Can you reapply for naturalization if you're rejected?

Getting rejected by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ; 法務省 {hōmushō}) is rare; less than 2% of applicants that are passed on to the MoJ for review by case workers get rejected. This is because if the packet isn't strong, the case worker will suggest that you improve it before submission.

If you are rejected, it is not published in the 官報 {kanpō} (Official Gazette). You will receive a form in the mail (and probably a call from your case worker) titled 「不許可通知書」 {"fukyoka tsūchi-sho"} ("Notice of Rejection") from the 法務大臣 {Hōmu Daijin} (Minister of Justice) co-signed by the 法務局長 {Hōmukyoku-chō} (Chief of the local Legal Bureau).

There is no limit to the number of times you can re-apply for naturalization. And there are documented cases of people being rejected then accepted later. Naturally, when you reapply, the case worker is going to want to see if something in your life has changed before taking on your paperwork again. In the letter of rejection, there will be a reason. If the reason is one of the following, you stand a good chance of being able to reapply after time passes and your situation changes:
  • 「生計条件に疑問があり、しばらく生活状態を観察する必要がある」
    "There are concerns regarding the condition regarding his/her living conditions, thus it is necessary to review the living conditions for some time."
    　
  • 「婚姻関係が不安定であるため、その現在および将来の生活状態の推移を今しばらく観察する必要がある」
    "The marriage appears to be unstable, thus it is necessary to review the current and future living condition for some time."
    　
  • 「素行および生活態度を今しばらく観察する必要がある」
    "The applicant's [lack of good] behavior and/or lifestyle needs addition review."
    　
  • 「婚姻生活、経済力を考慮し、今しばらくその生活状態を観察するのが相当」
    "Additional review regarding whether the living condition corresponds to the married life and the economic conditions."
Granted, these reasons are not very specific, and by policy the case workers at the Legal Affairs Bureau are not required to give you a specific reason. However, immigration lawyers say it doesn't hurt to ask.

According to the immigration lawyers, the top two reasons for rejection are:
  1. 「道路交通法違反がらみ」 (moving traffic violations)
  2. 「税金の申告がらみ」 (messed up tax returns)
These problems can be fixed by getting into compliance and time. As for problems that probably can't be fixed with time: 凶悪犯 {kyōakuhan} (serious crimes) such as 殺人 {satsujin} (murder) and 強盗 {gōtō} (robbery).

There are some rejections that don't fit the above pattern. For example, there was the case of a man fathering many children out of wedlock while being married. He was rejected for reasons of welfare (alimony payments & child support) and failing the "good character" requirement.

The most egregious case of a person not getting accepted was from a woman who had attempted to naturalize three times. That person's criminal record had: shoplifting, pickpocketing, theft, prostitution, violation of the adult establishment law, tax evasion, drug offenses, prepaid card forgery, and violation of the immigration & refugee law.

That person never did successfully naturalize and gave up after her third attempt.

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 →