📑 Visa & Law
The Road to Permanent Residence — The Truth About Years, Income, and Taxes
If you ever think "someday I want permanent residence," there are things you can start preparing today
📖 9 min read📅 2026-08-13
"I worked hard and honestly for 10 years, and my permanent residence was still denied" — and the reason was unpaid pension contributions from three years earlier.
Li (38), from Shenyang, China, had worked in Japan for 12 years. He worked diligently as a technical professional, paid his taxes, and supported his family. Feeling "surely that's enough by now," he applied for permanent residence.
But the result was a denial.
When he looked into the reason, it turned out that during a period of unstable income after changing jobs, he had forgotten to pay a few months of National Pension contributions. He had assumed "that's surely past the statute of limitations by now." But in a permanent residence review, your payment record for pension and health insurance is examined closely. Just a few months of unpaid contributions stopped 12 years of steady effort in its tracks.
Li paid the unpaid amount, put his payment record in order, and reapplied two years later — and was approved. "If only I had known, I would have kept everything perfect from the start," he told us.
Permanent residence is not something you "automatically receive just by living here a long time." Years of residence, income, tax payment, conduct — you need to satisfy a number of conditions for years before you even apply. Put the other way around: if you know early, you can prepare steadily.
For you, as you think about permanent residence, we've put together the real story in FAQ form (based on the latest guidelines from the Immigration Services Agency).
In addition to the legal requirements (good conduct, stable livelihood), permanent residence also requires being recognized as "consistent with the national interest." Let's look at what that means, broken down into years, money, payments, and points to watch.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q.How many years do I need to live in Japan to get permanent residence?
A.As a rule, you need to have resided in Japan "continuously for 10 years or more," and within that, have held a work-based or residence-based status for 5 years or more. There are two points to watch. ① Because it must be "continuous," your count can reset if your residence is interrupted by long periods abroad (the guidelines give no clear standard for number of days abroad and it is a matter of case-by-case judgment, but long or frequent absences work against you). ② Periods of residence under Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker Level 1 do NOT count toward this "5 years." Only the period after transitioning from those into Specified Skilled Worker Level 2, Gijinkoku (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services), etc. is counted.
Q.Are there cases where I can apply for permanent residence without waiting 10 years?
A.Yes. Common examples: ① A spouse of a Japanese national or permanent resident can apply if a genuine marriage has lasted 3 years or more AND they have resided continuously for 1 year or more. ② Those with the Long-Term Resident status who have resided continuously for 5 years or more. ③ Under the Highly Skilled Professional (points-based system), 3 years of residence if you score 70 points or more, or just 1 year if you score 80 points or more. ④ Those recognized as refugees, 5 years or more after recognition. Checking with immigration or an administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi) whether you qualify for a special case can sometimes open the door sooner than you expected.
Q.How much annual income do I need?
A.There is no published, clear monetary threshold such as "annual income of X yen or more" in the law. What is examined is whether you "can support yourself independently" and whether "a stable livelihood is expected to continue in the future." As a rough guide, what matters is having stable income enough to support your household (including dependents), and that it has continued for the past several years. Even with high income, an unstable situation (repeatedly changing jobs, long periods unemployed) lowers the evaluation, while moderate but stable income is viewed favorably. If you have many dependents, they look at whether your income can support them.
Q.[Most important] If I have unpaid taxes or pension, is it really a problem?
A.Yes — this is the point where people stumble most often in a permanent residence review. For permanent residence, you are required to have "properly paid taxes, public pension, and public medical insurance (health insurance) premiums." The 2019 revision of the guidelines made the payment record for pension and health insurance a clear part of the review. The documents you submit show your payment record for the most recent 2 years, and it is checked all the way down to **whether you paid by the deadline.** Even a single instance of "paying after the deadline" can become a negative mark. As with Li, it is not unusual for past unpaid or late payments of just a few months to lead to a denial. Be especially careful during periods on National Pension and National Health Insurance, where payment is not deducted from your salary.
Q.Are there requirements about a guarantor or my current period of stay?
A.① Your application requires a "guarantor" (mimoto hoshonin) who is a Japanese national or permanent resident living in Japan (one of the required documents). The guarantor bears no legal liability for compensation, but you do need to find someone willing to take on the role. ② It is also a condition that your current residence status is the "longest period of stay." Many work statuses have a maximum of 5 years, but for the time being (until the end of March 2027) the practice is to treat a "3-year" period of stay as the "longest." It is a good idea to prepare so that you can obtain a longer period of stay at your next renewal.
Q.After I obtain permanent residence, can it ever be revoked?
A.As a rule, permanent residents have a stable status, but there is a legal change to be aware of. The revised Immigration Control Act, enacted and promulgated in 2024, added "grounds for revocation" of permanent resident status. **Cases such as "intentionally" failing to pay taxes or social insurance premiums** are covered (scheduled to take effect in April 2027). "Intentionally" here means deliberately not paying when you have the ability to pay. If you cannot pay due to unavoidable circumstances such as illness or job loss, you are not covered. Also, even if revoked, it does not mean immediate deportation; in practice, a change to a different status such as "Long-Term Resident" is generally permitted. Even after obtaining permanent residence, it is important to keep paying your taxes and social insurance properly.
Q.Please tell me about the cost of applying and tips for preparing.
A.The fee for permanent residence is 10,000 yen (revenue stamp), paid when the permission is granted (revised up from 8,000 yen in April 2025). The tip for preparing is to "work backward." If you are thinking about permanent residence, then from at least 2–3 years before applying, keep in mind: ① always pay taxes, pension, and health insurance by the deadline, ② don't create too many gaps in employment or income, ③ watch your conduct, including traffic violations, and ④ renew for as long a period of stay as possible. Permanent residence is decided not by "the few months right before applying" but by "the accumulation of several years."
🤝 Where to get help (free, multilingual, anonymous OK)
Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC, Ministry of Justice)
You can consult about the requirements for permanent residence, required documents, and your own case. In some cases you can be referred to an administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi) who specializes in immigration matters.
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