"Long-Term Resident (定住者)" Visa - “Nikkei 3rd Generation: Grandchildren of Japanese Nationals (日系3世)” Category

If you are a third-generation Nikkei (日系3世, Nikkeijin), you may apply for a 'Long-Term Resident' (定住者, Teijusha) visa.

Requirements for the Permission

The following are the requirements for Nikkei 3rd Generation (Grandchildren of Japanese Nationals) to qualify for "Long-Term Resident" (定住者) status.

1. Bloodline and Status Requirements (Scope of Eligibility under Long-Term Resident Notification No. 3 or No. 4)

Nikkei 3rd Generation applicants are categorized under either Long-Term Resident Notification No. 3 or Notification No. 4, depending on whether their grandparent lost Japanese nationality before or after their parent (Nikkei 2nd Generation) was born:

• Long-Term Resident Notification No. 3 (定住者告示3号):
• • Grandchild of a Japanese National: The grandparent has retained Japanese nationality throughout, and the applicant was born as a biological child of that grandparent's child (the Nikkei 2nd Generation parent).
  • Grandchild of a Former Japanese National (Born before the loss of nationality): The parent was born before the grandparent lost Japanese nationality, and the applicant was born as a biological child of that parent.

• Long-Term Resident Notification No. 4 (定住者告示4号):
• • Grandchild of a Former Japanese National (Born after the loss of nationality): The grandparent was born as a Japanese national and once had a registered domicile (Koseki) in Japan, but the parent (Nikkei 2nd Generation) was born after the grandparent lost Japanese nationality. The applicant is the biological child of that parent.

Note: Under both routes, continuous biological and legal relationships (parent-child and marriages) across three generations must be fully proven using official certificates (Koseki, birth and marriage certificates).

2. Good Conduct Requirement (素行善良要件) — Common to both routes

Applicants must behave in a good and lawful manner. As a general rule, none of the following disqualifying situations under the laws of Japan or their home country may apply to them:

• No Criminal Record: Must not have been sentenced to imprisonment (with or without work) or a fine (excluding minor traffic fines).
• • Exception: The requirement is met if 10 years have passed since the sentence was served in full, or the offender was exempted from serving it (or if a suspended sentence/probation period has successfully passed), or if 5 years have passed since the fine was paid in full, or the offender was exempted from paying it.
• No Active Juvenile Protective Measures: Must not currently be subject to protective measures (such as commitment to a juvenile training school) under the Japanese Juvenile Act.
• Daily and Social Life Conduct: In their daily and social life, must not have repeatedly engaged in illegal acts or conduct that disrupts public order and morals.
• No Immigration Violations: Must not have engaged in fraudulent activities under immigration laws, such as submitting false documents or facilitating illegal employment.

3. Financial Maintenance / Livelihood Requirement (生計維持要件) — Common to both routes

Applicants must have sufficient financial means to maintain a stable life in Japan without relying on public assistance.

• Livelihood Ability: The total combined income of the household must be sufficient to maintain an independent and stable livelihood in Japan.

4. Requirements for a "5-Year" Period of Stay (Only for Change of Status or Extension)

Except for minors, an applicant must satisfy additional criteria to be granted the maximum "5-year" period of stay during a renewal or change of status:

• Japanese Language Proficiency: The applicant must demonstrate a certain level of Japanese proficiency by meeting one of the following:
• • Completed at least 6 months of education at a designated Japanese language institution.
  • Passed the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at N2 or higher (or scored 104+ points on the N3 exam, which is equivalent to CEFR B1 level).
  • Scored 400 points or higher on the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test.
  • Completed at least 1 year of education at a school defined under Article 1 of the School Education Act in Japan (e.g., Japanese public/private elementary, junior high, or high schools, or universities).
• Other "5-Year" Compliance Criteria:
• • Consistently fulfilling notification obligations under immigration law (e.g., reporting changes of address or place of employment/affiliation).
  • Fulfilling all public duties, including tax and social security payments.
  • If the applicant has children of compulsory school age, those children must be attending elementary or junior high school.
    etc.

Required supporting documents

As a Nikkei 3rd Generation applicant, you must prove a continuous biological and legal relationship across three generations: Japanese Grandparents ➡ Nikkei 2nd Generation Parents ➡ Nikkei 3rd Generation Applicant (You).

