Japan
Citizenship guide · JP
Japan grants citizenship by descent from a Japanese parent and offers naturalisation after five years of residence, but generally requires renouncing other citizenships.
✓ Good news
A digital-nomad visa is available a flexible way to start building a route in.
Who can visit Japan?
81 of 199 passports can enter Japan visa-free, visa on arrival, by ETA, or with an e-visa.
Visa-free 72
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macau
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Türkiye
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
e-Visa 7
116 passports require a visa to visit Japan.
Am I eligible for Japan citizenship?
Tap the option closest to your situation for an instant steer.
Why Japan?
Japan holds one of the world's most powerful passports, with broad visa-free access across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Citizenship is a serious, long-term commitment: Japan generally does not permit dual citizenship.
Citizenship by descent
Japan follows jus sanguinis:
- A child is a Japanese citizen at birth if either parent is a Japanese citizen at the time of birth.
- Children born abroad to a Japanese parent must generally notify the Japanese authorities within three months of birth to retain citizenship.
Naturalisation
The standard route requires 5 years of continuous residence in Japan. Additional requirements include being at least 18 years old, good conduct, and the ability to make an independent living (directly or through your household). Japan places significant weight on integration, including basic Japanese-language ability and proof you can support yourself.
Dual citizenship
Japan does not permit dual citizenship. A child who holds both Japanese and foreign citizenship must generally choose one nationality (by age 20, or within two years of acquiring a second nationality as an adult). Acquiring Japanese citizenship therefore usually means renouncing your existing citizenship.
Fees & timeline
There is no formal application fee for naturalisation, though incidental costs (documents, translations) apply. Processing typically takes 12–18 months or longer, depending on the regional Legal Affairs Bureau.
Documents checklist
The documents you'll typically need for each citizenship route in Japan. Tick items off as you gather them your progress is saved on this device.
Citizenship by descent
Proving your lineage to a citizen parent or ancestor.
Naturalisation
The standard route via continuous lawful residence.
Digital nomad / remote-work visa
A flexible, lower-barrier residency route for remote workers.
Country data
Overview, citizenship routes, economy, freedom, and tax at a glance.
Overview
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Region
- Asia
- Area
- 377,930 km²
- Population
- 126,264,931
- Demonym
- Japanese
- Languages
- Japanese
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥)
Citizenship routes
- Citizenship by descent
- Yes
- Descent depth
- Parents only
- Naturalisation period
- 5 years
- Dual citizenship
- Restricted
- Digital nomad visa
- Available
- Official application fee
- No application fee
Economics & development
- GDP per capita
- $35,951 2025
- Total GDP
- $5.1T 2019
- Inflation
- 3.2% 2025
- Life expectancy
- 84.0 years 2024
- GDP growth
- 1.2% 2025
- Human Development Index
- 0.920 #24
- Income group
- High income: OECD
- Development status
- Developed region: G7
Freedom & quality of life
- Corruption Perceptions Index
- 71 / 100 2024 · #17
- Freedom in the World
- 96 / 100 Free · 2024
- Human Rights Index
- 0.93 / 1 2025 · #20
- Liberal Democracy Index
- 0.73 / 1 2025 · #24
- Life satisfaction
- 6.13 / 10 2025 · #59
Tax considerations
- Personal income tax
- 55% top rate
- Corporate tax
- 29.74%
- VAT / GST
- 10%
- Tax basis
- Worldwide
Relocation & living
- Internet penetration
- 85.5% 2024
- Driving side
- Left-hand
- Healthcare system
- Social insurance
- Climate
- Temperate
- Time zone
- Asia/Tokyo
Where the Japan passport can travel
Each dot is a destination colours show what you need to enter.
- Visa-free
- Visa on arrival
- ETA
- e-Visa
- Visa required
Europe
43 visa-free · 1 ETA · 1 e-visaAmericas
30 visa-free · 4 ETA · 1 e-visaAsia
24 visa-free · 17 on arrival · 1 ETA · 4 e-visa · 4 requiredAfrica
13 visa-free · 14 on arrival · 2 ETA · 15 e-visa · 10 requiredOceania
4 visa-free · 6 on arrival · 3 ETA · 1 required- Visa-free
- Visa on arrival
- ETA
- e-Visa
- Visa required
- No admission
Alternative paths to Japan citizenship
Beyond standard naturalisation, these routes may apply to you.
