What is Permanent Residence?
It is a Status of Residence with no need for extensions and no limits on activities. Many factors are judged as a whole, so how you prepare affects the outcome.
As a rule, 10 or more consecutive years of residence are needed. Even with enough years, an application can be refused because of tax or pension payments, income or the number of dependents.
- I want to stop repeating extensions every time
- I want to take out a housing loan
- I applied myself and was refused
- I cannot judge for myself whether I meet the requirements
As a rule, 10 or more consecutive years in Japan are required (including 5 or more with a work or residential status). There are several exceptions that shorten this, such as for Spouses of Japanese Nationals and Highly Skilled Professionals. Whether you qualify depends on your individual circumstances.
Applications from 1 April 2027 will be fully subject to the revised Guidelines for Permanent Residence. For what applies on each application date, see the Immigration Services Agency information.
Requirements and points examined
Permanent Residence has the following 3 requirements. Meeting the period of stay alone is not enough; many factors are judged as a whole.
| ① Conduct | Obeying the law and causing no problems in daily life | Details |
|---|---|---|
| ② Livelihood | Able to live stably into the future, judging by income and assets | Details |
| ③ In the interests of Japan | As a rule, 10 or more consecutive years of residence, payment of taxes, pension and insurance, holding the longest period of stay for your status, etc. | Details |
Spouses and children of Japanese nationals, Permanent Residents and Special Permanent Residents need not meet ① and ②. Whether ③ is met is still examined.
① Good conduct
Whether you obey the law and cause no problems in daily life. Besides penalties such as fines, the number of traffic violations may also be considered.
② Able to support yourself independently
Whether your life is stable, judged from income, employment, family composition and other living conditions as a whole.
On income, whether household income continuously exceeds the average income of Japanese households of the same size is considered (this is the standard in the guidelines revised on 1 October 2026; for applications from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, only this income part applies early). The incomes of household members sharing a livelihood are combined, but the income of those without a work status, such as Dependents, is not counted. Relatives you support are counted in the household even if they live elsewhere.
③ In the interests of Japan
As a rule, 10 or more consecutive years in Japan are required, including 5 or more with a work or residential status. Also considered are whether you have properly met public obligations such as taxes, pension and health insurance, and whether you hold the longest period of stay allowed for your status.
A relatively common reason for refusal of self-made applications is failure to meet public obligations. National Pension contributions can be paid late for a certain period, but applicants for Permanent Residence have often lived here for a long time, so long periods of non-payment may be impossible to make up.
Some people pay long periods of pension contributions all at once to coincide with the application. Even when they were paid may be looked at, which puts you at a disadvantage compared with people who always paid on time.
Cost and timing
| ① Our Professional Fee (incl. tax) | From 110,000 yen |
|---|---|
| ② Government fee (Actual Expenses) | 200,000 yen (may be reduced) |
| ③ Cost of obtaining documents, etc. (Actual Expenses) | Issuing fees for residence certificates, tax certificates, etc., and postage |
| What you pay, as a guide | ① + ② = from 310,000 yen (plus ③) |
| Expected examination period | 6 months to 1 year |
The fee is the amount after the revision of 1 October 2026. What matters is the date your application is accepted; applications accepted on or before 30 September 2026 are charged the previous fee (10,000 yen). For the current amounts, please see the Immigration Services Agency announcement.
If your period of stay ends during the examination, you must separately apply for an extension before it ends.
As a rule, you do not need to go to the Regional Immigration Services Bureau yourself. The process from consultation to the result is set out on the Status of Residence page.
Also considering naturalization? You can compare nationality, voting rights, travel procedures and other differences on Permanent residence or naturalization: differences and how to choose.
About consultations
If your application was refused
Even if you applied yourself and were refused, we may be able to propose a way to obtain permission if you consult us. Before you give up, please tell us about it.
We check the reasons for the refusal and then consider a new application or other steps.
Knowing the following 3 points speeds up the consultation. Tell us as much as you know.
- Years since coming to Japan and how your status has changed
- Your recent income and the number of family members you support
- Your payment record for taxes and pension
Write a consultation emailOpens with the subject and items filled in
- Consultation and quotations are free. We work in Japanese, Chinese and English by email, and in Japanese and Chinese by telephone and in person.
- We cannot guarantee permission, and there are matters we cannot legally take on (What we can and cannot take on).
- For our telephone number and hours, see How to reach us.