Required Documents for a Permission for Permanent Residence Application (Downloadable Case-Specific Lists)

Regarding the Required Documents for a Permission for Permanent Residence Application

For a Permission for Permanent Residence application, a large number of documents must be prepared depending on the individual circumstances. In addition to preparing the mandatory materials, when there are matters that could be disadvantageous in the review (such as long-term departures from Japan, annual income, or the payment status of taxes and public dues), it is desirable to include a written statement of reasons or supporting documents covering those disadvantageous matters.

The following sections explain the required documents at the time of a Permission for Permanent Residence application, including downloadable case-specific lists.

List of Required Documents for a Permission for Permanent Residence Application

The following sections explain the documents required for a Permission for Permanent Residence application in order. The required documents are also listed on the Immigration Bureau’s website, but they are summarized below in a more accessible form.

* “Applicant” refers to the foreign national who wishes to obtain Permanent Residence in Japan.
* All certificates issued in Japan must be submitted within 3 months of their date of issuance.

1. Permission for Permanent Residence Application Form (1 Copy)

* Forms are available at Regional Immigration Services Bureaus. They can also be downloaded from the Immigration Bureau’s website.

> Download here

2. Photograph (4 cm tall × 3 cm wide) — 1 Photo

* Must be taken from the front within 3 months before the application, without a hat, with no background, and clearly visible.
* Please write the applicant’s name on the back of the photograph and affix it to the photograph section of the application form.
* Photographs are not required for those under 16 years of age.

3. Written Statement of Reasons (1 Copy)

* Please describe the reasons why you require Permission for Permanent Residence in a free format.
* If written in a language other than Japanese, a translation is required.

4. Certificate of Residence for All Family Members of the Household, Including the Applicant

* The Individual Number (My Number) should be omitted, but no other items should be omitted.

5. One of the Following Documents Proving the Occupation of the Applicant or of the Person Supporting the Applicant

(1) If Employed by a Company or the Like

1 copy of a certificate of employment

6. Documents Proving the Income and Tax Payment Status of the Applicant and the Person Supporting the Applicant for the Most Recent Period (the Past 5 Years)

(1) Documents Proving Resident Tax Payment Status

1 copy each of the resident tax taxation (or non-taxation) certificate and tax payment certificate (stating the total annual income and tax payment status for the year) for the most recent 5 years.
* These can be obtained from the municipality where you had your certificate of residence as of January 1 of the year being obtained. Please be careful if you have moved within the most recent 5 years.

(2) Documents Proving National Tax Payment Status

Tax payment certificate (Type 3) for withholding income tax and special reconstruction income tax, declared income tax and special reconstruction income tax, consumption tax and local consumption tax, inheritance tax, and gift tax.
* This is issued by the tax office with jurisdiction over your address. For details such as the location of the tax office and how to request the certificate, please check the National Tax Agency’s website.

(3) Other

One of the following, proving your income:
a. A copy of your bank account passbook
b. Documents equivalent to (a) above

7. Documents Proving the Payment Status of Public Pension and Public Health Insurance Premiums for the Applicant and the Person Supporting the Applicant

(1) Documents Showing Pension Payment Status for the Most Recent 2 Years

A printout of the “Monthly Pension Records” screen on Nenkin Net
* You can register for Nenkin Net through the Japan Pension Service’s website.

(2) Documents Showing Enrollment in Health Insurance

Copies of both sides of your health insurance card
* When submitting documents that contain the insurer number and insured person symbol/number (including copies), please black out or otherwise make unrestorable the insurer number and insured person symbol/number portions before submission.

(3) If You Were Enrolled in National Pension Within the Most Recent 2 Years

Copies of National Pension premium receipts
* If you were enrolled in National Pension at any point in the most recent 2 years, please submit copies of all receipts for that period.

8. Passport (To Be Presented)

9. Residence Card, or Alien Registration Certificate Deemed Equivalent to a Residence Card (To Be Presented)

10. Documents Related to the Personal Guarantee

(1) Letter of Personal Guarantee

* Forms are available at Regional Immigration Services Bureaus. They can also be obtained from the Immigration Bureau’s website.

(2) The Following Documents Concerning the Personal Guarantor

Please submit (a) through (c) below.

a. Documents Proving Occupation

A certificate of employment, etc. For officers and the like, a certified copy of the company’s commercial registration is also acceptable.

b. Documents Proving Income for the Most Recent Period (Past 1 Year)

A resident tax taxation certificate, a copy of the withholding tax statement, or similar documents

c. Certificate of Residence (1 Copy)

11. Letter of Acknowledgment (1 Copy)

* Forms are available at Regional Immigration Services Bureaus. They can also be obtained from the Immigration Bureau’s website.

Download Case-Specific Required Document Lists

When the Applicant Is the Spouse of a Japanese National or the Spouse of a Permanent Resident

> Download the document list

When the Applicant Is a Manager Holding the “Business Manager” Status of Residence

> Download the document list

When the Applicant Holds a Work-Related Status of Residence Such as “Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services” or “Skilled Labor”

> Download the document list

Review Period for a Permission for Permanent Residence Application

According to the official website of the Immigration Services Agency, the standard processing period for the review is “4 months.”

In practice, however, the review for Permission for Permanent Residence extends to “1 year or more,” and at the most congested Tokyo Immigration Bureau, the review period reaches approximately “1 year and 6 months.”

Points to Note for a Permission for Permanent Residence Application

One point to note regarding the Permission for Permanent Residence application is that there are cases where the requirements were satisfied at the time of application, but due to some change during the review period, the requirements come to be unmet.
As mentioned above, the review period for a Permission for Permanent Residence application takes around 1 year. As a result, cases in which the requirements come to be unmet during the review period are not uncommon.

