Permanent residence frees you from status renewals and lets you take any work in Japan. The standard rule is ten years of continuous residence including five on a work status; Highly Skilled Professionals at 70 points qualify after three years and at 80 points after one, and spouses of Japanese nationals after three years of marriage with one year in Japan. Every applicant must show tax, pension and health insurance paid on time, hold the longest period of stay for their status and have a guarantor. From 1 October 2026 the permission fee is ¥200,000, paid in revenue stamps at the counter on approval; decisions take six to twelve months.
Who qualifies for Japan permanent residence? Residents with ten years of continuous stay including five on a work or similar status; Highly Skilled Professionals with 70 points for the last three years or 80 points for the last year; spouses of Japanese nationals or permanent residents married three years with one year in Japan; children of Japanese nationals after one year; and Long-Term Residents after five years. All need good conduct, independent livelihood (about ¥3 million a year plus ¥700,000 per dependant in practice), the longest period of stay (three or five years) on their current status, and a Japanese or PR guarantor.
What does it cost? ¥200,000 in revenue stamps when permission is granted, for applications received on or after 1 October 2026 (¥10,000 before); nothing is charged if the application is refused. Permanent residence applications are filed only at the counter, so the online discount does not apply. Add certificates (tax, income, residence) at a few hundred yen each and a scrivener's fee if you use one.
How long does it take? The Immigration Services Agency's standard is four months, but Tokyo and Osaka decisions commonly take six to twelve months. Your current status must stay valid throughout, so file extensions as usual while the PR application is pending; a change of job or a late tax payment during the wait is reported and can sink the case.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Permanent Resident; no renewal, any work |
| Government fee | ¥200,000 on approval (from 1 Oct 2026); no fee if refused |
| Residence rule | 10 years (5 on a work status); HSP 3 years at 70 points or 1 year at 80; spouse 3 years' marriage + 1 year in Japan |
| Compliance | Tax, pension and health insurance paid on time; longest period of stay held |
| Processing | Standard 4 months; 6 to 12 months in practice |
| Where to apply | Regional immigration bureau counter in Japan |
| Guarantor | Japanese national or permanent resident |
| Verified | 29 Oct 2026 against moj.go.jp/isa |
| Route | Residence required | Evidence period for tax and insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (work and other statuses) | 10 years continuous, including 5 years on a work status | 5 years of tax; 2 years of pension and health insurance records |
| Highly Skilled Professional, 70 points | 3 years with 70 points throughout | 3 years of tax; 2 years of pension and insurance |
| Highly Skilled Professional, 80 points (or J-Skip) | 1 year with 80 points | 1 year of tax, pension and insurance |
| Spouse of Japanese national or PR | 3 years of marriage with at least 1 year in Japan | 3 years of tax (spouse's household); 2 years of insurance |
| Child of Japanese national or PR | 1 year in Japan | Parent's records |
| Long-Term Resident | 5 years | 5 years of tax; 2 years of insurance |
Continuity matters: absences of more than three months at a stretch or about 100 days in a year can reset the clock, and a change of status from student to work counts only the work years toward the five-year element. The independent-livelihood test looks at household income over the evidence period; immigration applies about ¥3 million a year plus roughly ¥700,000 per dependant as a working benchmark, and welfare receipt disqualifies.
Since 2019 the pension and health insurance test has been strict: every monthly payment in the evidence period must have been made by the due date, shown with the Nenkin Net record and insurance payment certificates. The 2024 immigration law amendment also allows permanent residence to be revoked for deliberate non-payment of taxes and social insurance after approval, from a date to be set by 2027. You must hold the longest period of stay available for your status (three years counts as the longest for this purpose) and submit a guarantor form from a Japanese national or permanent resident.
| Item | JPY | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent residence permission (from 1 Oct 2026) | 200,000 | Revenue stamps at the counter on approval; ¥10,000 for applications received by 30 Sep 2026 |
| Tax, income and residence certificates | 300 to 400 each | Municipal office; several years required |
| Pension record (Nenkin Net) | Free | Printout of payment history |
| Administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi) fee | About ¥100,000 to 200,000 | Optional |
| Extension of current status while pending (from 1 Oct 2026) | ¥33,000 to ¥75,000 counter | If the status expires during processing |
Vistolane shows the ¥200,000 permission fee on the price card for transparency; it is paid in Japan on approval, and the partner's advisory fee is shown separately.
| Stage | Typical time | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying residence | 1 to 10 years by route | Keep tax and insurance perfect |
| Documents | 3 to 6 weeks | Certificates, pension record, guarantor |
| Immigration decision | Standard 4 months; 6 to 12 in practice | Keep status valid; report changes |
| Fee and card | 1 to 2 weeks after the postcard | ¥200,000 in stamps; collect the card |
Applicants whose status expires during the wait must extend it in the normal way; the PR application does not extend the current permission.
Permanent residents work in any job, change employers without notification of activity, and sponsor spouses and children under Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident. The residence card is renewed every seven years. Absences over one year require a re-entry permit (up to five years, ¥6,000 multiple) before leaving; departing without one, or staying out beyond the permit, ends the status.
Permanent residence is not citizenship: Indian citizens remain Indian citizens with full OCI-free rights at home, and naturalisation after five years (three for spouses of Japanese nationals) would require renouncing Indian citizenship. Keep paying tax and social insurance on time after approval; deliberate non-payment can lead to revocation under the 2024 amendment once it takes effect.
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Residence card and passport | Longest period of stay for your status |
| Application form and photo (40x30 mm) | Signed |
| Statement of reasons | Why you seek PR; family and work history |
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Tax certificates (kazei and nozei shomeisho) for the evidence period | Municipal office; all years paid on time |
| Nenkin Net pension record and health insurance payment certificates | Every month on time in the evidence period |
| Employment certificate and income certificate (gensen choshu) | Household income over the benchmark |
| Document | Standard the officer applies |
|---|---|
| Guarantor form with the guarantor's income or tax certificate | Japanese national or PR |
| Marriage and birth certificates | For spouse and child routes; koseki for Japanese spouses |
| HSP points calculation for each year claimed | 70 or 80 points with evidence |
One or more payments in the evidence period made after the due date, or unpaid pension while self-employed.
The fix. Wait until two full years of on-time payments are recorded and reapply; back payments do not cure lateness.
Absences over three months, or counting student years toward the five work years.
The fix. Recount the clock and apply when the route is met; keep absences short.
Household income under about ¥3 million plus ¥700,000 per dependant for the period.
The fix. Apply after income rises, or reduce dependants on the application.
Current status granted for one year only.
The fix. Obtain a three- or five-year extension first; it signals immigration's trust.
Guarantor without income proof, missing certificates or inconsistencies with past applications.
The fix. Use a stable guarantor and reconcile every statement with earlier filings.
¥200,000 in revenue stamps on approval for applications received from 1 October 2026 (¥10,000 before that date). Nothing is paid if the application is refused.
Ten years including five on a work status in the standard route; three years for Highly Skilled Professionals at 70 points, one year at 80 points or under J-Skip, and three years of marriage with one year in Japan for spouses of Japanese nationals.
The official standard is four months, but six to twelve months is common in Tokyo and Osaka. Keep your current status valid and file extensions as usual while waiting.
Yes: by leaving for more than a year without a re-entry permit, by staying abroad beyond the permit, through serious crime, or, under the 2024 amendment once in force, for deliberate non-payment of taxes and social insurance.
Vistolane routes PR to a licensed gyoseishoshi partner in Japan who checks the clock and compliance records, prepares the statement of reasons and files at the bureau; the ¥200,000 fee is shown as listed and paid in Japan on approval.