I am planning to make video series for Naturalization, Kika in Japanese, In familiar words, getting Japanese passport/citizenship. Today, I will introduce several ways to get Japanese citizenship as an introduction.
In order to get Japanese :
1. If either parent is Japanese citizen, the child get Japanese citizenship by birth. If the child is born outside Japan, the parents should register within 3 months after the birth.
FAQ. We are both foreign residents in a Japan. If our child is born in Japan, does he/she get citizenship by birth?
A. No
2. Even if parents are not married, Japanese father submits acknowledgement documents before birth, the child would get citizenship by birth. The mother needs to register the baby’s birth at Japanese Embassy or city hall in Japan.
3. If the child is legally acknowledged according to the Japanese law after the birth, he/she could get citizenship if the parent is done the procedure at Ministry of Justice before the child becomes 20 year old.
FAQ. The father acknowledged the baby and signed on the birth certificate.
Can my child get citizenship or visa for Japan?
A. No. The acknowledgement should be done legally according to Japanese law. Signing on the birth certificate doesn’t mean anything for Japan.
4. Even if both parents are foreigners, if the parent gets married with Japanese and the child is adopted by Japanese step parent, the child could get citizenship after one year staying in Japan with long term visa before he/she turns 20 year old.
FAQ. I am over 20. If I am adopted by a Japanese, can I get citizenship or visa?
A. No. Adoption doesn’t affect visa situation. You can be adopted but you cannot get a visa by adoption.
FAQ. If my minor child gets adopted by my current Japanese husband, can he/she gets a visa?
A. If the child is minor, he/she has possibilities to get a long term visa without adoption as long as you are staying in Japan with proper visa.
5. If your ancestor is Japanese, you have possibilities to get citizenship if you were born before 1985. It is what we call “upgrading” according to the old citizenship law.
6. For any foreign residents who do not applied to the conditions above, Naturalization(Kika) is the way for you to get Japanese citizenship. I will explain it in detail in the coming-up video series.
Yesterday, I handed the Kika application documents to one of my clients. Here’s his documents. You could see how thick it is. You need hard work for preparing Kika application.
Sunny beautiful sky in Tokyo.
Happy Sunday to all.
