Obtaining a Japanese passport for a child

If you have a child who has Japanese nationality, a passport for a Japanese minor (5-year duration) can be obtained at your local passport centre. Document requirements should be checked in advance, but will probably include:

1. Passport application form
2. 45mm X 35mm photo (see this guide (PDF)🇯🇵 for details)
3. Copy of family register
4. ID for the child (such as a health-insurance card) and, if the child is young and only has one form of ID, the parent's driver’s license or other ID
5. If your child has a foreign surname, the foreign parent’s passport as evidence of how the surname is rendered in English
6. 6,000 yen processing and issuance fee for children under 12 years of age; 11,000 yen for those between the ages of 12 and 17

Application forms are available from various municipal offices as well as the passport centre. A fair number of municipalities also make it possible to both submit the application and pick up the passport locally. Check to see what your municipality allows. Note that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes it possible to fill out the necessary information online and download a completed PDF application that only needs to be printed out, signed and submitted to the passport centre or municipality.

A parent or legal guardian must sign an application from a minor. It is not necessary for the child to be present when the application is submitted. However, if the child is not present upon submission, the child will need to be present for collection so that the passport officials can verify that the photo is a true likeness.

Please also be aware of this important information regarding the prevention of possible complications in cases where one parent might not consent to the child obtaining a passport.

Credits

Many thanks to the following RetireWiki.jp users for writing this article:

Kuma, CAM