Japan PR Eligibility Timeline 2026: By Visa Type, Explained | MyKyoten

This guide calculates when you become eligible to apply for PR, not how to avoid application mistakes (see PR application mistakes) or a general overview of the system (see how PR works in Japan). If you are applying through marriage, the timeline is different and covered in the spouse visa to PR guide.

<table class="w-full my-4 border-collapse text-sm"> <thead><tr class="border-b border-border"><th class="text-left py-2 pr-4 font-semibold">Route</th><th class="text-left py-2 pr-4 font-semibold">Residence required</th><th class="text-left py-2 font-semibold">Condition</th></tr></thead> <tbody> <tr class="border-b border-border"><td class="py-2 pr-4">Standard</td><td class="py-2 pr-4">10 years</td><td class="py-2">At least 5 years on a qualifying work or residence status</td></tr> <tr class="border-b border-border"><td class="py-2 pr-4">HSP, 70+ points</td><td class="py-2 pr-4">3 years</td><td class="py-2">Score sustained for the full 3-year window, not just at application</td></tr> <tr class="border-b border-border"><td class="py-2 pr-4">HSP, 80+ points</td><td class="py-2 pr-4">1 year</td><td class="py-2">Score sustained for the full 1-year window</td></tr> <tr><td class="py-2 pr-4">Spouse of Japanese national</td><td class="py-2 pr-4">1 year</td><td class="py-2">Plus 3+ years of substantive marital relationship. See the spouse guide.</td></tr> </tbody> </table>

Excluded from the standard and HSP routes: Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker (i) periods generally do not count toward the residence requirement.

On February 24, 2026, the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) posted a notice revising the Guidelines for Permanent Residence. The change is precise, and worth getting right, since a looser summary can mislead you about your own timing.

Current practice, where a 3-year period of stay is treated as the "longest period of stay" for PR purposes, continues unchanged through March 31, 2027. Nothing changes yet for anyone applying now with a 3-year status.

From April 1, 2027, that practice is revised: applicants generally need to hold the actual longest period of stay available for their residence status, usually 5 years.

There is a one-time exception. If you hold a 3-year period of stay as of March 31, 2027, and the decision on your PR application (処分) is issued while that specific 3-year period is still valid, that first decision is still treated as meeting the "longest period" requirement. This is narrower than "apply by March 31, 2027." It depends on when ISA decides your case, not just when you file it, and on the 3-year status still being current at that point. Read the exact wording on the ISA notice before relying on it for your own timing.

If your next renewal could land you a genuine 5-year period before April 2027, that removes the question entirely.

Standard path example: entered on a work visa in June 2018, continuously resident since, 5+ years on working status. The 10-year mark falls in June 2028. Whether the application can proceed at that point also depends on holding a qualifying period of stay under the rule above, either a genuine 5-year grant or the narrow one-time exception if still on a 3-year status decided before it lapses.

HSP fast-track example: entered on HSP status in April 2024, sustained 82 points continuously since. Eligible from April 2025, nine years earlier than the standard path, provided the 80-point threshold was genuinely held for the entire year, not just achieved once.

The word that matters for HSP is "sustained." ISA is not looking at your score on the day you apply. It wants to see the qualifying score held across the whole 1-year or 3-year window being counted. A mid-window dip, from a role change, an income drop, or an expired qualification, can knock out an application that looks fine today. Recalculate at real checkpoints, a raise, a promotion, a new qualification, not just once. The full points breakdown by category is in MyKyoten's HSP Points Calculator.

Confirmed, and already in force or scheduled: the February 2026 "longest period of stay" rule above. And the PR application fee, which rises from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen from October 1, 2026, per the implementing cabinet order ISA has published. Applications filed by September 30, 2026 keep the old fee even if the decision comes after October 1.

Reported, not yet finalized: a stricter income and pension requirement, said to require household income above the average for Japan and a pension trajectory consistent with 30 years of Employees' Pension contributions. First reported by Nikkei in early August 2026, with public comment on the draft closing September 3, 2026. As of this writing, ISA has not published a final version or confirmed which application dates it would cover. Treat any specific income figure you see reported elsewhere as provisional until ISA's own guideline page reflects it.

Keep these two categories separate. One is settled and affects your planning now. The other might change before you apply, or might not apply to you at all.

Beyond residence duration, immigration reviews tax, public pension, and public health insurance compliance, and the specific period and documents required depend on your category and the application instructions rather than one identical window for everyone. As a concrete reference point, standard PR application instructions typically ask for around two years of pension and health insurance payment evidence; check the current requirements for your case rather than assuming a fixed number.

Late payments, even once fully caught up, can still show on the certificates immigration reviews and are not guaranteed to be treated as if they never happened.

Long or repeated periods outside Japan can raise questions about whether residence has stayed continuous. There is no published day-count that automatically breaks it; ISA assesses case by case. If you travel a lot, keep clear records of dates and reasons rather than assuming a specific trip length is safe or unsafe.

My 3-year period of stay is up for renewal in early 2027. Does the timing of that renewal matter? Yes. If the renewal grants you a genuine 5-year period before April 2027, the "longest period" question is settled either way. If you stay on a 3-year period through the deadline, whether you qualify for the one-time exception depends on your PR decision being issued while that specific 3-year period is still valid, not on when you filed.

I already submitted my PR application before this guideline was revised. Does the new rule apply to me? ISA's notice governs how applications are assessed going forward, including the transitional treatment described above. If you have a pending application, confirm directly with the immigration bureau handling it rather than assuming either the old or new practice applies by default.

Do I need to hold HSP status specifically to use the points-based route, or can I calculate points retroactively? The guideline also recognizes calculating your points as of one or three years before your application date, not only your current score under current HSP status. If you think you would have qualified earlier, this is worth checking rather than assuming today's score is the only one that counts.

Does a long trip abroad automatically reset my 10-year residence count? No single published day-count does this automatically. Frequency, duration, and your re-entry permit status are all weighed together. Keep travel records rather than relying on an assumed safe number of days.

Will the proposed income requirement apply to my application if I file before it's finalized? Unconfirmed as of this writing. Public comment closed September 3, 2026, and ISA has not published which application dates the final version would cover. Check the official guideline page before filing around this specific change.

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See exactly when you become eligible, based on your visa type.

The February 2026 Guideline Change, Precisely

Confirmed Changes vs. Reported Proposals

Scan your pension or NHI notice to confirm it is recorded correctly

Does the 3-year period of stay exception apply to anyone who files by March 31, 2027?

No. Current practice continues unchanged through March 31, 2027 regardless. The narrower one-time exception applies to people who still hold a 3-year period of stay as of that date and whose PR decision is issued while that period remains valid, which depends on ISA's decision timing, not just the filing date.

Is the 200,000 yen PR application fee confirmed?

Yes. The Immigration Services Agency has published the implementing cabinet order. The fee rises from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen from October 1, 2026, and applications filed by September 30, 2026 keep the old fee even if decided later.

Is the stricter income requirement for PR final?

No. As of this writing it remains a reported draft. Public comment closed September 3, 2026, and ISA has not published a finalized version or confirmed which application dates it would cover.

Do tax, pension, and health insurance get reviewed over the same time window?

Not necessarily one identical window. The relevant period and required documents depend on the applicant's category and the specific application instructions, though roughly two years of pension and health insurance payment evidence is a common reference point.