I have both british and japanese nationalities.
My british passport is expired and to get a new one I need to add my middle name to my japanese one for the names to match.
Apparently it’s possible to add a middle name to a japanese passport but I’ll probably have to change my 戸籍 and stuff.
The problem is I don’t want japan to know that I’m british. I have to choose when I’m 22 and I’d like to keep both (You can keep both if you keep your mouth shut). If I have to give a reason why I need to add a middle name I don’t know what to say.
What can I say that won’t let them know that I am a british national?
8 comments
You would be better off getting rid of the middle name on your British passport. It is a pain having to include a middle name when filling out forms. I got rid of my middle name when I naturalized in Japan, and it’s made life a lot easier.
They don’t need to be the same. If anything the longer name will make your life worse.
You don’t want to use your British persona for anything in Japan.
Do not add a middle name, especially in Japan. It is a royal pain in the ass. It western countries they do not expect you to actually use it. Here they do. Remove your middle name from the British Passport.
When I got the kids Japanese passports there names were written in romaji based on the katakana transliteration of their names.
To change them to the correct transliteration I had a notarised translation from the British Embassy that said something like:
> In English the correct roman letter transliteration of スミス is “Smith”.
> In English the correct roman letter transliteration of ジョンポール is “John Paul”.
They then accepted this as the required transliteration. In the end the passport office told us what they needed to prove what is the “correct” text.
Also, since there is no connection between the two passports I expect that you could have different names on them. Though, if searched at an airport this could be considered suspicious.
I have had endless headaches after adding my middle name. Nothing in Japan is built to handle it
Why do you need Japanese passport to get British? It’s not like other Brits need Japanese passports to get British passports
>(You can keep both if you keep your mouth shut).
i’ve heard ppl say this, but rly tho? what happens if they find out? i’ve applied for a japanese passport, and i have no real qualms about letting the other one go, except i’ve read there’s a ridiculous “exit tax” and i also worry what to do about a bank account in my home country (i’m the main holder and my father is a joint holder – it’s easier than wiring money when he can just deposit). also, my name will be completely different if i’m approved for japanese citizenship, so i probably couldn’t renew my other passport anyway…
this should be obligatory reading for all dual nationals (JP/?).
https://old.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/8iczg8/renewing_japanese_passport_as_a_dualcitizen/?ref=share&ref_source=link