High-fidelity MS Word Japan naturalization forms

A helpful reader who is going through the naturalization process generously donated his Microsoft Word based blank and sample naturalization forms for distribution on this blog.

We already have web page sample versions at our Documents and Forms page, which are derived from the examples in the てびき {tebiki} (guidebook). These are useful for referring to, browsing and viewing without needing to use any extra software. They can even be viewed with many mobile phone browsers.

However, these word processor versions are more suited for direct editing, printing, and submitting directly to the 法務局 {hōmukyoku} (Legal Affairs Bureau).

The use of word processed forms is permitted for everything except the 動機書 {dōkisho} (Motivation Essay), which must be handwritten — similar to how many Japanese companies still want you to handwrite a form based 履歴書 {rirekisho}. For the case of naturalization, though, I don't think they're judging your handwriting.

The map of your home and business can be a printout of a computer generated map, pasted or embedded into the map form.

I realize not everybody owns or uses Microsoft Word, so this week I will convert them to OpenDocument Format (which newer versions of Microsoft Office and Word support too) and upload & post the conversions. They will be conversions, which may not have as high of a fidelity as the original Word documents, but they should be more than good enough. Additionally, these will be indexed in our Forms and Docs page eventually as well.

The sample documents provided are interesting and unique because they are filled out from the perspective of a U.S. citizen; in contrast the examples in the てびき {tebiki} (guidebook) use a more typical example of a naturalization candidate: a South Korean.


Microsoft Word versionEnglish name
必要書類一覧表 {hitsuyō shorui ichiranhyō}Table of Necessary Documents
帰化許可申請書 {kika kyoka shinsei-sho}Naturalization Permission Application Form (blank)
帰化許可申請書 {kika kyoka shinsei-sho}（例 {rei}）Naturalization Permission Application Form (SAMPLE)
親族の概要 {shinzoku no gaiyō}（日本 {nihon}）Family Outline (within Japan)
親族の概要 {shinzoku no gaiyō}（例：日本 {rei: nihon}）Family Outline (SAMPLE: within Japan)
親族の概要 {shinzoku no gaiyō}（例：海外 {rei: kaigai}）Family Outline (SAMPLE: outside Japan)
履歴書 {rirekisho}（その１ {sono ichi}）Personal History (part 1)
履歴書 {rirekisho}（例：その１ {rei: sono ichi}）Personal History (SAMPLE: part 1)
履歴書 {rirekisho}（その２ {sono ni}）Personal History (part 2)
生計の概要 {seikei no gaiyō}（その１ {sono ichi}）Living Expenses Outline (part 1)
生計の概要 {seikei no gaiyō}（その２ {sono ni}）Living Expenses Outline (part 2)
事業の概要 {jigyō no gaiyō}Business Outline
自宅付近の略図 {jitaku fukin no ryakuzu}
勤務先（取引先）付近の略図 {kimmusaki (torihikisaki) fukin no ryakuzu}		Rough Sketch of Vicinity of Home
Rough Sketch of Vicinity of Employment (Place of Business)

Popular posts from this blog

How much did it actually cost to naturalize?

Image
Pennies, compared to most other developed countries In 2010, an article was published here about how much it costs to apply for naturalization. It was true then, and it's still true now in 2022: The application itself is free . ¥0, nada, zilch. Compare that to the US ($725) , UK (£1,330) , Germany (€255) . However, there are many things throughout the process that can cost money: getting your civil documents both in Japan and your home country, tax documents, driving record, etc. You will also to make personal appearances to your local Legal Affairs Bureau. Here I will talk about how much it cost me personally, including the cost of gathering all documents, photocopying, travel, etc. List of Expenses Below is the list of my naturalization-related expenses. All told, it cost me about ¥18,500 to make a successful application. It is worth repeating: There is no application fee . Everything in the list above are expenses related to getting documents I need to submit with my naturaliza...
Read more →

Types of Japanese Passports

Image
The vast majority of people that naturalize will probably apply for a "red" Japanese passport after their 戸籍 { koseki } (family register) is created — which takes about a couple weeks followed by a few weeks for the passport to be issued. It is not necessary to apply for a passport. Just like the United States, the vast majority of the populace never actually travels outside of their country for their lifetime. However, realisticly speaking, it's very likely that a naturalized person would have a Japanese passport as they most likely have family ties overseas. Language The passport is in two languages: English and Japanese. Very old passports, similar to my U.S. passport, also had French, the language of diplomacy. My oh my, how the French empire's influence has faded. My last U.S. passport added Spanish. My oh my, how South, Central, and Latin America's influence has increased! ☺ On current Japanese passports, the message from the Minister of Foreig...
Read more →

All about Japanese personal inkan/hanko/chops/seals

Image
"signing" a payment slip at a bank In Japan (and other Asian countries), it is traditional practice to use an 印鑑 { inkan } ( aka 印章 { inshō } ) — colloquially called a 判子 { hanko } in Japanese or "chop" in British English — instead of a signature for acknowledging / signing / accepting documents. Pedantically speaking, a 判子 hanko is the actual stamping object, and an 印鑑 inkan is the ink impression that is made, but many native Japanese use the two words interchangeably. In the 21st century, Japanese recommend having three types of seals: one for casual informal acceptance: 認印 { mitomein } one for your bank accounts: 銀行印 { ginkō-in } the "real" registered one: ( 実印 { jitsuin } ) While it's perfectly possible to use just one seal for all of these functions, most people use at least two or three for the same reason that people should use different passwords for different services on the internet: in the case of a compromised s...
Read more →