Residence Procedures for foreign nationals    Permission for Permanent Residence

| Change of Status of Residence | Permission for Extending Period of Stay | Acquisition Status of Residence | | Permission for Permanent Residence | Re-entry Permit | Special Re-entry Permit | | Permission to Engage in an Activity Other Than That Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted | | Certificate of Authorized Employment | Passport | Revocation Status of Residence | List of Necessary Documents | Q&A |

The status of permanent residence is granted when certain conditions have been satisfied by foreign nationals who reside in Japan under another status of residence and who have applied for change of status of residence to permanent residence or by those who have applied to acquire status of residence due to birth or renouncement of Japanese nationality.    If a foreign resident is authorized to stay in Japan on a permanent basis, he/she will stay in Japan with the status of residence "Permanent Resident." The status of residence "Permanent Resident" provides much more advantageous treatments than other statuses of residence because it does not limit the status holder's activities or period of stay. For this reason, the immigration control authority needs to examine permanent resident applicants much more closely than other applicants for merely changing their status of residence. From this viewpoint, immigration control legislations set forth separate provision for permanent resident status, independent from ordinary procedures for change of Status of Residence. [Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence (PDF)] [Guidelines for Contribution to Japan (PDF)]

| Change of Status of Residence | Permission for Extending Period of Stay | Acquisition Status of Residence | | Permission for Permanent Residence | Re-entry Permit | Special Re-entry Permit | | Permission to Engage in an Activity Other Than That Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted | | Certificate of Authorized Employment | Passport | Revocation Status of Residence | List of Necessary Documents | Q&A |