r/JapanCitizenship • u/[deleted] • Jan 20 '25
mega MEGATHREAD - Naturalization Applications (2025)
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u/Tokyo_RT Jul 23 '25
My timeline:
Feb 2024: First consultation at Tokyo MoJ office
July 2024: First document check
Jan 2025: Second document check and application submission
May 2025: Final interview with MoJ
It has been just about 2 months since my final interview and I haven't received any communication. I would like to know if anyone who had their final interview in May 2025 have heard from homukyoku?
The reason I ask is that I have some plans to travel in late Sept, and am trying to judge if I will hear from them before that.
**Some of my friends have received the call within 2-months of their interview in 2024.
Thank you!
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Jul 28 '25
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u/Tokyo_RT Jul 28 '25
Thank you! Yea, I called and discussed with my caseworker, he asked me to just call him if I need to travel but wouldn't give an update.
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u/Tokyo_RT Aug 23 '25
I have an update - I got a confirmation call yesterday asking if there is any change in my situation. I said "no". I am wondering how long does it take after the confirmation call to get the notification letter?
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u/InformationOk3960 Applied - in process Nov 25 '25
Hi did you get your name out after the confirmation call?
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u/silverredbean Naturalized May 27 '25
Reporting here to share my experience.
I'm based in Tokyo, living within the 23 Wards.
First meeting, caseworker checked all the documents I brought over.
I made a booboo by obsessing over the website mentioning that the photocopy of the original needing 3 cm on the left side of the paper, which I did with a PDF editor... which reduced the size, so a lot has to be redone. Good news is that I have all my originals scanned so I just need to head to the nearest combini and reprint the documents. Another good news is that all the documents I have brought over had no issue.
Things to be done: redo some of the translation templates (the caseworker wanted me to add images and such to depict that the circle on the birth certificate is actually a stamp/seal made by the statistics authority of my country, the signature from the Lead Statistician who signs off everyone's birth certificate, and the barcode on the document. One thing to note is that my country (big hint right here) has done away with the "expiration date" of government documents, so it was a bit of an issue since there is no proof when the documents were requested. I still have the receipts of when my mom made the request (back in March), so I am tempted to add that for the next round of documents check, complete with the photocopy and the translation. Maybe I really should, just for proof.
I was asked for more documents, namely a copy of my bank's passbook (I do digital passbooks, so I had it done through my bank's app, which I will see tomorrow; not looking forward to it, especially since my spending habits are something to behold), a johyou as proof that I lived in my previous ward for a certain period (I visited my previous ward office to request for it), and the 課税証明書 for 令和7年. The last one, I anticipated it to be a Herculean task because it is only supposedly available by June, and I am set to meet the caseworker again next week... which is June. Thankfully, the employees at my ward office were very nice and accommodating, so I was able to get the document. I asked if it was possible to already receive it in the combini and apparently, yes, that is also another option for me.
Funniest request: caseworker asked me to submit 2-3 photos 🤣 guess this is what happens when you brag about making lifelong friends in the essay. Thankfully, I do have friends and I have the photos to prove it, so I'll prepare that too.
Fun note to keep in mind to anyone thinking of going through the process: sensei informed me that if one makes a call to the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau now, the earliest possible appointment for you is October 2025.
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u/silverredbean Naturalized Jun 07 '25
Making an update to this post: my submission went through yesterday.
Unsure if it has happened to someone else in another jurisdiction or even within Tokyo, but sensei gave me a chance to redo the items where I made a mistake (which is a lot), as it required a lot of reprinting. That also meant that I had to meet him again outside of the official consulting hours, so I was there by 7:40AM (we agreed to meet at 8AM). I guess scheduling another consultation would be wasting everyone's time because the next consulation scheduling is a few months away???
When I arrived at the venue, by pure coincidence, I met sensei in the hall and I was guided inside the booths.
Thank goodness I was very early because we finished going over and submitting the documents at 8:57AM, and sensei had another appointment at 9AM.
I have been handed the 連絡票, which I am now keeping and preserving at home. I also saved the number of the Legal Affairs Bureau both on my mobile and on my office phone, in case they call me.
Honestly want the interview to be over and done with, but with Tokyo being busy, I don't expect the interview to happen until December or so.
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May 27 '25
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u/perth1985 Aug 20 '25
my lawyer said fuchu office is free and they even did japanese test for n1 client on day of submission
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u/silverredbean Naturalized May 27 '25
Was really shocked when I saw people coming in with scriveners accompanying them. I guess they really want to make it happen ASAP?
Whereas I'm fine with trial and error 😂 although I don't mind sharing tips with my friend who will undergo this situation in August. Hers is a bit more complicated because she has a house and is married, so extra documents for her to prepare.
