Does Japan Give Citizenship to Foreigners?

If you are a foreigner living in Japan, you can apply for Japanese citizenship by marriage. However, you may have to pass a background check and prove you can maintain a stable livelihood in Japan. You also have to meet certain conditions that are based on your conduct, whether you have plotted against the government, your assets and ability to make an independent living in Japan and your willingness to renounce other citizenships held.

There are three major reasons why a person might want to apply for citizenship in Japan: (1) to become a permanent resident, (2) to obtain the status of citizenship, or (3) to get a visa to study or work in Japan. Those who are unsure about what they should do should speak to an immigration lawyer or an official source of information about the laws and requirements for becoming a Japanese citizen.

Citizenship in Japan is available to those who have lived in Japan for at least five years (less if they are married to a Japanese national), have shown good conduct, have never plotted against the government, have sufficient assets or ability to make an independent living and are willing to renounce any other citizenships they might hold.

The process is fairly simple, and you can change your status of residence or stay in Japan for as long as you like once you are granted the required residence permission. You can do this at an immigration bureau inside Japan or in your country of origin, and it is usually only a few days before you are issued with a new residence card.

It is a legal requirement to carry your residence card at all times. It contains important information, including your status of residence, period of stay and current address. You can also use it to open a bank account, convert your drivers license or obtain other services in Japan.

You can also apply for a spouse visa, which allows you to bring your spouse and dependent children to Japan under your status of residence. If you are a permanent resident, your spouse and children can also apply for citizenship in Japan through naturalisation.

Those who have obtained Japanese citizenship through naturalisation can bring their children with them to Japan under the family visa category, which allows foreigners to bring their relatives into Japan under their status of residence. The parents must be Japanese nationals or permanent residents.

Some people who are acclimatized to Japan and have lived here for a while, such as those working as teachers or researchers, can apply to become a special permanent resident. They must pass a background check, produce supporting documents and pay the required fee.

It is common for a lot of the citizenship applications to be rejected due to incomplete forms and a lack of proper documents. In order to avoid these problems, it is necessary for the applicant to prepare all the documents well before submitting them to an immigration authority.