What kinds of cases fall under this can be seen clearly from the [Letter of Acknowledgment], which has been required for submission since October 1, 2021. In summary, the Letter of Acknowledgment is a pledge that, if any of the following events occur during the review period of the Permanent Residence application, the applicant will promptly notify the Immigration Bureau.

In other words, the items listed in the Letter of Acknowledgment correspond to the points to note for a Permanent Residence application.

When There Is a Change in Employment Status

Example: Resigning from or changing the organization to which one belongs
This refers to cases of resigning from one’s place of employment or changing companies during the Permanent Residence review. When you resign, your income disappears, so if resignation significantly lowers the household annual income, this becomes a factor for denial. Cases where annual income decreases due to a job change, or where the job content does not satisfy the conformity with the Status of Residence, are also factors for denial.
This is true for both resignation and job change: generally, when a period of unemployment of 1 month or more arises, enrollment in and payment of National Pension and National Health Insurance become necessary. National Pension and National Health Insurance procedures must be carried out at the relevant counter of the municipal office of your place of residence within 14 days of the day after resignation.

If these procedures are delayed, payment of National Pension or National Health Insurance is delayed, and as a result the risk of denial of the Permission for Permanent Residence application increases. The same applies if no action is taken and no switch is made.

When There Is a Change in Family Status

Example: Divorcing one’s spouse, separating from family members previously living together, or an increase in the number of dependents.

Divorce from a spouse or separation from family members living together leads to a decrease in household annual income. If the main provider of household livelihood was the former spouse or the like, the income requirement will no longer be satisfied, becoming a factor for denial.

Also, if family members in the home country are added as dependents during the Permanent Residence review, the annual income amount that must be met increases. Applicants who are right at the approval line should be careful about increases in the number of dependents during the review period.

When the Payment Status of Taxes, Pension Premiums, and Medical Insurance Premiums Changes from the Time of Application (Such as Falling into Arrears)

This refers to cases where, during the review period, taxes, pension premiums, or medical insurance premiums are left unpaid or paid late. A representative example is someone who was a company employee with taxes withheld from their salary at the time of application but, due to a job change or resignation, came to be responsible for paying these on their own. When you apply for Permanent Residence as a company employee, it can be said that it is best to avoid changing jobs or resigning as far as possible.

When You Come to Receive Public Assistance Such as Livelihood Protection

This refers to cases where, due to illness or other circumstances, you have no choice but to receive livelihood protection. There can be various circumstances, but if you have received livelihood protection, Permission for Permanent Residence will be difficult.

When a Sentence Is Finalized Due to a Violation of Penal Laws

This refers to cases of being arrested for a crime or similar matter. The point requiring particular attention here is traffic violations. Traffic violations are divided into administrative penalties and criminal penalties. As a rough image: administrative penalties = minor violations (failing to make a complete stop, parking violations, etc.); criminal penalties = serious violations (drunk driving, driving without a license, etc.). 1 or 2 instances of administrative penalties have no particular impact on the Permanent Residence review, but criminal penalties do. Please be careful when driving during the review period.

* If any of the above occurred and you receive Permission for Permanent Residence without reporting it to the Immigration Bureau, your Permission for Permanent Residence may be revoked.

Points to Note for Permission for Permanent Residence Applications by Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals

In recent years, Permission for Permanent Residence applications by Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals have been increasing. A Highly Skilled Foreign Professional is a foreign national who has 70 or more points on the point calculation table set by the Immigration Bureau, and this is a system that allows application with relaxed residence-year and other requirements.

When a Highly Skilled Foreign Professional applies for Permanent Residence, the point requiring caution is the case in which the points can no longer be maintained during the Permanent Residence review period. The most representative example is reaching one’s birthday during the review period and aging up. As age increases, the points awarded for age decrease, and on top of that, the annual income threshold also rises.

Cases where annual income decreases due to a job change also require attention.

If the points decrease during the Permanent Residence review period, this becomes a factor for denial.

Preparation Period Until Filing a Permission for Permanent Residence Application

The preparation period required for a Permission for Permanent Residence application varies by individual, but averages around 2 months. The breakdown is approximately 1 month for collecting the required documents, and approximately 1 month for preparing the application form and filing it with the Immigration Bureau.

The Personal Guarantor for a Permission for Permanent Residence Application

The personal guarantor must, as a general rule, be a Permanent Resident or a Japanese national. As of 2024, the only documents the personal guarantor must prepare are copies of both sides of their ID and the letter of personal guarantee. Until 2022, the documents the personal guarantor was required to prepare included a taxation certificate, tax payment certificate, certificate of residence, certificate of employment, letter of personal guarantee, and copies of both sides of their ID; however, at present, the application can be made with only copies of both sides of the ID and the letter of personal guarantee.

Payment Status of Social Insurance Premiums

Regarding social insurance premiums, the Immigration Bureau’s website states that the documents of [the applicant and the person supporting the applicant] must be submitted. What becomes an issue here is the case where the applicant has a spouse but is applying based on their own income. In this case, since the applicant is not being supported by anyone, it is usually interpreted that only the applicant’s documents need to be submitted.

However, in recent Permission for Permanent Residence applications, the submission of the spouse’s social insurance premium documents is also required even in cases like the above. If, for some reason, the spouse has not been claimed as a dependent, or the spouse has fallen into arrears on National Pension or National Health Insurance premiums, caution is required.

Conclusion

This page has explained the required documents for a Permission for Permanent Residence application. The required documents for a Permission for Permanent Residence application differ depending on individual circumstances, and depending on those individual circumstances, the submission of documents or written statements of reasons that are advantageous in the Permanent Residence review may also be necessary.

There are cases where it can be difficult to make individual judgments on your own, so when in doubt, we recommend consulting a specialist.