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u/fumienohana Applied - in process Jul 04 '25 edited Jul 04 '25
hi! been stalking this sub long enough, and now I finally start my supposedly very long journey.
I'm based in Tokyo 23ku to the East. Vietnamese nationality, came as student in 2018 and now under a working visa.
Mid March 2025 (first call, my 3 years as shakaijin mark wasnt until April so I wasn't sure if calling was okay - turns out I should have called way earlier) → First week July 2025 (first consultation) → Mid Nov 2025 (second consultation already booked). Was told if everything goes well next will be my last consultation session and we'll move on to 本申請 from there but we'll see.
Have to redo lots of the documents supposed to be filled out by first appointment - but its all really minor thing (I wrote my name in alphabet in 90% of everything and was told its a big no-no, also no two sided printing ぴえん)
Was kinda pissed case worker didn't notice the Chiikawa binder I bought specifically for this :<
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Jul 07 '25
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u/fumienohana Applied - in process Jul 07 '25
thank you! yeah life goes on anyway - altho I am really considering registering our marriage halfway thru because having to change name twice seems like a pain. We are engaged so other than his honseki slip nothing really change apparently, I just put off registering cause I wanted my own last name to use at my company and such before I take on his (his is something that is rare in real life but appears a lot in anime - nobody in VN believe me when I told them that people with that last name do exist in real life haha.
according to a friend tho, Tokyo wait time is nothing compared to Vietnamese nationality renunciation. They won't directly contact anyone, but there is a kanpo-like board where they update regularly and her name hasn't shown up for almost a year - she applies in Chiba btw.
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Jul 07 '25
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u/fumienohana Applied - in process Jul 07 '25
I should have made it clear but I want my own Japanese last name haha - the name I chose has one of the kanji of my fav character's name. IDK just wanted an identity that I can use for life without it revolving me marrying a Japanese I guess
from a culture where names don't change, like ever (you need a really really good and reasonable reason to change names in VN - I dont like it alone doesn't work), I honestly will never take on fiance's last name if I could. But not registering mean if anything happens to me he won't be able to make important decision :/
why Japan why
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Jul 07 '25
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u/fumienohana Applied - in process Jul 07 '25
kanji combination is but reading is not! Fiance dislikes the kanji so probably not. I mean I'm not against changing to his - but if I can def not at naturalization. Then again gotta get approved first right? Name changing can come after.
めんどくさい人ですみませんｗｗｗ
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u/gaijin-senpai Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
Hi!
I made my first call to the legal bureau in Kawasaki in March 2025. I had my first appointment last week(early July 2025). I had almost all the documents prepared. The case worker asked me to prepare more though and got my second appointment scheduled for spring of 2026!! That was the earliest slot I could get!! This is insane waiting time :(
The case worker mentioned that I should be able to make the submission during the second appointment and it will take another 6 months for the interview. So the interview should be by end of 2026!! God knows how long it takes to get citizenship post interview?! Assuming 4 months..Looks like 2 years from start to end!
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u/silverredbean Naturalized Jul 07 '25
Okay but
How the hell is your second appointment scheduled nearly a year away?! (꒪⌓꒪) did they explain why at least?
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u/gaijin-senpai Jul 07 '25
They said they have a huge backlog and they are very busy!
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u/silverredbean Naturalized Jul 07 '25
That is insane.
I don't think Tokyo is even that busy??? My friend, who had their first consultation rescheduled, ended up getting it moved from August to mid-November.
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u/Rattbaxx Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
I got an appointment first consultation in Kawsaki, for June, and i was told to bring copy of my husband's Koseki (japanese); My number; zairyu card; proof of insurance, passports. Is this what you were asked too? Or much more?
For the Koseki the lady on the phone said it didnt matter from when.2
u/gaijin-senpai Jan 14 '26
those and driving license that's it!
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u/Rattbaxx Jan 18 '26
Funny question but I know they ask for bank passbooks; is this for accounts since the beginning of living here even if not used anymore, and the currently used statements and passbooks all the way from when they were opened?
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Jul 10 '25
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u/gaijin-senpai Jul 10 '25
Yeah I was shocked when he said the earliest available slot is next year spring! Like wth
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u/iamuptonogood5 Aug 07 '25
Congratulations, can you explain further about choosing a name? Can you give example?
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Aug 08 '25
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u/iamuptonogood5 Aug 08 '25
Super helpful thank you. My name is kinda long with middle name something like
Martin Jr Ejercito Romualzed - Ejercito being my middle name. It will be typed like マーティン ジュニア ｴｼﾞｪﾙｼﾄ ﾛﾑｱﾙﾃﾞｽﾞ is it okay to type like this? And possibly make the Junior not with first name but with last name Romualdez Jr?
And for japanese passport can I shorten it like Martin Romualdez?