Digital nomad visa
A digital-nomad visa offers a flexible, lower-barrier way to establish a presence before committing to a full naturalisation path.
More citizenship guides
Hong Kong
Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation is restricted; dual citizenship is generally not permitted.
- Capital
- City of Victoria
- By descent
- Yes
- Naturalisation
- Restricted
- Dual citizenship
- Restricted
South Korea
Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 5 years; dual citizenship is generally not permitted.
- Capital
- Seoul
- By descent
- Yes
- Naturalisation
- 5 yrs
- Dual citizenship
- Restricted
Macau
Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation is restricted; dual citizenship is generally not permitted.
- Capital
- By descent
- Yes
- Naturalisation
- Restricted
- Dual citizenship
- Restricted
Taiwan
Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 5 years; dual citizenship is generally not permitted.
- Capital
- Taipei
- By descent
- Yes
- Naturalisation
- 5 yrs
- Dual citizenship
- Restricted
Latest Japan immigration news
Recent headlines on Japan immigration and citizenship, auto-fetched from Google News.
No recent headlines yet. Check back soon, or follow the official sources below.
Japan immigration & citizenship sources
Official government portals and reference pages for Japan citizenship and immigration rules.
Law
-
Overview of citizenship-by-descent, naturalisation and dual-citizenship rules.
Government
-
Official government source for immigration and citizenship.
Jobs
-
International job board with local listings.
-
International job board with local listings.
-
Leading local job board.
General data sources & licenses
-
Visa-requirement matrix and passport mobility scores.
Visa data derived from passportindex.org, via imorte/passport-index-data (MIT License).
-
Country metadata: names, capitals, regions, flags, currencies, languages, calling codes, borders, tld, lat/lng, UN/independence status.
Country metadata from mledoze/countries (MIT License).
-
Country polygon geometry plus population, GDP (total), income group, economy, and continent classifications.
Made with Natural Earth (public domain) naturalearthdata.com.
-
Raster basemap tiles for the interactive visa-access maps.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0).
-
GDP per capita (current US$) and inflation (CPI annual %).
GDP per capita and inflation from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) data.worldbank.org.
-
Human Development Index (HDI) values and ranks.
Human Development Index from the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
-
Intermediate distribution of the Corruption Perceptions Index, V-Dem Human Rights Index, and V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index.
Indices sourced via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0).
Our World in Data states that third-party datasets remain subject to the original publisher’s license see the individual sources below.
-
Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) scores.
Corruption Perceptions Index 2024, Transparency International (CC BY-ND 4.0).
Restrictions: No derivatives
CPI scores are reproduced as factual data points, unmodified.
-
Human Rights Index and Liberal Democracy Index.
Human Rights Index and Liberal Democracy Index from V-Dem (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Restrictions: Non-commercial · Share-alike
⚠ Non-commercial license: confirm commercial use is permitted before monetising the site.
-
Freedom in the World scores and status.
Freedom in the World 2024, © Freedom House (used with attribution for informational purposes).
Review Freedom House republication terms before commercial use.
-
Reference for personal income and corporate tax rates.
Tax rates cross-checked against the Tax Foundation.
-
Reference for personal income tax, corporate tax, and VAT/GST rates.
Tax rates cross-checked against the OECD Tax Database.
-
Reference for personal income tax, corporate tax, and indirect tax rates.
Tax rates cross-checked against KPMG Tax Rates Online.
-
Reference for citizenship-law rules (descent, naturalisation, dual citizenship, fees).
Citizenship-law facts compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Law facts are human-curated approximations; always verify with official government sources.
Citizenship Hub is an independent resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the organisations above. Informational only not legal, immigration, tax, investment, or travel advice. Requirements, scores, fees, and tax rates change frequently; always verify with the relevant official government source before acting.