Japanese Family Register (Koseki Tohon): Apostille Guide

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Last reviewed: 2026-09-09 | Supervised by: Masakazu Sugita, Principal Administrative Scrivener, Immigration Lawyer SUGITA International Office

A Japanese family register (Koseki Tohon) is one of the most frequently requested Japanese documents in overseas procedures, including marriage, inheritance, nationality, and visa applications.

However, the Japanese family register system includes several different types of documents — Koseki Tohon, Koseki Shohon, Joseki Tohon, and Kaisei Gen Koseki — and it is not always clear which one should be obtained and authenticated for a given purpose. If the wrong type of document is prepared, it may be rejected by the receiving authority, and you may need to obtain and authenticate the document again.

This page explains the different types of Japanese family register documents, how to obtain them in Japan, and how to properly authenticate them for use overseas, based on practical experience with Apostille and Embassy Legalization procedures.

What Types of Japanese Family Register Documents Are There?
Koseki Tohon, Koseki Shohon, Joseki Tohon and More

What Types of Japanese Family Register Documents Are There?
Koseki Tohon, Koseki Shohon, Joseki Tohon and More

Japan’s family register (koseki) system records a person’s birth, parentage, marriage, divorce, and death, together with other family members registered under the same household. Depending on the scope of the certificate and the household’s current status, several different types of certificates can be issued.

・Family Register Certificate / Koseki Tohon (Certificate of All Records) (戸籍謄本)
　This certifies the details of everyone currently registered in the family register, including birth, parent-child relationships, marriage, and other family status information. This is the most commonly requested document for overseas procedures.

・Family Register Certificate of Individual Matters / Koseki Shohon (戸籍抄本)
　This certifies the details of only one specified person within the family register, rather than every member of the household. Some institutions request this when only proof of a single individual’s status is required.

・Certificate of a Closed Family Register / Joseki Tohon (除籍謄本)
　When every member of a family register has left it (for example, due to marriage, death, or relocation of the registered domicile), the family register is closed and preserved as a Joseki. A Joseki Tohon certifies the contents of this closed register and is frequently required for inheritance procedures involving deceased relatives.

・Family Register Before Revision / Kaisei Gen Koseki (改製原戸籍)
　Japan’s family register format has been revised several times by law. A Kaisei Gen Koseki certifies the contents of a family register as it existed before such a revision, and is often needed to trace birth or marriage records further back in time, particularly for inheritance cases.

In practice, a Koseki Tohon (Certificate of All Records) is sufficient for most overseas procedures. However, for inheritance-related matters, a Joseki Tohon or Kaisei Gen Koseki covering earlier periods may also be required in order to trace the family relationships in full.

The appropriate document depends entirely on the requirements of the authority requesting it. For this reason, we strongly recommend confirming the required document and its scope with the receiving authority before obtaining and authenticating any Japanese documents.

How to Obtain a Japanese Family Register in Japan
How to Obtain Koseki Tohon in Japan

How to Obtain a Japanese Family Register in Japan
How to Obtain Koseki Tohon in Japan

When preparing a Japanese family register for overseas use, it is important not only to obtain the required document, but also to understand where it can be obtained and who is eligible to request it.

1. Confirm which type of family register document is required by the receiving authority
   Whether a Koseki Tohon (Certificate of All Records) is sufficient, or whether a Joseki Tohon or Kaisei Gen Koseki is also required, depends on the purpose and the requirements of the receiving authority. The required scope should be confirmed before starting the preparation process.
2. Obtain the document from the municipal office of your registered domicile (honseki-chi)
   Unlike a Certificate of Residence, a family register document can only be issued by the municipal office where your registered domicile (honseki-chi) is located. This is often different from the municipality where you actually live, so many applicants — especially those residing overseas — need to request the document by mail.

In principle, the document may be obtained by the person concerned or by another person listed in the same family register. If an agent obtains the document on behalf of the applicant, a power of attorney is generally required. However, administrative scriveners such as our office may be able to obtain the document without a power of attorney through a professional request system called “shokumujou seikyu,” depending on the purpose of the request.

A point that often causes difficulty is the position of a foreign national spouse. Even when a foreign national is listed in the same family register as their Japanese spouse, this does not always mean they are treated as eligible to request the document themselves. When a foreign national marries a Japanese national, their name is added to the family register as the spouse, but — unlike a Japanese national — they are not “registered” as a member of that family register in the same sense. For this reason, some municipal offices do not recognize the foreign spouse as a person entitled to request the document directly, although this treatment varies from one municipal office to another.

If obtaining the document yourself proves difficult for this reason, please feel free to consult us. As administrative scriveners, we are authorized to use the professional request system (shokumujou seikyu) described above, which allows us to obtain a Koseki Tohon without a power of attorney in many cases.

These documents can usually be obtained at the municipal office counter. In many cases, they can also be requested by mail, which is useful when the relevant municipality is located far away. However, when requesting documents by mail in Japan, the application fee is often paid using a fixed-amount postal money order purchased at a post office. This can make the process somewhat time-consuming, especially for those who are unfamiliar with Japanese administrative procedures or who are currently living outside Japan.

Because the eligibility requirements and application methods differ depending on the type of document and the requester’s status, it is important to check the requirements in advance and prepare the appropriate Japanese document carefully.

