Japanese Apostille Service – Ministry of Foreign Affairs

As we act as your professional representative, client identity verification is required before we can proceed with the application. After placing your order, you will be asked to provide a copy of a valid government-issued identification document.

The original paper document must be sent to our Tokyo office before we can proceed with the apostille application.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires the original public document. A PDF, scan or photocopy cannot be apostilled. As a general rule, the document must have been issued within the previous three months, show the issuing authority and date of issue, and bear the relevant official seal.

After placing your order, please send the original document to our Tokyo office using a tracked delivery method. Shipping instructions will be provided with your order confirmation.

Please do not remove staples, write on, alter or otherwise modify the original document before sending it to us, as altered documents may not be accepted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As a general rule, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only accepts public documents issued within the previous three months.

Certain documents that are issued only once, such as particular diplomas, may exceptionally be accepted even if older where the foreign receiving authority specifically requires that document. We will confirm the position if applicable.

This fixed-price service is intended for Japanese public documents that can be apostilled directly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Private documents (including documents prepared by an individual or company) cannot generally receive a direct Ministry of Foreign Affairs apostille. They normally need to be notarised first, followed by the relevant authentication procedure before an apostille can be obtained.

If your document is a private document or you are unsure which procedure applies, please contact us. We can review the document and propose the appropriate notarisation and authentication procedure separately.

Translations are available in English or French.

You may select:

• Non-certified translation:Translation provided for information and general business purposes.

• Translation certified by LPA:Translation certified by a member of LPA who is a Japanese Administrative Scrivener and/or Paris Bar lawyer, as applicable.

• Translation by a French Embassy-listed translator: For French translations, we can arrange translation by a translator appearing on the French Embassy in Japan’s official list of translators and interpreters. Electronic document cannot be certified by such translator.

Usually within 7 business days after we have received the original document and all information and identification documents required to process the application.

Processing times are estimates and may be affected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or other circumstances outside our control.

Paper originals can be:

• delivered within Japan;

• sent internationally using the delivery methods available at checkout; or

• provided as a PDF scan only, if no physical delivery is required.

International courier charges are calculated separately according to the selected delivery method.