Japan permanent residency requirements 2026: new rules

From 10,000 yen to 200,000: on October 1, 2026 the fee for Japan permanent residency jumps twentyfold, and new income, pension and language tests arrive with it. Who gets cut out, what to file before September 30, and where permanent status comes faster.

From October 1, 2026, applying for permanent residency in Japan costs about $1,300. Until September 30 the same application cost about $65. The twentyfold jump is only the visible part: Japan's Immigration Services Agency is also bringing in an above-average income bar, a pension test and a check of Japanese language skills.

On September 25, 2026 the agency spelled out the goal: a foreigner with permanent status must live independently and without the risk of becoming a burden on the state. For many people who spent years building a life in Tokyo or Osaka, that pushes permanent residency back by years or puts it out of reach.

What changes on October 1, 2026

There are two packages. The first is money. Amendments to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act were passed by Japan's parliament on May 29, 2026 and promulgated on June 5, and the new fees take effect on October 1.

Filing online is cheaper: a 5-year extension, for example, costs about $420. The law allows the permanent residency fee to go as high as about $1,900, so $1,300 is not the ceiling. A reduced rate of about $130 is possible in financial hardship, but for permanent residency only for spouses and children of Japanese citizens and permanent residents.

The second package covers the applicant. The agency put the new criteria out for public comment in summer 2026, the comment period closed in early September, and rollout starts on October 1.

Japan permanent residency requirements now

The core framework stays: as a rule, 10 years of continuous residence in Japan, at least 5 of them on a work status, a clean tax and social insurance record, and no criminal convictions. What is new is how money and integration are checked.

• Income above the Japanese average. Annual household income must exceed the average income of a Japanese household. The benchmark is about $37,000 a year, adjusted for dependents. English teachers and service workers often earn $13,000-19,000 a year.
• Pension test. Expected pension benefits must match 30 years of contributions to Employees' Pension Insurance (kosei nenkin, the state earnings-related pension). Savings and assets can cover a shortfall.
• Japanese language and knowledge of the law. Language ability and understanding of how the country works become part of the assessment. Authorities will also check that children attend school.
• Spouses of Japanese citizens and permanent residents. The draft calls for 5 years of marriage and 3 years in Japan instead of the current 3 years and 1 year.

The unpleasant detail: the income and public-burden test also applies to applications filed since April 2026 that are still pending. The other criteria, including language, apply to applications filed from April 2027.

Who gets cut out

At the end of 2024 about 947,000 foreigners held permanent residency in Japan, and the country had 4.12 million foreign residents at the end of 2025, about 3% of the population. The new rules hit three groups hardest:

• teachers, school assistants and workers earning below the average;
• freelancers and anyone with uneven income from year to year;
• foreign spouses who counted on the faster marriage track.

The politics matter too. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government has openly chosen a tougher line: in a 2026 survey 56.3% of Japanese opposed accepting more foreigners, up from 35.6% in 2024. Do not expect the rules to soften any time soon.

How to get Japan permanent residency faster than 10 years

A shortcut still exists: Highly Skilled Professional status (kodo senmonshoku). Points are awarded for education, experience, salary, age and Japanese language. With 70 points you can apply for permanent residency after 3 years, with 80 points after 1 year. The new fee and financial checks apply here too from October 1.

For entrepreneurs the usual entry is the Business Manager visa (keiei kanri) and the startup visa. We explain how that route works and how much capital it takes on our page about the Japan startup visa. Remote workers who want to try living in the country first can use the Japan digital nomad visa for 6 months, but that time does not count toward permanent residency.

What to do if you already live in Japan

• If you filed by September 30, 2026, the old fee of about $65 applies even if the decision comes later. From October 1 a new filing costs about $1,300, and a refusal over an incomplete file costs 20 times more, so the file is checked before filing - Murblz support handles this check and the filing.
• If you applied after April 2026, check your income for recent years and prepare proof of savings: the financial test will apply to you.
• If permanent residency is still years away, budget for higher extension fees and work on your Japanese: from 2027 it becomes part of the assessment.

Japanese citizenship: now 10 years as well

Since April 1, 2026 the Ministry of Justice in practice expects naturalization applicants to have lived in Japan for 10 years. The Nationality Act still says 5 years, but the decision is at the minister's discretion, and the bar was raised without changing the law. The new standard also covers applications filed earlier.

The main restriction has not changed: Japan does not recognize dual citizenship, and a Japanese passport means giving up your current one. We compare this with countries that allow a second passport in our article on dual citizenship. The Japanese passport is one of the strongest in the world in the 2026 passport ranking, but not everyone is ready to pay for it with their original citizenship.

Where permanent status is easier to get

If the goal is a reliable second status rather than Japan specifically, some countries offer a shorter and cheaper path:

The full list of options is in our residency and second passport sections, and our guide on where to move from Russia in 2026 compares them by cost and timing.

Our services for moving to Japan

We help you choose a route into Japan that fits your income and profession, and if the Japanese requirements do not work for you, find a country with a shorter path to permanent status.

Japan taxes permanent residents on worldwide income, so sort out your tax residency before the move. Housing, neighborhoods and costs in the capital are covered in our Tokyo guide. Legal representation in Japan is handled by Murblz specialists together with locally licensed partners.

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