Japan Property Documents for Foreigners: ID, Address, Seal, Funds

This article is part of the Zagdim wiki on Japanese property, in the transaction process series. It answers one question: which documents does a foreign buyer need to prepare to buy property in Japan? For the whole buying process first, see the main article, “How Does Buying Property in Japan Work? From Viewing and Offer to the Important Matters Explanation and Registration”.

The documents a foreign buyer needs for a Japanese property purchase fall into four groups: proof of identity, proof of address, name and nationality details for registration, and the seal certificate and funding documents that are needed only in certain situations. A buyer with a Japanese resident record (juminhyo) can prove an address with the juminhyo and confirm identity with a residence card. A buyer without a juminhyo can confirm identity with a passport or similar document, and if the passport does not show an address, the address must be proved separately. A buyer who actually lives overseas must also prepare, for registration, an address certificate from the government of their home country or country of residence, or an affidavit authenticated by a notary together with a passport copy. A buyer without a juminhyo generally cannot register a seal in Japan, so when a seal certificate is needed, substitute documents must be used.

Four parties may ask for documents: the real estate agent or seller’s broker, the judicial scrivener who handles the registration, the registration office, and the bank if a loan is used.

Why Does Every Buyer Get a Different Document List?

The list depends on two things: which type of buyer you are, and who the document is for.

First, work out which column you belong in. Foreign nationals who live in Japan, such as medium- and long-term residents and special permanent residents, have a juminhyo (the residents’ record kept by the city, ward or town office). People who enter Japan briefly, for example as tourists, do not. This article therefore uses two columns: buyers with a juminhyo and buyers without one. Overseas address documents at registration apply to buyers who actually live outside Japan.

Next, work out who the document is for. The agent must confirm your identity, while registration needs your address, name and nationality details. The legally required check of assets and income applies only to high-risk transactions. Other proof-of-funds documents are the requirements of an agent or bank, not of the law.

The Summary Table: What Do You Need With or Without a Juminhyo?

The sections below explain the conditions and exceptions for each document.

Which Documents Does the Agent Check for Identity?

The agent confirms your name, address and date of birth, and asks about the purpose of the purchase and your occupation. This is called identity verification at the time of transaction (torihiki-ji kakunin). Real estate transaction businesses (takuchi tatemono torihiki gyosha, firms that buy, sell or broker real estate) must carry it out at the time of a sale under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds. It is not aimed only at foreigners; Japanese buyers go through it too.

You state the purpose of the transaction yourself. You can say it verbally or tick a list the business prepares. Which options appear on that list is up to the business; the law does not set them.

Accepted identity documents include the residence card, the special permanent resident certificate, and a passport showing name and date of birth. A document with an expiry date must still be valid on the day you present it. A foreign national who does not live in Japan may also use a document issued by a foreign government or international organization recognized by the Japanese government, showing name, address and date of birth.

• The passport shows no address. The passport still works as an identity document, but the address must be proved separately with another identity document or a supplementary document. A supplementary document must be dated within 6 months before the day it is presented, or still be within its validity period. A buyer living overseas should ask the agent in advance which document can be used.
• Only a short entry into Japan. Even with no residence in Japan, the address check cannot be skipped. The business must still confirm your address in your home country or country of residence.
• Confirmation without meeting in person. A passport that records no address, and whose IC chip holds no address information either, cannot be used for some non-face-to-face confirmation methods even if an address document is attached. A buyer overseas who plans to sign remotely should ask the agent first which method will be used.

The judicial scrivener who handles the registration (shiho shoshi, a legal professional commissioned to handle registrations) must also carry out identity verification at the time of transaction once more, confirming your identity, transaction purpose and occupation. The scrivener does not check assets or income.

What Address Proof Does Registration Need for a Buyer Living Overseas?

A buyer living in Japan with a juminhyo uses the juminhyo. A foreign national living overseas who is registered as the owner, in an application filed on or after April 1, 2024, must prepare one of two documents:

1. An address certificate issued by the government of the home country or country of residence, for example a document equivalent to the Japanese juminhyo.
2. An affidavit (sworn statement of the address and similar matters, authenticated by a notary) authenticated by a notary of the home country or country of residence, together with a passport copy.

