My name is Teruyoshi Yoneda, the representative of Yoneda Legal Services and a certified immigration procedures specialist. I specialize in international matters such as visa and naturalization applications, primarily supporting foreign nationals living in Japan—especially in Hiroshima Prefecture—with procedures including work visas, spouse visas, permanent residency applications, and naturalization. In this article, I will explain the requirements for naturalization when the applicant is the spouse of a Japanese national. Foreign nationals married to Japanese citizens are subject to relaxed residency requirements compared to those applying for naturalization under the standard criteria. However, it is important to note that although the residency requirement is eased, the number of documents to be submitted does not decrease. Let’s take a closer look at the specific requirements involved.
1. Residency Requirement
Foreign nationals who are married to Japanese citizens are subject to relaxed residency requirements for naturalization. Under the standard naturalization process for foreign nationals (ordinary naturalization), applicants are required to have lived continuously in Japan for at least five years. However, for spouses of Japanese nationals, this residency requirement is eased. Specifically, applicants must meet either requirement ① or ② below.
① Individuals who have been married to a Japanese national and have maintained a continuous residence in Japan for at least three years, and who currently reside in Japan. (For example, if you have already lived in Japan for three years, you meet this requirement as of the time you marry a Japanese national.)
② Individuals who are married to a Japanese national, have been married for at least three years, and have maintained a continuous residence in Japan for at least one year. (For example, this applies when the marriage took place overseas. If a Japanese national was living in the United States, met an American partner there, and the couple married in the U.S., then continued living there for two years before moving to Japan together, the foreign spouse would meet the residency requirement after residing in Japan for one year.)
“Continuous residence” means that the applicant has not been outside Japan for any single period of 90 consecutive days or more, and has not spent a total of 100 days or more outside Japan within a year.For this reason, those who are considering applying for naturalization should avoid long-term stays abroad.
Under ordinary naturalization, applicants are required to have maintained a continuous residence in Japan for at least five years. However, for foreign nationals who are married to Japanese citizens, this period is reduced. In addition, requirements ① and ② above do not include the employment requirement found in ordinary naturalization, which requires at least three years of work experience. In other words, your employment history is not examined for this category of naturalization, and even individuals who are currently unemployed are eligible to apply.
It is also important to note that if you have a history of overstaying your visa or other legal issues in the past, the residency requirement may become stricter than the standard criteria. In such cases, you may be required to reside in Japan for more than ten years before becoming eligible to apply for naturalization.
2. Good Conduct Requirement
In simple terms, this requirement means that you must properly pay your taxes and pension contributions, and you must not have committed any legal violations, including traffic offenses such as parking violations or speeding.Even if you are a company employee, you need to be careful if you are enrolled in the National Pension system or if you pay your own resident tax.If there are any unpaid amounts, they must be fully settled before submitting your naturalization application.
3. Financial Stability Requirement
Next is the financial stability requirement. For foreign nationals married to Japanese citizens, one notable point is that being unemployed does not automatically disqualify you. However, this point is often misunderstood. Even if the applicant themselves is unemployed, the Japanese spouse must have sufficient financial ability to support the household.As a general guideline, an annual household income of at least 3 million yen is expected.If there are more dependents living in the same household, the required income level will be higher.
4.Renunciation Requirement
When applying for naturalization in Japan, applicants are required to renounce their previous nationality.At the time of application, you must submit documents indicating your intention to give up your original nationality.After naturalization is granted, you are then required to complete the actual procedures to renounce your former nationality.
5. Ideological Requirement
It is required that the applicant does not hold any beliefs or engage in any activities that could pose a threat to Japan.
6.Japanese‑language proficiency requirement
Although this requirement does not come directly from the Nationality Act, applicants are expected to have sufficient Japanese language ability, just as in the ordinary naturalization process.
Although this is not a requirement derived from the Nationality Act, applicants married to Japanese citizens are considered to already meet the “capacity requirement” that applies in ordinary naturalization, which requires applicants to be at least 18 years old. For this reason, this requirement is not applied in the naturalization process for spouses of Japanese nationals.
At our office, we take the time to conduct thorough consultations so that we can accurately understand each applicant’s individual circumstances and provide support tailored to their specific needs.If you are considering applying for naturalization in the Chugoku region (Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Okayama, Shimane, or Tottori) or in any other area, we offer free consultations. Please feel free to contact us at any time.We are committed to supporting you throughout the process so that you can obtain Japanese nationality and live in Japan with peace of mind.
