Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Japan Requires

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Country requirements change. This page is re-checked periodically, and nothing on it replaces confirming the position with the Japanese office that will receive your document.

For Japan the authentication answer is short: an apostille. The harder parts are elsewhere. Japanese city offices want a marriage certificate that no Australian registry issues. Japan runs on registered seals and signature certificates, and the Australian Government does not issue those. And Japanese offices generally want everything in Japanese.

This page is about documents for use in Japan generally. If you are applying for a Japanese visa, see Notarising Immigration Documents for a Japan Visa Application from Australia.

Check the current position before acting on this or any other page. Convention membership is a live fact. Confirm Japan's status against the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention on the day you start. Japan has been a party since 1970, so an apostille is the expected route for documents within the Convention's scope.

The usual chain

1. Notarise in Australia, if the document is a private one (a power of attorney, an affidavit, a notarised copy of a degree)
2. DFAT apostille
3. Japanese translation, if the receiving office requires one

Australian public documents such as registry-issued certificates may be able to go to DFAT directly without a notary. Confirm with DFAT before lodging.

Marriage in Japan: the Certificate of No Impediment

This is the point most specific to Australians. The Australian Embassy in Tokyo says Japanese authorities require a foreign national to produce a certificate from their own government stating that it knows of no impediment to the marriage: a Certificate of No Impediment, or CNI (kon'in mushōgai shōmeisho). Australian law does not require one. Japanese law does.

What the embassy's guidance tells you:

• It can be issued in Australia or in Japan. DFAT offices in Australia and the Australian missions in Japan can issue a CNI. If you apply from Australia, the application form must be witnessed by someone approved to witness a Commonwealth statutory declaration.
• Some city offices want a Japan-issued one. The embassy says some city offices ask for the CNI to be issued by an Australian mission in Japan. Ask your city office before you apply.
• Keep both documents. City offices generally want the application form as well as the certificate. If you apply in Australia, make sure both come back to you.
• Both need translating. City offices generally require a Japanese translation of the application form and the certificate. The embassy does not translate, though it publishes templates to help.
• Three months. The embassy says a CNI does not expire, but Japanese city offices recognise it for only three months from issue. Time the application to your wedding, not to your paperwork.
• The wrong name for it. If the city office asks for a kon'in yōken gubi shōmeisho, the embassy says it does not issue one. The CNI is what it issues.

Notice what is missing from that list: an Australian notary. For most Australians marrying in Japan, the key document comes from DFAT or the embassy, and a notary is not part of it. Some city offices may also ask to see an original birth certificate or translations of identity documents. Ask the city office for its complete list.

Seals and signature certificates

Japan uses a registered personal seal (inkan or hanko) where Australia uses a signature. For property, vehicles, company registration and many bank matters, a Japanese office will ask for a seal registration certificate or, for someone without a registered seal, a signature certificate (sign shōmei).

The Australian Embassy in Tokyo is direct about this:

• The Australian Government keeps no register of citizens' signatures, and its missions in Japan cannot issue signature certificates or any "verification of signature" document, including for buying property or a vehicle.
• Its consular notarial services cover only documents that are Australian or intended for use in Australia. It will not witness Japanese forms made for use in Japan.
• It points people to a Japanese notary public (kōshōnin) and to lawyers who specialise in the transaction. It can certify a copy of an Australian passport or driver licence for identity purposes.

If you are in Japan, the Japanese notary is the route. If you are in Australia, the usual alternative is to sign before an Australian notary, who certifies your signature and identity, and then obtain a DFAT apostille. Whether a particular Japanese registry, bank or judicial scrivener (shihō shoshi) will accept that in place of a signature certificate is their decision. Ask them, in writing, what form of signature evidence they accept from a signatory overseas, and use the Japanese wording they give you.

Translation into Japanese

Japanese offices work in Japanese. Ask the receiving office:

• Will you accept a translation made by anyone, or must it be a particular kind of translator?
• Must the translator sign or give contact details on the translation?
• Must the notarial certificate and the apostille be translated as well?

If the answer to the last question is yes, the translation comes after the apostille. An Australian NAATI translation is a professional translation, but the receiving office decides what it accepts.

Commercial and company documents

Documents for a Japanese company registration, a Japanese bank or a Japanese counterparty commonly include certified company extracts, board resolutions and powers of attorney. Before notarising, get the Japanese side's list, its preferred wording, and its answer on whether a signature needs separate verification. If you are signing a document in Japanese that you do not read, tell the Australian notary in advance. They must be satisfied you understand what you are signing and may ask for a translation.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Japanese Embassy in Australia need to legalise my Australian document? Not for a document within the Convention's scope. The apostille replaces embassy legalisation.

Can a Justice of the Peace sign my documents for Japan? Not for use in Japan generally: a JP certification cannot be apostilled. The exception is witnessing a CNI application made in Australia, where the embassy accepts witnesses approved for Commonwealth statutory declarations. Check the witness list and your city office before relying on it.

Can the Australian Embassy in Tokyo witness my Japanese property papers? No. It says it is not authorised to witness Japanese forms made for use in Japan.

How long does it take? It depends on DFAT processing, translation and the Japanese office. Do not plan to a figure quoted on a blog, including this one.