How to Obtain an Apostille or Embassy Legalization for a Japanese Family Register
Authentication Process for Koseki Tohon in Japan

How to Obtain an Apostille or Embassy Legalization for a Japanese Family Register
Authentication Process for Koseki Tohon in Japan

・When Obtaining an Apostille for a Japanese Family Register

A Koseki Tohon, Koseki Shohon, Joseki Tohon, and Kaisei Gen Koseki are all official documents issued by a Japanese municipal office. Therefore, if you are obtaining an Apostille for the original Japanese document itself, you can generally apply directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan without going through a notary public.

However, the procedure is different if the receiving authority requires the Japanese original and a foreign-language translation to be bound together and authenticated as one set.

A foreign-language translation is not an official document issued by a Japanese government authority. It is treated as a private document prepared by an individual or translator. Therefore, in order to authenticate the original Japanese document and the translation as one combined set, the documents must first be notarized by a notary public in Japan. After notarization, a notarial seal certification must be obtained. This process allows the bound set of the original document and translation to become eligible for an Apostille by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

・When Obtaining Embassy Legalization for a Japanese Family Register

If the destination country is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, Embassy Legalization may be required instead of an Apostille.

When obtaining Embassy Legalization for a family register issued as an official public document, the document must first receive official seal certification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. After that, Embassy Legalization is obtained from the embassy or consulate of the destination country in Japan.

On the other hand, if the receiving authority requires the Japanese original and a foreign-language translation to be bound together and legalized as one set, the entire set, including the translation, must be notarized in the same way as the Apostille procedure.

In this case, the original document and translation are first notarized by a notary public. A notarial seal certification is then obtained, followed by official seal certification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Finally, Embassy Legalization is applied for at the embassy or consulate of the destination country in Japan.

Differences in Apostille and Embassy Legalization Procedures by Country
Requirements Vary by Destination Country

Differences in Apostille and Embassy Legalization Procedures by Country
Requirements Vary by Destination Country

When submitting a Japanese family register overseas, one of the main differences between countries is how the translation is handled.

A Koseki Tohon and related family register documents are issued in Japanese. Therefore, depending on the receiving authority, a foreign-language translation may be required in addition to the original Japanese document.

In general, translation requirements fall into the following two patterns.

・The original document and translation are authenticated together in Japan

Some authorities require the Japanese original and a foreign-language translation to be bound together and authenticated as one set, either by Apostille or Embassy Legalization.

In this case, because the translation is not issued by a public authority, it usually needs to go through notarization and related procedures before the original document and translation can be authenticated as one combined document.

This type of submission may be required in countries and regions where English is widely used. For example, authorities in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and the UAE may request authentication of the original Japanese document together with an English translation.

・Only the original document is authenticated in Japan, and the translation is prepared in the destination country

In other cases, the Japanese original is first authenticated directly by Apostille or Embassy Legalization in Japan, and the document is then sent to the destination country for translation by a local translator or designated translator.

Under this method, only the original Japanese document is authenticated in Japan, while the translation is arranged in the destination country.

This type of procedure may be required in countries such as Italy, Portugal, Russia, and Thailand.

・Even an Apostille Without Translation May Not Fully Avoid Local Translation Requirements

Even if an Apostille is obtained for the Koseki Tohon original only, without any translation attached, many destination countries will still require a translation prepared by a translator designated or officially recognized in that country. Examples include general certified or sworn translators, foreign-language translation administrative scriveners (외국어번역행정사) in South Korea, and NAATI-certified translators in Australia. In other words, choosing not to attach a translation in Japan does not necessarily make the overall process simpler — it may simply shift the translation requirement to the destination country.

・The Strictness of Review Between the Original and the Translation Varies by Country

For countries requiring Embassy Legalization, the degree to which the embassy examines the correspondence between the Japanese original and its translation also varies significantly. Some countries, such as Malaysia, do not place particular emphasis on reviewing the linkage between the original document and the translation. Other countries, such as the UAE, require a strict “mirror translation” — a translation that corresponds word-for-word with the original — and examine this correspondence closely during the legalization process.

Confirm the Requirements Before Starting the Authentication Process

As explained above, the translation and authentication requirements for a Japanese family register vary depending on the destination country and the authority requesting the document.

Before starting the process, you should confirm the following points with the receiving authority:

• Which type of family register document is required (Koseki Tohon, Joseki Tohon, Kaisei Gen Koseki, etc.).
• Whether only the original Japanese document requires an Apostille or Embassy Legalization.
• Whether the original Japanese document and its translation must be bound together and authenticated as one set.
• Whether the translation must be prepared in Japan, or by a specific designated translator in the destination country.

If these requirements are not confirmed in advance, the document may be rejected by the receiving authority, even after the Apostille or Embassy Legalization has already been obtained.

Japan Apostille Center (JAC) is a specialized document authentication service that handles apostille applications issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, as well as consular legalization procedures at foreign embassies and consulates in Japan.

We provide comprehensive support for the entire authentication process, including verification of country-specific procedures and application requirements, translation into English and other languages, notarization at notary offices, authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, submission to embassies and consulates, and international shipment of the documents after legalization.

Our center was established based on the practical experience in international documentation gained through our administrative scrivener practice, which handles immigration and residency matters for foreign nationals in Japan.

With expertise and extensive practical experience in the field of document authentication, we have handled a wide range of cases related to international business transactions, overseas relocation, visa applications, marriage procedures, study abroad, company establishment, and other matters requiring document authentication. As a result, we have built a strong reputation as a specialized service provider for international document authentication.