Becoming a Permanent Resident (Eijuu) in Japan is the ultimate goal for most foreigners living and working here. With the Highly Skilled Professional Visa (HSP / 高度人材外国人／高度専門職), your path is significantly shortened to just 1 year or 3 years compared to the usual 10 years.
However, despite the time advantage, preparing the Permanent Residence application requires meticulous attention to detail to avoid any errors that could lead to delays or rejection.
This article is the most detailed and complete checklist of every document you need to prepare when converting from the 80-point Highly Skilled Professional Visa to a Permanent Resident Visa.
Note: Even if you do not currently hold an 80-point Highly Skilled Professional Visa, you can still apply for Permanent Residence immediately if you can prove you met the 80-point requirement one year ago.
However, based on my actual experience, a few additional documents are often required, so I will list and guide you through them as detailed as possible in this article.
See more articles related to Permanent Residence Visas:
There is no specific form for this document; you can write it freely. The length typically ranges from 2 to 5 A4 pages depending on the person. However, please refer to the standard writing style and how to use AI for this in the following article:
I used AI to write mine, it was about 2 A4 pages long.
4. Certificate of Residence (Juminhyo) covering the entire household
Do not include the Individual Number (My Number / マイナンバー) on this sheet. All other information must be complete. You can print this at a convenience store using your My Number Card or obtain it at the City Hall (Shiyakusho).
Also, if you are married, submit a notarized translation of your marriage certificate.
5. Documents Proving Employment
If you are a company employee: Certificate of Employment (在職証明書). Ask your company to issue this; it must include the company stamp.
If you are a business owner/self-employed:
Copy of Tax Return (確定申告書控えの写し) or Certificate of Registered Matters for the corporation (法人の登記事項証明書).
Copy of Business License, if applicable (営業許可書の写し).
Other cases: Statement of Occupation (職業に係る説明書) in a free format, and supporting documents (その立証資料).
Additionally, I was asked to submit a Projected Salary Certificate for the next year (給与見込み証明書). You can ask your company to prepare and stamp this; it usually takes a few days. You can refer to my sample file below.
6. Documents Proving Income and Tax Payment Status
This is one of the most important and complex parts of the Permanent Residence application. You need to prove the income status and tax compliance of you and your guarantor (dependents) for the most recent year (直近１年間).
Proof of Resident Tax Payment (Juminzei / 住民税)
A. Certificate of Taxation (課税証明書) or Tax Exemption (非課税証明書), and Certificate of Tax Payment (納税証明書)
For both you and your dependents.
1 copy of each, for the most recent year (I requested 2 years just to be safe).
The certificate must clearly state the total annual income and tax payment status.
If the certificate from your city covers both pieces of information, submitting just one type is sufficient.
Special case: If you cannot submit these documents (e.g., entered Japan less than a year ago), submit copies of your Withholding Tax Slips (源泉徴収票) or Pay Slips (給与明細書) instead.
B. Proof of on-time payment (for those who changed jobs and pay Resident Tax themselves)
If you are a company employee and your Resident Tax is deducted directly from your salary for the entire past year, you do not need this document; just section A is sufficient.
Documents proving on-time Resident Tax payment for the last year (e.g., copy of bank book/passbook, tax payment receipts).
Warning (many applications fail because of this): To prove you have no history of late payments, you MUST keep the receipts if you pay tax at a convenience store.
Regarding bank statements: Printed online statements (Web通帳) showing transaction history are accepted, provided the printout cannot be edited. Excel files are not accepted.
To be safe, I also submitted the Withholding Tax Slip (源泉徴収票) from the previous year so they could see my total annual income (nenshu).
Proof of National Tax Payment Status (Kokuzei / 国税)
Submit the Certificate of Tax Payment (納税証明書), Form Part 3 (その３).
For both you and your dependents.
Place of issue: The Tax Office (税務署) having jurisdiction over your address.
Requirements: This certificate must cover all 5 tax types below and prove you have no outstanding tax debts as of the date of issuance.
Withholding Income Tax (源泉所得税及び復興特別所得税)
Self-Assessed Income Tax (申告所得税及び復興特別所得税)
Consumption Tax and Local Consumption Tax (消費税及び地方消費税)
Inheritance Tax (相続税)
Gift Tax (贈与税)
You do not need to specify a time period because Form Part 3 proves your status at the current moment.
The result you receive will be a sheet stating "No tax delinquency" for the 5 items as shown below:
Other Documents Proving Income (if necessary)
To increase financial credibility (or if your main income is insufficient), you can submit additional documents:
Copies of savings/bank books (預貯金通帳の写し): Appropriate amount.
