Apostille & Consular Legalization

When to contact us

• An overseas authority has asked for an apostilled copy of your family register
• An inheritance procedure abroad requires certified Japanese documents
• You need Japanese certificates to register a marriage, divorce or birth in another country
• You need a certified company registration record to set up a company or buy property abroad
• You attached an English translation and were told “this is now a private document — go to a notary”

Three things are decided first

1. Apostille, or authentication plus consular legalization

If the receiving country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille is issued. If it is not, you obtain authentication (Koin-Kakunin) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then consular legalization at that country’s embassy or consulate in Japan.

Note that even a Convention country may still ask for consular legalization. Everything starts with confirming what the receiving authority actually requires — and we do that with you.

2. Public document, or private document

Public documents — family registers, residence certificates, company registration records — go straight to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, once you attach a translation, the document is treated as a private document. It must then be notarized, certified by the District Legal Affairs Bureau, and only then submitted to the Ministry. This is why attaching an English translation suddenly makes the procedure longer.

3. Miyazaki is outside the one-stop service

In eight areas — Hokkaido (Sapporo Legal Affairs Bureau district), Miyagi, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka — a notary office can complete notarization, bureau certification and the Ministry’s apostille in a single visit. In seven further prefectures, notarization and bureau certification can be combined.

Miyazaki is in neither group. The three stages must be completed separately, and the Ministry’s counters are in Tokyo and Osaka only. Handling that back-and-forth is exactly what this service is for.

How it works

[A] Public documents only (apostille)

1. Consultation (online, first 60 minutes free) — we confirm what the receiving authority requires
2. Preparing the documents — originals issued within the last 3 months (we can obtain them for you)
3. Postal application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, filed by us as your agent
4. Return from the Ministry — if the application is in order, it is dispatched 3 business days after receipt
5. Delivery to you, after we check the documents against your instructions

[B] Private documents, or documents with a translation

1. Consultation — we confirm which form of notarization the receiving authority requires
2. Preparing the documents — the translation and a Declaration by the translator (we draft the Declaration)
3. Notarization (four notary offices in Miyazaki: Miyazaki, Miyakonojo, Nobeoka, Nichinan)
4. Certification by the Miyazaki District Legal Affairs Bureau (about 3–5 days by post, free of charge)
5. Postal application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (dispatched 3 business days after receipt)
6. Consular legalization at the embassy or consulate, where required
7. Delivery to you

What you need to provide

• The original document (public documents must have been issued within the last 3 months)
• The translation, for the private-document route (normally prepared by you)
• Any written instructions from the receiving authority (the single most useful thing you can send us)
• A power of attorney to this office

No power of attorney from you is required for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry allows attorneys, certified administrative procedures legal specialists (gyoseishoshi) and judicial scriveners to file without one; we submit a copy of our professional ID instead. The Legal Affairs Bureau likewise requires no power of attorney from an agent.

How long it takes

As a guide: about 1–2 weeks for an apostille on public documents, and about 3–4 weeks where a translation is attached, including postal time.

If you are in a hurry — the Ministry does not, as a rule, offer expedited issuance. Please allow time and contact us early.

Fees

Our fees are based on ¥8,000 per hour (before tax), built up from the hours each stage requires. They are not flat rates: we show you the breakdown.

Disbursements are charged in addition. ⭐The apostille and authentication issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the certification by the Legal Affairs Bureau, are both free of charge. Costs arise for notarization (¥11,000 for a private document in Japanese, ¥17,000 where a foreign language is involved), the issue of public documents, postage, and consular legalization fees.

Four things worth knowing

1. The receiving authority’s instructions govern everything. The type of certification, the number of copies and whether a translation is needed all vary. The Ministry does not accept applications made “just in case” or for filing purposes, so we confirm the number of copies first.
2. Do not alter the documents. Anything with staples removed or handwriting added will be rejected by both the Ministry and the Bureau. Send them exactly as issued.
3. Certifications cannot be stacked. A document certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot then be certified by a Japanese embassy abroad, and vice versa. If the receiving authority asks for certification by a Japanese embassy in that country, the route changes.
4. Certification does not verify content. An apostille or authentication confirms that the seal on the document is genuine — not that its contents are true. And even with certification, whether the document is accepted is for the receiving authority to decide.

What we do and do not do

We do

• Confirm what the receiving authority requires and map the correct certification route
• Obtain public documents on your behalf (family registers, residence certificates)
• Draft Declarations, powers of attorney and similar documents
• Coordinate with the notary office; file with the Legal Affairs Bureau and the Ministry as your agent; obtain consular legalization
• Report progress, and receive and deliver the documents

We do not

• Produce translations (normally prepared by you; we can arrange an external translator)
• Advise on foreign law, or carry out procedures overseas (we will refer you to a local professional)
• Guarantee acceptance by the receiving authority
• Handle registration (judicial scrivener), tax (tax accountant) or contentious negotiation (lawyer)