How are the requirements and documents for permanent residence decided? (for professionals from China and Taiwan)

In short: unlike naturalisation, which acquires Japanese nationality, permanent residence keeps your current nationality and changes your status of residence to "Permanent Resident." The basis is Article 22 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, which requires meeting three requirements—that conduct is good, that the person has assets or skills sufficient for an independent livelihood, and that the person's permanent residence is found to be in the interest of Japan. The "Guidelines on Permanent Residence Permission" require, in principle, 10 or more years of continuous residence in Japan, with 5 or more of them under a work or residential status, and further review payment of taxes and public pension and public health-insurance premiums, fulfilment of notification duties under the Immigration Act, and securing a guarantor. Highly-skilled professionals have a special rule shortening these 10 years to one or three. This article is general information; the final judgement on individual eligibility and documents is made by a qualified professional and the Immigration Services Agency in light of the circumstances. Preparing the permanent-residence application and acting as filing agent is handled by Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener); the arranging of tax certificates, income and social-insurance premiums by a tax accountant, the tax office, the pension office, or the insurer; and an action to revoke a refusal by an attorney, each as an independent business under a separate contract. Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office and Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. are separate businesses, and our office receives no referral fee.

How does permanent residence differ from naturalisation, and which should you choose?

Permanent residence and naturalisation are both ways to keep living in Japan for a long time, but their legal nature differs entirely. Permanent residence is a change to "Permanent Resident," one of the statuses of residence, and your nationality remains that of your home country (China, Taiwan, etc.) (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 22). By contrast, naturalisation acquires Japanese nationality itself; its basis is Article 5 of the Nationality Act, and the counter is the Legal Affairs Bureau (the authority is the Minister of Justice).

For professionals from mainland China and Taiwan, the treatment of nationality is especially large in practice. If you naturalise and acquire Japanese nationality, you will in principle leave or lose your former nationality. China does not recognise dual nationality, and Taiwan too, in principle, has you lose (or go through a procedure to renounce) nationality on naturalising in Japan. If you want to keep your home-country nationality and family register, permanent residence; if you want participation rights and the like as a Japanese national, naturalisation—this is the major fork.

Item	Permanent residence	Naturalisation
Nature	Change status to "Permanent Resident"	Acquire Japanese nationality
Home-country nationality	Can be kept	Lost in principle
Basis	Immigration Act, Article 22	Nationality Act, Article 5
Counter	Immigration Services Agency (regional)	Legal Affairs Bureau
Period / renewal	No renewal of period of stay needed	Not subject to residence management (a national)

Which to choose is an individual judgement that varies by travel to and from the home country, assets and family. The requirements for naturalisation are organised in Requirements for Naturalisation and the Nationality Act (for those from China and Taiwan). For running a company while residing in Japan under the "Permanent Resident" status, The Business Manager Status and Company Formation (for Chinese entrepreneurs) is also a useful reference.

How do you count the years of residence, years of work and independent livelihood?

The statutory requirements for permanent residence are the following three in Article 22(2) of the Immigration Act. For some statuses such as spouses and children, requirements (1) and (2) may be exempted.

1. Conduct is good
2. The person has assets or skills sufficient for an independent livelihood
3. The person's permanent residence is found to be in the interest of Japan

Of these, the "Guidelines on Permanent Residence Permission" concretise (3), "in the interest of Japan (national interest)," and show a guide for years of residence. The basis is, in principle, 10 or more years of continuous residence in Japan, and 5 or more of them under a work or residential status. Because it is "continuous," a long absence from Japan and the like can reset the count.