Documents equivalent to the above: Appropriate amount.
Note: Printed electronic statements with transaction history are accepted, provided they cannot be edited. Excel files are not accepted.
→ Summary of Section 6 (Tax Documents):You need to submit the following documents for you and your spouse:
This section is mandatory to prove that you and your dependents have fully met your obligations to pay Health Insurance and Pension premiums for the last 1 year.
Important Privacy Note: When submitting any document (including copies) containing a Basic Pension Number (基礎年金番号), Health Insurance Number (保険者番号), or Insured Person Symbol/Number (被保険者等記号・番号), you must black out these numbers so they cannot be restored.
Proof of Pension (Nenkin) payment status for the last 1 year
This section is for pension (nenkin).
For those enrolled in Pension other than National Pension (Kousei Nenkin / 厚生年金):
Submit one of the following two documents: A or B.
A. Printout of "Nenkin Regular Mail" (Nenkin Teikibin / ねんきん定期便):
Requirement: Must be the version that records your entire pension history.
Note: The postcard version sent annually is not accepted because it doesn't show the full process. You can request a reissue via phone (processing may take up to 2 months).
B. Printout of "Monthly Pension Record" (各月の年金記録) from "Nenkin Net" (ねんきんネット):
Requirement: You need to register for a Nenkin Net account on the Japan Pension Service website.
You can use your My Number Card to log in to the Nenkin Net website and download the Nenkin Teikibin and Monthly Pension Record, then print them out—very quick and easy.
For those who were enrolled in National Pension (National Pension / 国民年金) during the last 1 year:
You need to submit the following document in addition to item A or B above:
C. Copy of National Pension Premium Receipts (国民年金保険料領収証書):
Requirement: Submit copies of receipts for the entire period you were enrolled in National Pension during the last 1 year.
Purpose: To prove you did not pay late (遅延納付).
Special Case: If you were enrolled in National Pension for the entire last 1 year and have all 12 months of Receipts (C) to submit, you do not need to submit document A or B.
If you have trouble providing receipts, please submit a Letter of Reason (理由書).
Warning (many applications fail because of this): To prove you paid your pension fully, you MUST keep the receipts if you pay via convenience store.
Based on my actual experience, Immigration may request two additional documents for you and your dependents, obtained from the Pension Office (年金事務所):
Response to Record Inquiry (被保険者記録照会回答票)
Record Inquiry (Payment I & Payment II) (被保険者記録照会(納付I & 納付II))
Proof of Health Insurance payment status for the last 1 year
This section is for insurance (hoken).
Case: Currently enrolled in Health Insurance (Employees' Health Insurance / 健康保険):
A. Copy of Health Insurance Card (健康保険被保険者証) for all family members.
Generally, if you are a company employee, it means you are enrolled in Social Insurance (Shakai Hoken), so you do not need to submit documents B, C, or D below.
Case: Currently enrolled in National Health Insurance (国民健康保険):
B. Copy of National Health Insurance Card (国民健康保険被保険者証) for all family members.
C. Certificate of National Health Insurance Payment (国民健康保険料納付証明書).
D. Copy of National Health Insurance Premium Receipts (国民健康保険料領収証書):
Requirement: Submit receipts for the entire period you were enrolled in National Health Insurance during the last 1 year to prove no late payments.
If unable to provide, submit a Letter of Reason (理由書).
Warning (many applications fail because of this): To prove you paid your insurance premiums fully, you MUST keep the receipts if you pay via convenience store.
Note regarding Health Insurance after December 2024:
Due to the transition to the My Number Health Insurance Card (MyNa Hoken), if your current Health Insurance Card expires after December 2, 2024, you need to submit:
Those with MyNa Hoken: Copy of the MyNa Portal screen confirming "Qualification Acquisition Date" (within 3 months).
Those without MyNa Hoken: Copy of "Certificate of Eligibility" (資格確認証).
If unable to provide, submit a Letter of Reason (理由書).
Special Case: Business Owners (事業主)
If you are a business owner (事業主) of a company/establishment covered by Social Insurance, you need to submit additional documents proving the payment of Health and Pension premiums for the company for the last 1 year (applicable to the period you were the owner).
Submit one of the following two documents proving the company has no outstanding premiums:
A. Copy of Health Insurance/Welfare Pension Insurance Premium Receipts (健康保険・厚生年金保険料領収証書).
Requirement: Receipts for the entire 1-year period you were the owner.