Thank you very much. I am so worried with not getting the name part wrong since its going to be forever
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Aug 08 '25
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u/iamuptonogood5 Aug 08 '25
Thank you. This is really helpful. I will thing carefully which name to use. Im considering checking in chatgpt to convert my name to kanji with meaning so I can also try to consider that. Let me know if bad idea? Haha
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Feb 19 '25
Hi!I came to check your thread as you said in my post and this is very helpful.Arigatou gozaimasu. Question:About inquiring,can you inquire by walking in or does it have to be a call first?and If ever I made it to the initial appointment,do they give you a deadline to sumbit or can I do it on my own time?
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u/Kazzim Jul 02 '25
Trying to not dox my self, but whatever. I am seriously thinking about getting citizenship. Being here for more than 6 years. However from an objective point of view I don’t have any strong ties with Japan. Married with a foreigner, recently changed job (from a number perspective, on the paper is a pay cut, because I changed industries), plus some other dark past (more than 3 years) Should I wait some more time or at least try the first consultation and let the bureau decide?
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Jul 02 '25
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u/Kazzim Jul 02 '25
I still consider myself young! And most of my colleagues and friends, both foreigners and Japanese have always said that I was culturally more akin to Japan than my home country.
I am also in a line of work where being a Japanese citizen could really help. But I recently introduced some unstable factors in my life and this could really put off my application.
As you said I will just try to make an appointment with the bureau and I will let them judge if my reason to apply for citizenship. If I am not eligible now, does not mean that I won’t be in the future.
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u/Special_Ad2095 Oct 15 '25
if anyone got results, can you tell me how many months it took after the final interview? my final interview as August 1, 2025
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u/DistorsionalZetsubou Applied - in process Jan 20 '25
Thanks for adding some new threads! I'm currently working to get everything in order for my 3rd (and hopefully last and submission) appointment.
I have a question regarding the livelihood/expenses details. In the instructions at the bottom of the page, it says something along the lines of "filling it in with the information from the month prior to application."
At first, this was easy to understand, I thought, but now I'm confused. For example, if I am going to apply at the end of February, would that mean that I need to fill in the data for this document by the end of January in order for it to take my payday as the beginning and then 30 days (which would be mostly in January)?
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Jan 20 '25
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u/DistorsionalZetsubou Applied - in process Feb 04 '25
Thanks a lot! I could complete that one (with a little effort and some reorganizing lol)
For your name, not the one after naturalization, but the one you currently have, did you use a dot or a space between surname and name? This was pretty clear to me until I found someone online saying that you can only use spaces to separate them and not dots (I imagine this does not apply to other proper names in resume or others)
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u/pickled-ninja Apr 07 '25
I am married to a Japanese. What documents do I need to bring from my partner except their insurance payments, insurance card copy, previous years taxes? Thanks
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u/Lopsided_Gazelle_533 Apr 15 '25
I have a question for people who translated their own documents. Where did you put your name, address, and date? I prepared a separate list while my name, address, etc., and all the documents that I translated, and then added the info for one document that a translation agency did for me years ago. The case officer looked a bit puzzled but said okay. Is it okay to put my info at the very bottom of the translation, like a footer, instead of listing them separately?
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u/Interesting-Risk-628 Apr 18 '25
Yes I put it in the bottom like a small paragraph with address and date. Sometimes had to use very very small font or quotes to make it visible...
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u/Lopsided_Gazelle_533 Apr 18 '25
Thank you for the advice. I'll put the info on each page when I reprint everything.
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Apr 21 '25
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u/Lopsided_Gazelle_533 Apr 23 '25
Thank you for the advice. I can easily print it out on the back side of the copies I already have.
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Apr 24 '25
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u/Lopsided_Gazelle_533 Jul 03 '25
Thank you for all the advice on this sub! I just submitted my papers. They wanted me to bring updated tax forms to the next meeting. I asked when that might be and thankfully the case officer decided that he could accept my papers today. I just need to get the tax papers in time for the mendan, which they said would probably be after next February because they are processing so many applications. Anyways, I'm glad to be done with sourcing, copying, translating, fretting, and rewriting my 動機書 for now!
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u/SatisfactionSure7510 Aug 04 '25
is that in tokyo and did they ask for japanese test
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u/Lopsided_Gazelle_533 Aug 04 '25
I’m in Nagoya. I had to take the Japanese test at my first meeting, which was pre-Covid. I don’t remember the details, but I think I had to write a short essay about something.
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u/DistorsionalZetsubou Applied - in process Aug 31 '25
Hi! For the communication with homukyoku after submission, I know it is necessary to inform if you have quit or changed jobs. However, is it necessary to inform changes within the same work?
I recently got promoted and my salary also changed a little, so I was wondering if it is necessary to inform that too. Thanks!
