Apologies if this is the wrong place but I thought I would see if anyone here knows.
I have never held a Japanese passport but recently heard from someone who used to work with passports that I could get a Japanese passport and keep my British passport and just use the relevant passport in the relevant country.
I thought at 22 or so I would have to pick which citizenship I want as Japan only allows the 1, however I have not, maybe because I never had a jap passport. But I have heard some people get around this and still have 2 passports.
But is it possible for me to get a Japanese passport at 22 and to keep my UK passport? If so how?
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/vttkvt/can_i_get_a_japanese_passport_as_a_22_year_old/
10 comments
Basically, no. Japan doesn’t recognize dual citizenship for adults over 20, and since you’ve never had a Japanese passport before, you’d be treated just like any other foreign citizen.
There is a list of official documents that you must provide (including koseki-touhon which is the family registry in Japan). If you can tick all of these boxes, yes you will be able to get your Japanese passport issued. Only way to know for sure in your specific case is to head down to your consulate and have a chat.
It’s not possible to keep two passports as a Japanese citizen. This is a very controversial political issue in Japan and the government is so far unwilling to change the rules. I read an article about a Japanese man who was born and raised in Japan and moved to the Netherlands for work purposes. He got Dutch citizenship for practical reasons, but didn’t want to give up his Japanese citizenship. Next thing you know, he finds out his Japanese passport in cancelled.
You will need to be on the Koseki to be considered a Japanese citizen.
I once let my Japanese passport expire, and the processing of getting a new one was the same as getting a passport for the first time. I got it. The consulate general lady slipped a pamphlet saying I would need to choose a country and renounce the other.
Lots of wrong comments in here. Passports are just documents but your right of citizenship is defined through nationality law. If your Japanese parent registered you in the family register after birth/submitted the proper notifications to do so while abroad, then you are likely still Japanese.
If you have two or more citizenships, you must make the declaration of choice to an embassy or municipal office in Japan after you turn 20, or you *could* lose your Japanese nationality.
If you choose japanese nationality, then you are required to “endeavor” to give up your other nationalities, but no proof is required and there is no deadline. For example, if you looked up the procedure for renouncing online and you decide that seems too hard, you have met your obligations under the law.
If you do this, then you could have both a Japanese and foreign passport and remain *effectively* a dual citizen, though you should note Japan will only recognize you as a Japanese national, along with all the rights and responsibilities that entails.
When applying for the japanese passport, it will ask if you have foreign nationalities and you should answer this honestly; it should not stop you from getting the passport once you made the declaration of choice.
I will give you my experience as a half Japanese, half British guy. I have had both passports since I was a child.
At age 26 I had to renew my Japanese passport as it had expired. Because the passport was expired, I had to order some documents from Yokohama city ward (koseki touhon and one other document, which I’ve forgotten the name of). I filled out my passport application form, and went to the Japanese embassy in London, gave my documents and they renewed my passport that very day. At no point did they ask me about my British citizenship.
After they gave me my brand new passport, the embassy woman meekly passed me a leaflet (which she did not explain anything about), but this leaflet explains how you are “supposed” to choose one passport at age 22, even though it is literally never enforced. My sister has done the same thing, along with many other half Japanese people I know. It is extremely common.
Anyone who says “nope, not possible” is talking out of their ass. If you have a parent who is a Japanese citizen, it is very possible.
I went through this process last year with the help of posters on /r/japanlife – here’s the post, the comments and follow ups should be helpful for you 🙂
https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/lgk1oy/halfie_applying_for_renewal_of_my_20_year_old/
Not sure about Japan but in Korea, if you get citizenship in another country but don’t report it to the embassy, the country won’t know that you got another citizenship (because countries normally don’t share those data unless requested).
For emxaple, I am in Australia and Australia doesn’t care if a person has both Korean (or any other nationality) and Australian citizenship. The Korean government probably cares (because they don’t support dual citizenship laws) but **they don’t know so they can’t do anything about it in the end.**
This might be the case for Japan as well (although you should do your own research)
Does a piece of paper determine your identity? or, its how you are treated by the people that determine your identity?
I know someone who’s half Japanese half British and still has two passports although she’s over 22.
The thing is there’s no punishment even if you don’t choose which citizenship you want so a lot of dual nationals don’t bother and have two passports