B. Certificate of Social Insurance Premium Payment (社会保険料納入証明書) or Confirmation of Social Insurance Premium Payment (社会保険料納入確認（申請）書).
How to request: Contact the Japan Pension Service to apply using the prescribed form (select the "no debt" proof type and scope "including penalty tax").
→ Summary of Section 7 (Pension, Insurance Documents):You need to submit the following documents for you and your spouse:
Pension Part (Nenkin):
Get at Pension Office (年金事務所)
Nenkin Regular Mail (Teikibin)
Monthly Pension Records
Response to Record Inquiry
Record Inquiry (Payment I & Payment II)
Insurance Part (Hoken):
Photocopy of insurance cards for the whole family
8. Highly Skilled Professional Point Calculation Sheet
This section is specifically for those applying for Permanent Residence under the Highly Skilled Professional category. You need to prove that you have consistently maintained 80 points or more throughout the 1-year period.
Current Point Calculation Sheet
You need to submit the Highly Skilled Professional Point Calculation Sheet (高度専門職ポイント計算表) for your field of activity, calculated at the time of applying for Permanent Residence.
Case: You have already been confirmed for 80 points by Immigration
If you have received the "Highly Skilled Professional" (高度人材外国人) designation notification and have continuously resided in Japan under this visa for the required 1-year period.
Submit a copy of the Notification of Result of Classification of Activities (Highly Skilled Professional) (高度専門職ポイント計算結果通知書).
Note: This is the paper given to you when you received your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) or changed your status to Highly Skilled Professional.
Case: You have not received the Notification of Result for 80 points
If you have not received the point calculation result notification, you must prove you had 80+ points at the time 1 year prior to the application date.
Submit a Highly Skilled Professional Point Calculation Sheet calculated for the date 1 year prior to your Permanent Residence application. The points must meet the 80-point threshold at that time.
My case: I held a Highly Skilled Professional Visa with 70 points. Later, I passed JLPT N1, which brought me over 80 points. When I applied for Permanent Residence, I did not submit the 70-point confirmation notice; instead, I resubmitted a full file proving I had over 80 points starting from 1 year ago.
9. Documents Proving Highly Skilled Professional Points
This section supports the verification of your Highly Skilled Professional point calculation (submitted in Section 8).
Submit documents to prove that your total score reaches 80 points or more. You do not need to submit proof for every single item on the list. Just select the necessary documents to ensure the proven total reaches the 80-point threshold.
Examples:
JLPT N2 or N1 Certificate
Certificate of Employment from previous companies (退職証明書); color prints of stamped files are accepted, even from years ago.
If you submitted the Notification of Result of Classification of Activities (高度専門職ポイント計算結果通知書) issued when you changed your visa, you do not need to submit proof documents for that specific time.
Reusing Old Documents: If you want to reuse proof documents previously submitted to the Immigration Bureau, you need to submit a Request for Reuse of Submitted Materials (資料転用願出書).
Bank Account: Copies of Savings Passbook/Bank Book, appropriate quantity.
Note: Printed electronic statements (Web通帳) are acceptable but must be uneditable (Excel files are not accepted).
Real Estate: Certificate of Registered Matters for Real Estate (land/building registration).
Equivalent Documents: Documents equivalent to the above two items. Example: stock certificates, etc.: Appropriate quantity.
11. Present Passport or Certificate of Status of Residence
You must present the Passport or Certificate of Status of Residence (在留資格証明書) of the applicant.
If you cannot present them, you must submit a Letter of Reason (理由書) stating clearly why they cannot be presented.
12. Present Residence Card (Zairyu Card)
Bring the original Residence Card (在留カード) when you go to submit your application. Also, bring your Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted (資格外活動許可書) if you have one.
13. Documents Related to the Guarantor
These documents are necessary to identify and verify the person who will act as your guarantor for the Permanent Residence application. The guarantor can be a Japanese national or a foreigner with a Permanent Resident Visa.
Documents related to the guarantor: e.g., a photocopy of their driver's license.
14. Written Acknowledgment (Consent Form)
Since October 1, 2021, submitting a Written Acknowledgment (了解書) is mandatory for Permanent Residence applications. Download here: Written Acknowledgment (PDF)
If you have carefully completed every item on this checklist, congratulations, you hold over 90% of the chance of success. Permanent Residence is not just a visa; it is a confirmation of a stable and long-term future in Japan. Always check the latest regulations from the Immigration Services Agency.
Good luck with obtaining your Permanent Resident Visa!
Hello everyone. I'm an IT engineer working in Japan. I created this blog to share about life and experiences during my study and work journey. I hope this article will be helpful to you.