Foreign-language documents must come with a translation. The passport copy must be valid on the date the affidavit was prepared or the registration application was accepted, and must include the name, the validity period and the photo page. If it is not bound together with the affidavit, it must be marked as a true copy of the original and signed, or named and sealed, by the buyer.

In principle the affidavit should be authenticated by a notary of the home country or country of residence. A Japanese notary may be used only in unavoidable cases, such as when neither country has a notary system or when illness prevents the buyer from returning home. A buyer with no passport attaches a written statement to the registration office (joshinsho) and copies of other identity documents.

The Ministry of Justice explanation does not say which Taiwanese or Hong Kong documents count as type 1. Whether the document you hold can be used depends on your nationality, your country of residence and the registration requirements, so confirm with the judicial scrivener first.

What Does Registration Need for a Roman-Letter Name, Domestic Contact and Nationality?

All three are provided together at transfer registration.

Roman-letter name (romaji shimei). Since April 1, 2024, a foreign national registered as owner must provide a Roman-letter name with proof, and the registry records the Roman-letter name alongside the name. A person not registered in the Japanese basic resident register can prove it with a passport copy. The passport must be valid on the date the registration application is accepted, and the copy must include the Roman-letter name, validity period and photo page, be marked as a true copy of the original, and be signed or named and sealed by the buyer. Buyers whose passports are about to expire should note this. Buyers with a juminhyo should ask the judicial scrivener which proof to use.

There are three exceptions in which the Roman-letter name need not be provided: the application uses a commonly used name, the foreign resident’s juminhyo has no Roman-letter name, or someone else files by subrogation and finds it hard to produce the proof.

Domestic contact person (kokunai renrakusaki to naru mono). An owner with no address in Japan must register at registration the name, address and similar details of one contact person in Japan. The contact can be an individual or a legal entity, such as a real estate firm or judicial scrivener. If there is no suitable person, the buyer can declare “none”. The contact person must prepare a written consent and their own seal certificate (or an electronic signature and electronic certificate).

Nationality. From October 5, 2026, the owner’s nationality must be declared at registration, including owners who live overseas. The declaration is the country of nationality or a region specified by law (for example, “Taiwan”). Supporting documents include a copy of a juminhyo showing nationality, a passport copy or a residence card copy. This information is kept internally and is not made public in the registry. If it is not declared, the registrar will request a correction; if none is made, the nationality that can be determined from the attached documents is recorded.

Do You Need a Japanese Seal and a Seal Certificate?

It depends on whether you are also taking out a mortgage. In general, a buyer who simply acquires ownership submits an address certificate; if a mortgage is also registered on the property, a seal certificate or a substitute document is generally needed. Confirm with the judicial scrivener before signing which documents you actually need to prepare.

A seal certificate (inkan shomeisho) is a document proving that a seal has been registered with the city, ward or town office. As for putting a seal on a document, Japanese law provides that where a signature and seal are required by law, a foreign national’s signature is enough.

• With a juminhyo. Taking Minato Ward, Tokyo, and the city of Yokohama as examples, a foreign national registered as a resident there, aged 15 or over and with decision-making capacity, can apply for seal registration (inkan toroku). Minato Ward asks to see a residence card, special permanent resident certificate or similar. Yokohama further explains that the seal must use the name recorded in the juminhyo; to have a seal carved in a kanji name, a commonly used name or katakana, those forms must first be recorded in the juminhyo. Rules differ by place; follow the ward, city or town office where you live.
• Without a juminhyo. A person with no Japanese juminhyo generally cannot register a seal in Japan. The Ministry of Justice explains that where a person lives abroad and cannot obtain a seal certificate, the registration can attach a signature certificate (shomei shomei) prepared by a Japanese consul; where that is hard, for example because the person lives far from a Japanese overseas mission, a signature certificate prepared by a foreign notary can be attached instead.

The Ministry of Justice example concerns Japanese nationals living overseas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains that signature certificates from Japanese overseas missions are issued only to Japanese nationals, and foreign nationals must go to a notary where they live. According to industry commentary, a foreign national can also use a signature certificate (sain shomeisho) issued by the embassy of their country in Japan, and where the buyer does not come to Japan, a method is also used in which the judicial scrivener prepares the documents and the buyer signs them before a local notary for authentication. Practice may differ by country, so prepare the documents as the judicial scrivener instructs.

