My younger daughter has dual citizenship Japan and a country which allows it. She will be 20 in a few years and now her Japanese passport is up for renewal. When we got the current one, we truthfully stated that she has a different citizenship too, and even had them put her middle names (within parenthesis) in the Japanese passports.
Now, to renew the Jpnz passport, she is supposed to click a box to declare she has a different citizenship. Is it safe to leave it open? I figure it would increase the chances of keeping both passports when she renews the Jpnz passport after turning 20. What is the best way to go? If not ticking the box, how does she explain the middle names her passport (which of course are not registered in Japan)?
Would be very interested to hear any relevant experiences!
8 comments
Dont lie on official paperwork. Even if you check that you have multiple citizenship, the most they are going to do is to tell you to choose in which you will say, yes I’m thinking about it.
Your daughter was born in Japan or otherwise born as a dual citizen right?
In that case just check the box indicating that she has another citizenship and then put her birthdate on the field that asks when she obtained the non-Japanese citizenship.
Then if there are any follow up questions say that there have been efforts to select a citizenship. Everything should be fine thereafter.
Do not lie on the documents since they will find out
>what is the best way to go?
Assuming she acquired the other nationality without triggering Article 11 of the nationality act (*usually* this means born dual) then the BEST way to go is the legal way (I.e forget what everyone says “don’t ask don’t tell”…. Because that is in fact totally incorrect… because they do literally ASK on the form every time you renew the passport)
Anyway, I digress, the best way based on current law to is to have her make her Article 14 declaration of choice. Then as long as she does not voluntarily take up public office in the other country she holds citizenship in (i.e trigger Article 16 paragraph 2) then she’s all good to remain dual. Because then she is subject to Article 16 paragraph 1 which only states she must endeavor to rid herself of her other nationality, but no where does it state she will lose her Japanese nationality for not endeavor’ing hard enough. If she does not make her article 14 declaration of choice, then it’s possible for her to lose Japanese nationality via article 15.
After she’s made her declaration of choice, it will be mentioned in her Koseki that she’s made it, and then she’s free to tick that box on the passport application with out any real issues because she’s followed the law correctly.
You’re about to get a lot of incorrect information from people who are very sure of themselves.
She can keep both passports indefinitely unless she does something like join a military or take a government job that is limited to citizens only.
[/u/jbankers’ comments in this thread explain everything in detail](https://old.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/8iczg8/renewing_japanese_passport_as_a_dualcitizen/dyt8oo0/?context=3). Please don’t listen to the flood of people who are about to tell you to either lie on official documents or that she has to renounce one or other citizenships.
I’m dual citizen and I had let my jp passport expire so I had to make a new one.
I ticked the box that said I’m a dual citizen and the lady at the counter said I wast supposed to be, I said “ah ok,” and then she let me know I’ll have my passport in a few weeks.
That’s it. No problem. No one cares.
I’ve been in Japan for many years, and you too if you daughter is about turning 20. I have learned one important thing: never lie. Coming to your question I suppose that she have to choose one by a declaration. Best advice is to ask to the office in your district how to move to keep both
The shadiness of Japanese rules helps you this time. They can ask you to renounce your other citizenship but they cannot force you to do so.
You must not lie. You must click that she has another nationality. Then the Japanese official will tell you you have to choose, then you say OK we choose Japanese. They will say you need to get rid of the other one, you say OK. Then that’s the end of the story.