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The required documents for Permanent Residence depend on your current status of residence and family circumstances.
This guide focuses primarily on applicants holding ordinary work statuses such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services.
Required Documents Differ by Applicant Category
The Immigration Services Agency provides different document sets for:
Spouses and children of Japanese nationals or Permanent Residents
Long-Term Residents
Work-status and Dependent applicants
Highly Skilled Professionals
Special Highly Skilled Professionals
Complete the official Permanent Residence application form with your personal, immigration, employment, and family details.
Applicants generally submit one 4cm × 3cm photograph.
Applicants under 16 do not need to submit one.
Statement of Reasons
Work-status applicants submit a written statement explaining why Permanent Residence is needed.
There is no fixed format.
The statement commonly explains the applicant’s residence history, employment, family, life in Japan, and long-term plans.
Certificate of Residence for the Entire Household
Submit a certificate of residence covering the applicant and all household members.
The My Number should be omitted while the other relevant information should generally remain visible.
Employment Certificate
Employees normally provide an employment certificate issued by their employer.
Self-employed applicants may instead need tax returns and relevant business licenses.
Five Years of Resident-Tax Records
Ordinary work-status applicants generally submit the most recent five years of resident-tax documentation.
This includes taxation/non-taxation certificates and tax-payment certificates.
Direct Resident-Tax Payments Require Additional Evidence
If any part of the five-year period involved direct payment rather than payroll withholding, you may need evidence that each payment was made on time.
Evidence can include receipts or bank transaction records.
National Tax Certificate No. 3
Applicants also submit a National Tax Payment Certificate No. 3 covering five specified national taxes:
Withholding income tax and special reconstruction income tax
Self-assessed income tax and special reconstruction income tax
Consumption tax and local consumption tax
Inheritance tax
Gift tax
This certificate confirms that there are no unpaid amounts as of the certification date.
Pension: Most Recent Two Years
Ordinary work-status applicants generally provide documentation covering the most recent two years of public pension enrollment and payment history.
Periods under National Pension require particular attention to timely payment.
Health Insurance: Most Recent Two Years
Public health-insurance coverage and payment history for the most recent two years are also reviewed.
Applicants who spent time in National Health Insurance may need payment certificates and receipts.
Business Owners Need Company Social-Insurance Evidence
Applicants who are employers of businesses covered by social insurance may also need to prove the company’s pension and health-insurance contribution payments for the relevant period.
Savings and Property Evidence
Asset evidence may include:
Bankbook or bank records
Real-estate registration certificates
Comparable evidence
Passport and Residence Card
The applicant’s passport and residence card must be presented.
A Guarantor Is Required
Permanent Residence applications require a written guarantee.
The guarantor is normally a Japanese national, Permanent Resident, or Special Permanent Resident living in Japan.
Current standard documentation generally includes:
Written guarantee
Document confirming the guarantor’s identity
Letter of Understanding
A Letter of Understanding has been required for Permanent Residence applications since October 2021.
Official versions are available in several languages, including Simplified Chinese and English.
Japanese-Issued Certificates Should Generally Be Within Three Months
Certificates issued in Japan should generally have been issued within the previous three months when submitted.
Plan the timing of document collection carefully.
Do Not File With an Obviously Incomplete Document Set
The Immigration Services Agency warns that incomplete applications may result in significant delays or potentially unfavorable action.
A Permanent Residence self-check sheet is also available for work-status applicants.
Spouse Applications Have Different Document Periods
The five-year resident-tax period described above applies primarily to ordinary work-status applicants.
For certain spouses of Japanese nationals or Permanent Residents, the resident-tax evidence period is generally three years instead.
Highly Skilled Professional Applications Require Additional Evidence
Highly skilled routes also require documents such as:
Points calculation forms
Evidence supporting each claimed point
Evidence of points at the required earlier reference date
Frequently Asked Questions
Generally five years for ordinary work-status applicants.
No. Current general requirements normally focus on the most recent two years.
If the entire relevant five-year period was handled through payroll withholding, separate direct-payment evidence is generally unnecessary.
They may be usable where the transaction history is clear and printed in a non-editable form.
Current standard work-status document guidance primarily requests the guarantor’s identity document rather than the broader financial document set historically required.
Consistency Is as Important as Collecting the Documents
Permanent Residence is not simply a document-counting exercise.
Your:
employment records, income, resident tax, pension history, health insurance, and immigration status should tell a consistent story.
Enlight Administrative Scrivener’s Office can review your five-year tax history, two-year pension and insurance history, employment changes, and the consistency of the entire application before filing.
The initial Permanent Residence eligibility check is free of charge.
Permanent Residence support is generally limited to applicants within the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau.
Immigration Services Agency: Permanent Residence Application
Immigration Services Agency: Permanent Residence Application 3
Immigration Services Agency: Permanent Residence Application 1
Immigration Services Agency: Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence
Related
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Read MoreA three-year period of stay can currently satisfy the “maximum period of stay” requirement for Japanese Permanent Residence, but the general transitional treatment ends on March 31, 2027. From April 2027, applicants will generally need the actual maximum period available for their current status. A separate transitional rule, however, applies to certain people who still hold a three-year period on March 31, 2027.
Read MoreWhen a work-status holder applies for Japanese Permanent Residence, can a spouse and children under Dependent status apply at the same time? Family applications require more than checking the principal applicant. Marriage duration, each child’s residence history, household income, taxes, pension, outside-status work, and overseas absences can all affect the appropriate filing strategy.
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