Category	Guide for years of residence
Principle	10+ years of continuous residence (5+ under a work/residential status)
Highly-skilled professional (70+ points)	3+ years of continuous residence
Highly-skilled professional (80+ points)	1+ year of continuous residence
Spouse of a Japanese national / permanent resident, etc.	A set number of years married / resident (by individual standard)

Requirement (2), independent livelihood, is viewed on a household basis, by whether the person will not become a public burden and can be expected to maintain a stable livelihood into the future. Income and the stability of the occupation are asked, but the specific amounts and the evaluation are reviewed year by year. The "Guidelines on Permanent Residence Permission" were revised on 1 October 2026 and apply to applications on or after 1 April 2027. Because the review is moving toward adding factors such as Japanese-language ability (around B1 level or above) and household income and pension prospects, be sure to confirm the latest official guidelines, including which version applies at the time of your application.

How far are tax, pension and health-insurance payments examined in the permanent-residence review?

In (3), national interest, whether you have properly fulfilled public duties is weighed heavily. Specifically, it is confirmed whether you have paid, by the due dates, income and resident taxes, public pension (employees' or national pension) premiums, and public health-insurance (health insurance or national health insurance) premiums. In addition, that you have not been sentenced to imprisonment or a fine, and that you fulfil the various notification duties under the Immigration Act (notifications of place of residence, affiliated organisation, etc.), are examined.

In particular, "late payment" of premiums and taxes has recently been viewed strictly. A record of paying in a hurry after the deadline can affect the evaluation. Furthermore, the 2024 (Reiwa 6) amended Immigration Act (Act No. 60 of 2024) newly established grounds for revocation allowing the status of "Permanent Resident" to be revoked even after permission, where the person wilfully fails to pay public dues or is sentenced to a certain punishment (Immigration Act, Article 22-4). Both obtaining the permission and continuing to fulfil public duties afterward are now required.

Note here that "arranging" income and tax itself is the domain of a tax accountant and the tax office. Our office supports assembling the taxation and tax-payment certificates and documents evidencing the payment status of social-insurance premiums into the application, but does not step into tax-saving or the content of a return. Confirming the enrolment record of pension and health insurance is handled by the pension office and the insurer.

What do you prepare for a guarantor and submitted documents?

A guarantor is required for a permanent-residence application. The guarantor is generally a Japanese national or a permanent resident, expected to guide and support the applicant in complying with laws and fulfilling public duties (a moral guarantee, different from a joint-and-several debt in law). Who to ask must be settled before applying.

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Examples of the main submitted documents are as follows. Because they differ by status of residence and family composition, confirm the latest content in the list of required documents.

Category	Examples of documents
Identity / residence	Application form, photo, residence card and passport, resident record
Occupation / income	Certificate of employment, resident-tax taxation and payment certificates (recent years)
Public duties	Documents evidencing the payment status of public pension and health-insurance premiums
Guarantee	Letter of guarantee, documents on the guarantor's occupation and income
Other	A statement of reasons; for highly-skilled, the calculation-result notice or points sheet

The application is made to the regional immigration office (branch) of the Immigration Services Agency having jurisdiction over your place of residence. The standard processing period is said to be about four months, though in practice it can take longer. A fee is payable when permission is granted (confirm the latest amount with the official guidance).

If refused, who handles the filing agency and the litigation?

Preparing the permanent-residence application and acting as filing agent at the counter is handled, as an independent business, by an administrative scrivener who has filed to act as a filing agent (Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office). Through filing agency, you can in principle advance the procedure without the applicant going to the counter many times. If you choose naturalisation, an administrative scrivener can support preparing the naturalisation application under Article 5 of the Nationality Act, but this is a separate procedure before the Legal Affairs Bureau, with a different place of filing and requirements from permanent residence.

The division of roles is as follows. Preparing the application documents and acting as filing agent for permanent-residence and naturalisation applications is by Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener); arranging income and tax and obtaining taxation/payment certificates by a tax accountant or the tax office; confirming the enrolment record of pension and health insurance by the pension office or the insurer; and, should it be refused, an administrative appeal or action to revoke the disposition by an attorney. If you also consider buying a home in Japan, the sale/brokerage of the real estate is handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (a real estate broker), but Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office and Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. are separate businesses.