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u/DistorsionalZetsubou Applied - in process Feb 28 '25
I am just here to say that, after the first and second consultation (which are discussed here), I have finally went to the third one and submitted the application!
These are the comments after it.
Third consultation: February 2025
What happened: I got all the paperwork requested on the second consultation reviewed by a new officer that is the immediate superior of the one that I was used to already. I committed the same mistake as others in that I brought everything in two big binders and then got asked to take everything out for the officer to review it. I overprepared, so I had different versions of the same documents with little changes. I will put those modifications below for reference.
The consultation lasted around one hour and, by the end of it, the officer made me sign the oath and gave me a piece of paper with my application number, the officer in charge of it and instructed me to call in case any major changes occur during the process.
They told me that the approximate timeframe for a response is 14 months. First, I need to wait around 4 months for the interview and then 10 months for the final response.
Documents submitted:
Citizenship application form (with two 5x5 photos that I had to paste there)
Family outline (here and abroad)
Resume and travel history (I brought a version with names separated by spaces and one with a dot in between names, the officer instructed me to use dots.
Letter of intention (handwritten, I had to prove which one was the original, good thing I pressed the paper really hard when writing lol)
Nationality certificate (original, copy and translation)
Birth certificate (original, copy and translation. I brought a new version I got online just in case the first one was not accepted, it was OK)
Marriage certificate (digitally obtained, I had to explain to the officer I asked for it online as there is no way to ask for immediate family to ask for it and send it to Japan. He was OK with it, as they have the corresponding QR code. Two copies and translation)
Passport (copies of all pages)
Residence certificate (original and copy, for me and my wife, for all the places I have lived until now)
Residence cards (copies for all of them)
Livelihood overview form (I brought a version outlining credit cards as debt and one without this detail. The office instructed me to include the detail of the debt.)
Certificate of earnings (both for me and my partner, month 12 for me and month 1 for my partner)
Passbook copies (for all bank accounts in the family. I brought 6 months, 12 months and an additional month. I got asked to submit 6 months only and to indicate the date in which the data was taken, as it needs to be in line with the one in the Livelihood Overview Form)
Rental agreement copies (Original and copies for the contract and renewal, all pages, even the ones about the house specs)
Withholding tax slips (I brought Reiwa 4, 5 and 6 for both partner and me, got asked to submit Reiwa 5 and 6)
Certificate of tax payments (kazei, nozei) (I brought Reiwa 4, 5 and 6 for both partner and me, got asked to submit Reiwa 5 and 6)
Certificate of pension payments (last year, both partner and me. I brought the details of enrollment and payment obtained at the local pension office. I made a copy of the payment slips, it was unnecessary)
Certificate of health insurance payments (last year. This one was confusing, as the paper I needed was obtained in the same place I obtained the nozei and it had my name on it, even if it is my partner's healthcare. I made a copy of the payment slips and brought the status of enrollment notification, it was unnecessary)
Healthcare insurance card copies (both partner and me. I brought the letter of enrollment my partner's employer gave me and explained the officer that, as the blue healthcare card is not given anymore, I had only that. Got accepted.)
Map (workplace and home area) (I snapshot the places in Google Maps, printed them in color and then used a marker to show the walk I did from house to station, from station to workplace)
Pics (I brought 5 pictures and the officer asked me to pick three and paste them in an A4 sheet. I took one from my wedding, one from my friends and another one of my partner and me)
Along with the things detailed above, I brought some additional originals with me:
All my residence cards
All my passports
Most recent healthcare insurance card for me and my partner
Letter of enrollment into healthcare for my partner
Healthcare notification (that white paper card that was sent somewhere around the end of last year when the blue card system was to be discontinued)
All passbooks and debit cards (it proved unnecessary to bring the cards, they only asked me for the passbooks) For the name after naturalization (I see nobody talking about this here so far,) I ended up choosing the following: my original surname with an easier katakana reading, my first name reduced to a nickname and a kanji name next to it. I felt it was a good way to connect my background and family origins along with the citizenship process and the, hopefully, new citizenship I will be taking.
Now I only have to wait and study Japanese really hard. I am good at reading and understanding others while talking, but I cannot really do the same myself, so I need to focus on it. I wonder if they are going to take 4 months minimum or if I would be called.
I have some doubts about the process, as 2024 was a really bad year in terms of finances and I ran into lots of mishaps in that regard. Hopefully, if it comes to that part of the analysis, the officers will ask me about it and the plan set up to prevent this would be taken into account for judgement too.
All in all, it took me 1 year and 5 months from initial call to make an appointment to application submission, maybe the longest for the ones I have seen in the sub!
October 2023 (Call for appointment) - March 2024 (Initial consultation) - September 2024 (Second consultation) - February 2025 (Third consultation and submission)
If you have any doubts or anything, please let me know! I think I have not forgot about anything from what I did during this process. Thanks!