I’m 19F and looking to move to Japan once I finish university. I’m wondering how the child of a Japanese native visa would work? I’ve looked it up all over and could not find anything in depth about it.
My dad was born and raised in Japan but came to New Zealand and had me (mum is born and raised in china and also moved to nz), they didn’t get a dual passport for me so I’m wondering what would be the requirements? I saw some things online that say its possible to get a child of ex-Japanese native visa?
Sorry if this is confusing! I’d be happy to answer any questions! Thank you in advance!
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Child of a former Japanese citizen?**
I’m 19F and looking to move to Japan once I finish university. I’m wondering how the child of a Japanese native visa would work? I’ve looked it up all over and could not find anything in depth about it.
My dad was born and raised in Japan but came to New Zealand and had me (mum is born and raised in china and also moved to nz), they didn’t get a dual passport for me so I’m wondering what would be the requirements? I saw some things online that say its possible to get a child of ex-Japanese native visa?
Sorry if this is confusing! I’d be happy to answer any questions! Thank you in advance!
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Look into the [Long Term Resident Visa](https://www.japanvisa.com/visas/long-term-resident)
Why not contact the Japanese consulate in New Zealand? Or even go there?
If your father hasn’t notified Japan of your birth then you technically lost your citizenship soon after you were born.
Unfortunately, Japan doesn’t allow dual citizenship, and anyone over the age of 18 (since 2022) has to “choose” which citizenship they want. What this means in your case is that it’s probably too late for you to acquire citizenship by birthright. :/
[Check out this link for more info on citizenship.](https://www.moj.go.jp/EN/MINJI/minji78.html#:~:text=If%20the%20child%20is%20born,intention%20to%20retain%20Japanese%20nationality.)
From my understanding, the visa of a child of a Japanese national is for children who don’t have Japanese nationality to accompany their Japanese parent back to Japan. This is required in cases where children are adopted from other countries, most likely. In any case this probably doesn’t apply to you as your father doesn’t live in Japan anymore. If he was living there, you might have had a case of wanting to join him despite being over 18 and not eligible for citizenship.
Your best option is probably to consult your nearest Japanese embassy about your specific case.
If your dad has a koseki Tohon then you can apply for it.
> Child of a former Japanese citizen?
You should [read this](http://saito-immigration-lawyer.com/english-profile/immigration-procedure/japanese-descent-visa/).
If you were born **before** your father lost his Japanese citizenship then you may qualify for a ”Spouse or Child of Japanese National” visa.
If you were born **after** your father lost his Japanese citizenship, you should be able to get a “Long Term Resident” visa.
Either way, you do have a path to get to Japan for an indefinite period of time. You may wish to use a law office to assist you with the visa process.
Best of luck to you!
As you were born outside of Japan (and assuming your father was still a Japanese citizen at the time of your birth) then your father would have had 3 months within which to inform the Japanese government of your birth. If he didn’t do it in time, then you are not a Japanese citizen.
You are however free to get a visa as child (or grandchild) of a Japanese citizen. You’d need proof of your relationships citizenship status (eg, a family registry) as well as proof of your relation to this person. Your local Japanese embassy/consulate should be able to help you figure out what documents you’d need.
You can see the details here: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/spouseorchildofjapanese02.html
In addition to the answers you already got here, you can do a one hour consultation with a lawyer in Japan. Google search immigration lawyers. Fees are reasonable.
I have a Japanese grandparent and the lawyer seemed very confident that I could get a three year long term residence, and I would not have to go to Japan to apply for the certificate of eligibility. COE is like applying in advance, ie before you land in Japan and go through immigration – the lawyer can be your proxy so it saves you a trip there. He said he helped many nisei and sansei Japanese of all ages get their residence status.