[Effective April 2026] Naturalization Applications to Become Stricter! An Immigration Lawyer Explains the Change in the Residence Requirement from 5 to 10 Years and How to Prepare

[Effective April 2026] Naturalization Applications Become Stricter! An Immigration Lawyer Explains the Change in the Residence Requirement from “5 Years to 10 Years” and How to Prepare

Hello! This is Oita VISA Support Center.

“Naturalization application” is the procedure for acquiring Japanese nationality and living your life as a Japanese national.

Did you know that, right now, the screening rules for naturalization applications are being tightened to an unprecedented degree?

According to an announcement by the Ministry of Justice, the operational criteria for naturalization applications were significantly changed as of April 1, 2026. For those who have been preparing on the assumption that “you can naturalize after living in Japan for 5 years,” this has an extremely significant impact.

In this article, an Immigration Lawyer (Gyoseishoshi) specializing in visas and naturalization explains, in easy-to-understand terms, “what exactly has changed” with this tightening, and “what measures you should take going forward.”

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[Important] What Specifically Has Become Stricter? (3 Changes)

This change does not mean that the Nationality Act itself has been amended; rather, the “operational rules (internal criteria)” used by the Legal Affairs Bureau in its screening have been tightened.

The main changes are the following three.

1. The required period of residence has been raised from “5 years or more” to “10 years or more in principle”

This is the biggest change.

Until now, the period of continuous residence in Japan required for a naturalization application was “5 years or more.” However, from April 2026, applicants are required to have lived in Japan for **”10 years or more in principle,”** the same as for a permanent residence visa.

2. The verification period for taxes (resident tax, etc.) has been expanded from “the most recent 1 year” to “5 years”

Until now, in most cases the resident tax assessment and tax payment certificates submitted with a naturalization application only needed to cover “the most recent 1 year.” From now on, however, your payment record going back **”the most recent 5 years”** will be strictly checked.

3. The verification period for social insurance premiums (pension, etc.) has been expanded from “the most recent 1 year” to “2 years”

As with taxes, the period checked for payment status of the National Pension, Employees’ Pension, health insurance, and so on has been expanded to **”the most recent 2 years.”** You are required to have a clean record with no non-payment or late payment over a longer period.

[Comparison Table of Old and New Rules]

Screening item	Previously (until March 2026)	New rules (from April 2026)
Required period of residence	5 years or more	10 years or more in principle
Tax verification period	Most recent 1 year	Most recent 5 years
Social insurance premium verification period	Most recent 1 year	Most recent 2 years

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Why Did It Suddenly Become Stricter? (The Reversal with Permanent Residence)

Many people may wonder, “Why have the requirements suddenly become stricter?”

The background is to correct the balance (inconsistency) between “permanent residence permission” and “naturalization.”

• Permanent residence (the right to live in Japan indefinitely while remaining a foreign national): Requires 10 years of residence in principle. No voting rights (right to participate in politics).

• Naturalization (acquiring Japanese nationality and becoming Japanese): Possible with 5 years of residence. Voting rights (right to participate in politics) are also granted.

In this way, a reversal had arisen in which “naturalization, which even grants voting rights, had a lower residence-period hurdle than permanent residence.” The reason for this tightening is to resolve that situation and align naturalization with the same “10-year” standard as permanent residence.

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What Is the Impact on Those Currently Applying and on the “Special Exceptions”?

Some of you may be thinking, **”I already applied in March and am waiting for the result…”**

This is very tough, but the policy is that this rule change will also be applied retroactively to “cases currently under review.” You may be asked to submit additional documents, or the screening may be conducted more carefully.

However, this does not mean that 10 years will apply uniformly to all foreign nationals.

As before, there are cases in which a “special exception shortening the period” is recognized for people such as the following:

• Those married to a Japanese national (spouse of a Japanese national)

• Those born in Japan

• Biological children or adopted children of Japanese nationals, etc.

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Measures Those Considering Naturalization Should Take “Right Now”

Now that screening has been tightened, the approach of “just submitting documents on my own however I like and seeing what happens” absolutely no longer works. Once you receive a denial, it remains on your record and puts you at an even greater disadvantage in future applications.

If you are aiming for naturalization from now on, please thoroughly observe the following three points.

1. Pay your taxes and pension “without being even a single day late”

   Not only non-payment, but also “late payment” where you fail to meet the payment deadline, can be fatal. Set up a reliable payment system, such as direct debit from your bank account.

2. Be careful about traffic violations

   Checks on the good-conduct requirement have also become stricter. Even minor violations such as failing to stop or parking violations can increase the risk of denial if they accumulate.

3. Brush up your Japanese language ability

   The “Japanese language ability check” conducted during the interview at the Legal Affairs Bureau is also becoming stricter year by year. Please increase your daily exposure to Japanese so that you can read, write, and converse at around a third-grade elementary school level.

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For Naturalization Consultations, Contact “Oita VISA Support Center”!

Even though the rules have become stricter, the path to naturalization is certainly open to those who obey Japanese law and live conscientiously.

“In my case, when can I apply?”

“I forgot to pay my pension in the past — will that be a problem?”

If you have such concerns, please don’t worry alone — consult our office. Taking advantage of our location just steps from the Oita District Legal Affairs Bureau, we will propose the optimal “roadmap to naturalization” tailored to your situation. You can also leave everything to us, including accompanying you to interviews at the Legal Affairs Bureau and translating documents from your home country.

The initial consultation is free. Please feel free to contact us first!