Japan naturalization or permanent residence: what does each cost?

Last checked: 2026-11-06

Naturalization has no application fee, while permanent residence has cost 200,000 yen at the counter since October 1, 2026. Both now normally expect about 10 years in Japan, and they lead to different results: naturalization means becoming a Japanese national, generally giving up your old nationality.

Side by side

	Naturalization	Permanent residence
Government fee	None	200,000 yen at the counter
Apply at	Legal Affairs Bureau for your address, in person	Immigration office for your address
Years in Japan	Law says 5 years. Since April 1, 2026, in principle 10 years in practice.	Generally 10 years, including 5 on a work or resident status
Your nationality	In principle you lose it	You keep it
Japanese language	Enough for daily speaking, reading and writing	Generally B1 or above, under the guideline for applications from April 1, 2027, with exceptions
Money	Able to live without hardship, judged by household	Household income consistently above a standard, plus a pension check
Taxes and premiums	Part of good conduct and livelihood checks	Payment generally assessed by household

The 2026 changes

Naturalization. On March 27, 2026, the Justice Minister said that from April 1, 2026, the requirement of integrating into Japanese society would in principle need 10 or more years in Japan. The 5 year rule in the Nationality Act stays as a precondition. The period checked for tax and social insurance payments also gets longer, but he did not give the new length.
Permanent residence. The guideline was revised on October 1, 2026. Its new rules apply to applications from April 1, 2027. The sections on income and public charges also cover applications filed up to 6 months before the revision and still pending on that date.
Fee. Permanent residence rose from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen on October 1, 2026. See our visa fee page.

Sources do not all match. The Ministry of Justice nationality page still leads with 5 years, and its integration section mentions 10 years. The Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau page is similar. We rely on the Minister's dated statement, and suggest you ask the bureau.

Is the 200,000 yen worth it? A worked comparison

This is our own arithmetic using the fees from October 1, 2026. It only compares fees with continuing to renew a stay at the counter, and it assumes those fees stay the same. It ignores whether you can qualify, and the fact that holding permanent residence has other effects.

If you would otherwise renew	Fee each time	Renewals to reach 200,000 yen	About how long
Every 1 year	33,000 yen	6.1	6 years
Every 3 years	64,000 yen	3.1	9 years
Every 5 years	75,000 yen	2.7	13 years

Fee alone is rarely the deciding point. Both routes are also about status, nationality and family, which money cannot measure.

Shorter routes

For permanent residence, the guideline gives shorter periods in some cases:

Spouse of a Japanese national, permanent resident or special permanent resident: 5 years or more of real married life and 3 years or more of continuous stay in Japan. Their children need 3 years or more of continuous stay.
Long-Term Resident: 5 years in a row.
Highly skilled professionals: 3 years with 70 points or more, or 1 year with 80 points or more.

The Nationality Act also relaxes some naturalization conditions for people with special ties to Japan, such as spouses and children of Japanese nationals.

Things that can count against you

Long absences. For permanent residence, a single trip over 6 months or a total over 2.5 years in the past 10 years generally counts against you. Plan your re-entry with this in mind.
Late payments. Your resident tax, pension and health insurance are considered. An approved pension exemption differs from unpaid months, but ask how yours would be viewed.
Short permits. The guideline expects you to hold the longest period of stay for your status, with a transition rule for 3-year permits.

What we could not confirm

Total cost of naturalization. The application is free. We did not verify the cost of documents, translations or professional help.
Income figures. The guideline points to a standard by household size. We did not verify the yen amounts.
Search excerpts. Private sites say the tax check for naturalization became 5 years. We saw that only in excerpts and the Minister did not state it, so we leave it out.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Ask the Legal Affairs Bureau about naturalization and your regional immigration office about permanent residence.