Each field is on the premise that you contract separately with each qualified professional or operator as an independent business, and our office receives no referral fee. For the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; for fees, Fee Schedule; and for the whole picture of our services, Permits and Applications Services. The final judgement on individual eligibility and required documents is made by a qualified professional and the Immigration Services Agency in light of the circumstances.

FAQ

Q. Which should I choose, permanent residence or naturalisation?
A. The major fork is whether you want to keep your home-country nationality or acquire Japanese nationality. Permanent residence changes your status of residence to "Permanent Resident" while keeping your nationality (Immigration Act, Article 22); naturalisation acquires Japanese nationality (Nationality Act, Article 5). Because mainland China and Taiwan do not in principle recognise dual nationality, naturalising means losing your former nationality. It is an individual judgement in light of travel, assets and family.

Q. How are the 10 principle years of residence counted?
A. The guide is, in principle, 10 or more years of continuous residence in Japan, with 5 or more of them under a work or residential status (Guidelines on Permanent Residence Permission). Because it is "continuous," a long absence from Japan can reset the count. Highly-skilled professionals have a special rule shortening it to three years or one year, depending on points.

Q. Is it a disadvantage if I have paid taxes or pension late?
A. It can affect the outcome. In the national-interest review, whether you paid taxes and public pension and health-insurance premiums by the due dates is confirmed, and late payment tends to be viewed strictly. Further, the 2024 amended Immigration Act newly established grounds for revoking permanent residence where, even after permission, the person wilfully fails to pay public dues (Immigration Act, Article 22-4). Arranging income and tax itself is the domain of a tax accountant and the tax office.

Q. Is a guarantor always required?
A. Yes, a guarantor is required for a permanent-residence application. It is generally a Japanese national or a permanent resident; it is a moral guarantee that the applicant will comply with laws and fulfil public duties. It differs from a joint-and-several debt in law, but who to ask must be settled before applying.

Sources (Primary Information)

• e-Gov Law Search, "Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act," Article 22 (permanent residence; good conduct, independent livelihood, national interest), Article 22-4 (revocation of status of residence; amended by Act No. 60 of 2024) (accessed 2026-10-06)
• Immigration Services Agency, "Guidelines on Permanent Residence Permission" (revised 1 October 2026; applies to applications on or after 1 April 2027; 10 principle years of residence with 5+ under work, etc., fulfilment of public duties, guarantor, special rule for highly-skilled) (moj.go.jp/isa; accessed 2026-10-06)
• Immigration Services Agency, "Permanent Residence Application"—submitted documents, standard processing period, place of filing (the regional immigration office having jurisdiction over the place of residence) (moj.go.jp/isa; accessed 2026-10-06)
• Immigration Services Agency, "Q&A on the proper operation of the permanent-residence system" (grounds for revocation based on non-payment of public dues, etc.; Immigration Act, Article 22-4) (moj.go.jp/isa; accessed 2026-10-06)
• e-Gov Law Search, "Nationality Act," Article 5 (conditions for naturalisation) (accessed 2026-10-06)

This article is general information and does not guarantee the permission eligibility, required documents or review time of a particular application. How the years of residence are counted, the specific evaluation of independent livelihood and national interest, factors such as Japanese-language ability and household income, and the details of submitted documents may change by the Immigration Services Agency's practice and by revision of the guidelines, so be sure to confirm the latest official guidelines, including which version applies at the time of your application. Preparing the application documents and acting as filing agent for permanent-residence and naturalisation applications is by Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener); arranging income and tax and obtaining taxation/payment certificates by a tax accountant or the tax office; confirming the enrolment record of pension and health insurance by the pension office or the insurer; an administrative appeal or action to revoke a refusal by an attorney; and the sale/brokerage of real estate for a home purchase by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (a real estate broker), each as an independent business under a separate contract. Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office and Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. are separate businesses. Our office receives no referral fee. Individual judgements are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.