Is the COVID pandemic affecting the naturalization process (in mid-2021)?

...the Bureau of Legal Affairs is, too

TL;DR: yes and no, sometimes in surprising ways.

 So since I have finished the document-gathering and initial submission phase of my application, I thought I would write about how the current pandemic is affecting the process. Note that I am writing from the perspective of someone doing the process in mid-2021. As such, my experience will definitely be different from someone doing the same in 2020, when lockdowns were stricter.

 Part 1: In terms of time and money

Making appointments with the Legal Affairs Bureau: Yes

First, for scheduling consultations: yes, but not directly. At the time I was having consultations with my local Legal Affairs Bureau, which was April-July 2021, the average waiting time (which I mean to be the earliest future date when an appointment slot is available) was 1 month. When I went for my third consultation, I asked the case worker if the pandemic affected how busy the Legal Affairs Bureau was with naturalization applications, and he answered yes.

The biggest reason he gave was that because in March/April 2020, the first 緊急事態宣蚀kinkyÅ« jitai sengen, or State of Emergency was called, and the Legal Affairs Bureaus stopped holding consultations, which were exclusively face-to-face. Now, even with repeated SoE declarations, as well as the quasi-SoE called the たん延防止等重点措眮man'en bōshi tou jÅ«ten sochi, priority measures to prevent COVID spread, the Legal Affairs Bureaus have resumed consultations, and as such, the people who could not go back when the Legal Affairs Bureaus stopped having consultations, as well as those who delayed their application in fear of COVID, are now scheduling all at once, causing a longer wait.

The same applies to the interview, which will be held after you have submitted all your documents to the Legal Affairs Bureau. I was told I would be called back in for the interview in 4-6 months.

Getting your documents from abroad: Yes

This one is country-specific, but I am sure most people will be affected. 

First, if you need to travel back to your home country to obtain some documents required for naturalization, then you would have been stuck for a while, as international travel was halted during part of 2020. Even now in 2021, traveling abroad is both cost and time-prohibitive, as most countries require negative PCR test results and quarantining upon entry, and both of those entail extra time and money spent. Additionally, you would need to do the same when coming back to Japan.

Second, even if personal appearance is not required, government offices may have closed partially or completely, meaning that getting your birth certificate, marriage certificate, the subsequent Apostille, etc. would have been met with delays. Personally, the only delay I got was with obtaining the Apostille from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, because a local lockdown was intermittently being applied during that time, Apostille applications required reservations, and the DFA stopped accepting reservations for about 2 weeks. I (or should I say, my parents) were able to get my civil documents in the usual 3-5 business days, as the responsible government agency was operating normally and applications were being processed exclusively online.

Third, international mail services like the EMS were suspended for a while. Again, this one is country specific (link is for EMS suspension between US and Japan). Since the naturalization application requires the original documents, the delay in international shipping might have affected when you could get your documents. This one did not affect me, as EMS, DHL, and others have resumed normal operations when I was sending and receiving documents internationally.

Getting your documents in Japan: No

The government offices I transacted with were operating normally, so I did not experience any COVID-related delay when I gathered documents in Japan. I was also able to renew my 圚留カヌドzairyÅ« kādo (residence card) and driver's license without delay as well. Again, this might have been different in 2020.


Part 2: In terms of eligibility

By this, I mean your eligibility to naturalize as written in Article 5 of the Japanese Nationality Law. In my opinion, I think only two of these conditions can be affected directly by the pandemic.

(1) that he or she has domiciled in Japan for five years or more consecutively

If you were in Japan when the pandemic started, great! You probably couldn't get out, and your residency counter would have continued ticking. However, if you found yourself needing to go out of Japan for an extended amount of time, say because you were outside of Japan when international travel was halted, or you needed to take care of affairs back home, or you felt safer staying in your home country, etc. then your residency counter may have been reset. Although not written anywhere explicitly, the general rule is no more than 100 consecutive days outside of Japan per year, and no more than 150 total days outside of Japan per year. If you were unable to return to Japan within 3 months, you may no longer fulfill the residency requirement. If unfortunately this happened to you, and you were planning to apply for or are in the process of naturalization, it wouldn't hurt to consult with your local Legal Affairs Bureau anyway. They may be able to give some leniency for extraordinary circumstances.

(4) that he or she is able to secure a livelihood by one's own property or ability, or those of one's spouse or other relatives with whom one lives on common living expenses

Some people lost their jobs or had their income drastically reduced due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, your household income is one of the conditions of naturalization, and you are required to notify the Legal Affairs Bureau if there is a change in your status. Specifically, if you were employed and lost your employment, then your "proof of employment and income" document would no longer be valid. Additionally, if you were on a work visa, then your residency status can also be in danger if you do not find employment.

In closing

It goes without saying, but during this pandemic, your focus should be your health and safety above anything else. Wash your hands, wear a mask when away from home, and get vaccinated if you are eligible. Naturalization can wait.



Location: Japan

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