I wondering if I can get asstiance with this! I am 30yrs old working in the USA. I was born on a military base and had a Japanese passport up until it expired in 2012. I am now looking to relocate back to Japan. My mother is still in Japan. Am i able to keep my current US passport? I would like to still maintain my USA citizenship. Should I apply for a new Japanese passport in the USA or Japan? I have not lived in Japan since i was in HS. I moved to the states for college and stuck around. Now that I am 30, i am looking to reconnect with my Japanese side and figured workwise- having a Japanese passport would make the transition easier. i am on my mothers Koseki Tohon, and have my old Japanese passport. I have not renounced or signed any documents regrading my Japanese citizenship
3 comments
As long as you have not declared to the Japanese government that you chose a foreign nationality, your Japanese nationality should be intact. I would contact a Japanese immigration lawyer to see if they could help you.
Hi. I am also 30yrs old and moved to Japan about 1.5 years ago. I am now living and working on my Japanese citizenship while holding the other, so I can relate. I’m also in the process of renewing my passport while holding both US/JP citizenships.
If you can renew it in the US, then do it. It’s much easier being in an environment that you’re familiar with and they also request less paperwork.
If you renew it in Japan, they will ask you to provide Koseki Tohon which is kind of a pain the ass to get as you have to go to the office where your Koseki Tohon is based or get it sent to you via mail.
[Assuming you want to keep both for the time being]
When you renew your passport, there is a box that asks if you have dual nationality. Answer it honestly, as lying may have ramification in the future. And just because you answered, the office should not deny you a Japanese passport. They may encourage you to choose a nationality but I don’t think they will expect you to choose on the spot, if at all. Having both at this age can be rather complex, especially from a financial and taxation perspective as you may have wealth tied up in both countries, so it’s not so easy as giving one up and choosing the other.
You need to apply for a new Japanese passport in the US. Once you get it always leave and enter the US using your US passport, and enter and leave Japan using your Japanese passport. When the application says do you have duel nationality you should say yes. If they (maybe they don’t) ask you to choose a nationality, you say you are choosing Japanese nationality. They will request you to get rid of your other nationality and basically you say yeah yeah yeah and then do nothing. There is no requirement to give any proof of you taking action to get rid of your other nationality. In fact in many countries it is impossible for nationals to get rid of their nationality. This applies to people who were born as dual Japanese/X national.
If someone was born as a Japanese national and then later took another nationality, then they MUST give up their Japanese nationality