Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau, nationality section (東京法務局 国籍課), appointments by phone at 03-5213-1347, plus the Hachioji, Fuchu and Nishitama branches. Find your own bureau on the Ministry of Justice website by prefecture.

Documents

What to collect

The Legal Affairs Bureau gives you the exact list at the consultation — it depends on your country, family and work. The general frame, from the Ministry of Justice and the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau:

Bureau forms

  • application for naturalization (帰化許可申請書) with a photo;
  • overview of relatives (親族の概要);
  • personal history (履歴書) — schools, jobs, addresses, trips abroad;
  • statement of motivation (帰化の動機書), handwritten in Japanese, from 15;
  • household finances (生計の概要) and, for business owners, business overview (事業の概要);
  • certificate of employment and salary (在勤及び給与証明書);
  • oath to respect Japan’s laws (宣誓書), signed at filing, from 15.

Japanese certificates

  • residence record (住民票) with address history;
  • resident tax certificates for 5 years and, if you pay yourself, proof of on-time payment;
  • income tax certificates for 3 years, if you file a tax return;
  • pension and health insurance payment records for 2 years;
  • driving record (運転記録証明書) for 5 years and a copy of your licence;
  • copies of all passports, including expired ones (all used pages), and your residence card;
  • business owners: company papers and company taxes for 1–3 years.

From your country

  • proof of nationality (国籍証明書) — as the bureau tells you;
  • birth certificate;
  • marriage or divorce certificate;
  • birth certificates of your children, sometimes of your parents and siblings;
  • JLPT or another Japanese test result, if you have one.

Translations. Every document not in Japanese needs a full Japanese translation that names the translator. Anyone can translate, including you — no notary is needed. Names and places are written in katakana or kanji, not in Latin letters. You hand in originals and copies.

Interview and review

The interview, and what to report while you wait

The interview

In practice the interview is 2–4 months after filing, in Japanese, 30–60 minutes. In practice children under 15 are not interviewed. Questions follow your application:

  • why you want to become Japanese;
  • your family in Japan and in your country;
  • work, income and household expenses;
  • taxes, payments, traffic violations;
  • trips abroad and plans for the future.

Answer honestly and as in your documents: differences and hidden facts are a main reason for refusal. If your Japanese is in doubt, there may be a written test of about 15 minutes.

Report at once to the bureau

  • a move or a new phone number;
  • a new job or position, or going freelance;
  • marriage, divorce, the birth of a child;
  • an extension or change of your status of residence;
  • every trip abroad — before you leave and after you return;
  • any violation, including traffic accidents and fines;
  • a change to the name you want.

In practice, unreported changes are one of the most common reasons for refusal.

After approval

What to do when citizenship is granted

1. Notice in the official gazette

Permission is published in the 官報; you are Japanese from the day of the notice (Article 10).

2. Certificate from the bureau

The Legal Affairs Bureau issues a certificate of identity for naturalized persons (帰化者の身分証明書).

3. City office within 1 month

File the naturalization notification (帰化届) within 1 month of the notice. Your family register (戸籍) is created.

4. Residence card within 14 days

Your residence card is no longer valid: return it to immigration.

5. Japanese passport

Apply at your prefecture’s passport office; the fee is set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

6. Everything else

Driver’s license, bank, employer, pension, My Number — update your name. Your old passport is handled under your country’s rules.

Your name. You choose it before filing and write it in the application. For a given name only kanji from the lists of common-use and name kanji (常用漢字, 人名用漢字), hiragana and katakana are allowed; no Latin letters. You can take a Japanese name or write your own in katakana. A middle name has to be joined to the given name or the surname. After approval the name is practically impossible to change.

Your current nationality. As a rule it must end with naturalization; when and how depends on your country — see dual citizenship and giving up your nationality.

If it is not approved

Refusal and applying again

A refusal notice gives no reasons, and the bureau usually does not explain them. Often it does not come to a refusal: if the chances are low, in practice the officer suggests withdrawing the application (取り下げ), so no refusal stays on record.

Typical reasons: changes you did not report; new violations during the review; late taxes or payments; false or inaccurate information; less than 10 years in Japan — the 2026 standard, applied case by case within the Minister’s discretion. The law sets no waiting period before you apply again — people re-apply once the reason is fixed and enough time has passed.

Costs

What naturalization costs

The government fee is zero. Scrivener prices are averages from a survey of administrative scriveners; the rest depends on your case.

Item Cost
Government fee for the application ¥0
Japanese certificates A few hundred yen each
Documents from your country Depends on your country and its embassy
Translations Free if you translate yourself; in practice about ¥5,000 per document if ordered
Administrative scrivener (行政書士), optional In practice about ¥180,000 for an employee, about ¥250,000 for a business owner, plus about ¥50,000 per family member
Giving up your current nationality Set by your country
Japanese passport Set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

FAQ

Questions about the process

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Can I apply for naturalization without an administrative scrivener?

Yes. An administrative scrivener (行政書士) is not required and cannot go to the Legal Affairs Bureau for you — you file in person. A scrivener helps collect and translate documents, which is most useful if you run a business or have a complex family situation.

The Ministry of Justice sets no standard processing period. In practice a decision comes 8 to 12 months after filing, and the whole path from the first consultation takes 1 to 2 years. Giving up your current nationality can add months.

No. The Ministry of Justice charges no fee for the application. You pay for certificates, translations if you order them, documents from your country and, if you use one, an administrative scrivener.

Yes. The statement of motivation is handwritten in Japanese, and the interview is in Japanese. Translations of documents can be done by you or ordered.

Yes, but tell the Legal Affairs Bureau about every trip before you leave and after you return. Avoid long trips: they can break your residence period, and an approval while you are abroad complicates your return.

Return it to immigration within 14 days: from the day of the notice in the official gazette (官報) you are no longer a foreign resident. Within 1 month, file the naturalization notification (帰化届) at your city office.

Yes, written in katakana. Latin letters cannot be used in the family register. You can also choose a Japanese name. The choice is practically final.

Yes. The law sets no waiting period. In practice people re-apply once the likely reason is fixed and enough time has passed.

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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