1. Family Relationship Documents (身分関係の立証資料)

To establish your lineage from your Japanese grandparents to yourself, you must submit official documents from both Japan and your home (foreign) country.

A. Japanese Family Registers & Notification Documents (Japan Side)

• Family Register (Koseki Tohon) or Removed Family Register (Joseki Tohon) of your Japanese Grandparents
• • This is the most critical document to prove your Japanese bloodline at its origin.
• Certificate of Acceptance of Marriage Notification of your parents
• • Required if the marriage was officially registered with a Japanese municipal office or a Japanese embassy/consulate abroad.
• Certificate of Acceptance of Acknowledgment (Cognition) Notification of your grandparents or parents
• • Required if there is an official record of legal acknowledgment/cognition on the Japanese side.
• Certificate of Acceptance of Death Notification
• • Required if the deaths of your grandparents or parents were officially registered with a Japanese municipal office.

B. Official Certificates Issued by the Home Country (Foreign Side)

• Birth Certificate of the Applicant (You)
• Birth Certificates of both Parents
• Marriage Certificate of both Parents
• Marriage Certificate of your Japanese Grandparent and their spouse
• Official Certificate of Acknowledgment (Cognition) of the Applicant (if legally acknowledged)
• Official Public Documents Proving the Historical Existence of Grandparents & Parents (Type A & B)
• • Type A: Public certificates of birth, death, marriage, or acquisition of foreign citizenship.
  • Type B: Copies of passports, driver's licenses, military service records, or national ID cards.

C. Identity & Conduct Verification

• Official document verifying the applicant's identity (e.g., National ID card, driver's license, passport copy).
• Certificate of Criminal Record (Police Clearance)
• Required to prove the "Good Conduct" requirement. Must be issued by the competent authority of your country of nationality, or of the country where you resided immediately before coming to Japan (exempt for applicants under 18).

2. Financial Maintenance and Expense Support Documents (生計維持・経費支弁能力に関する資料)

These documents prove how you and your household will maintain a stable life in Japan.

A. If the applicant supports the household with their own income:

• Copy of bank passbook or certificate of deposit balance
• Certificate of Employment, Expected Employment or Job Offer Letter
• Copies of pay slips, tax returns, etc.
• Certificate of Tax Payment (or Tax Exemption) and Tax Assessment Certificate for resident tax

B. If supported by a sponsor (expense payer) or supporter in Japan:

• Certificate of Employment of the sponsor/supporter
• Certificate of Tax Payment (or Tax Exemption) and Tax Assessment Certificate for resident tax of the sponsor/supporter
• Copy of bank passbook or certificate of deposit balance of the sponsor/supporter
• • Required if the applicant's living expenses are covered by a sponsor/supporter, or if the applicant is maintained mainly through savings or other assets rather than regular income — in which case a copy of the bank passbook or deposit balance certificate of the sponsor/supporter, or of the applicant as principal livelihood maintainer, must be submitted.

C. Common Documents:

• Letter of Guarantee (身元保証書)
• Certificate of Residence (住民票) showing all household members (Required only for renewal or change of status).

3. Additional Documents for Requesting a "5-Year" Period of Stay (在留期間「5年」を希望する場合の追加資料)

Applicable only for Change of Status or Extension of Stay procedures (not for COE). Applicants requesting the maximum 5-year stay (except minors) must submit one of the following documents proving Japanese language proficiency:

• Document proving at least 6 months of study at a designated Japanese language education institution
• Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2 or higher pass certificate
• • Also acceptable: Scoring 104+ points on the JLPT N3 exam, which is officially recognized as equivalent to CEFR B1 level.
• Score certificate of 400 points or higher on the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test
• Document proving at least 1 year of education at a school defined under Article 1 of the School Education Act in Japan (such as Japanese public/private elementary, junior high, or high schools, or universities).

4. Documents Requested on an As-Needed Basis (必要に応じて提出が必要となる資料)

These are supplementary documents that may be requested during the examination depending on your specific situation:

• A copy of the tax return (with receipt stamp) if the expense payer is self-employed.
• Documents proving pension receipt or bank balance certificates if the expense payer is a pensioner or currently unemployed.
• The applicant’s "Statement of Residence History in Japan" (在留経歴の申立書) and supporting evidence.
• Documents showing the financial status or business performance of the prospective employer (such as company financial statements).

Please contact us if you would like to carefully review your eligibility for this visa category.