Who Actually Asks for “Proof of Funds”?

The law requires an agent or similar business to check your assets and income in only one situation: a high-risk transaction that involves a transfer of property above 2 million yen.

High-risk transactions include, for example, customers who live in or are located in Iran or North Korea, or foreign politically exposed persons and their family members. Confirmation is done by looking at documents such as a withholding tax slip, a tax return or a bank passbook, and it does not require confirming all assets and income.

Outside these cases, the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds does not require the business to confirm your assets and income. When an agent, seller or bank asks you separately for funding documents, that is their own practice and follows their own rules. The judicial scrivener handling the registration does not check assets or income.

• When using a loan. There is currently no official uniform standard for the mortgage terms private banks offer to foreign nationals and non-residents, so check with each bank. Which documents to prepare depends on the bank you apply to.
• When sending money from overseas. Under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, a resident who receives a single remittance of more than the equivalent of 30 million yen must file a report on payment or receipt of payment afterwards. A non-resident under the Act does not have to file it.

**Example: working in Tokyo and buying an owner-occupied condo with a mortgage**

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Mr. Wang holds a residence card and works for a company in Tokyo. He has been in Japan for more than 6 months and has a juminhyo. He plans to buy a second-hand condo to live in with a mortgage from a private bank, and the down payment will be sent from his account overseas.

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• At signing: the agent confirms his identity, the purpose of the transaction and his occupation. He can present his residence card. – At registration: he uses the juminhyo as address proof; a domestic contact person is not applicable; from October 5, 2026 he declares his nationality and can attach a copy of a juminhyo showing nationality or a copy of the residence card; he asks the judicial scrivener how to prove his Roman-letter name. – Owner-occupied reduction: if he meets the conditions and intends to apply the registration tax reduction for owner-occupied homes, he attaches a municipal certificate at registration. – Seal: because he is taking a mortgage on the property, a seal certificate or substitute document is generally needed for the mortgage registration; with a resident registration he can apply for seal registration where he lives. – Remittance: he is presumed a resident under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, so if a single remittance from overseas exceeds the equivalent of 30 million yen, he must file a report on payment afterwards.

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What he needs to do: before signing, check separately with the bank and the judicial scrivener which documents each requires, and confirm whether a payment report is needed after the remittance.

What Else Must You File After Buying?

A buyer who is a non-resident under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act must file a report with the Minister of Finance through the Bank of Japan within 20 days of acquisition. From April 1, 2026, the report is required regardless of purpose, including owner-occupied homes. The form exists only in Japanese. You can file it yourself, or an agent living in Japan, such as the real estate agent, can file it for you.

Whether you are a non-resident depends on your residence and work situation, not on the name of your visa. A foreign national is in principle presumed to be a non-resident; a person working at an office in Japan, or who has been in Japan for 6 months since entry, is presumed to be a resident.

Later, if your address or name changes, an owner living overseas must apply for a change registration on their own within 2 years.

Statements to Pause On and Check

• “A passport is enough.” A passport confirms identity, but if it shows no address the address must be proved separately, and registration also needs an address certificate.
• “The law requires proof of funds from every foreign buyer.” The legal asset and income check applies only to high-risk transactions above 2 million yen; other requests come from the business or the bank.
• “You need a Japanese person as your contact to buy.” The domestic contact person can be a legal entity, and you can declare “none”.
• “Buyers need / do not need a seal certificate.” It depends on whether a mortgage is registered on the property at the same time; follow the judicial scrivener’s instructions.

How Do You Confirm the Documents Are Complete Before Signing?

First work out which column you are in: whether you have a juminhyo, and whether you are a non-resident under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. Then compare against the summary table and ask who prepares each item:

1. Which method the agent uses to confirm identity, and which document is submitted for the address.
2. Which address certificate the judicial scrivener accepts, and who prepares the translation.
3. Who the domestic contact person will be, or whether to declare “none”.
4. Whether a mortgage is registered; if so, how the seal certificate or substitute is prepared.
5. Which documents the bank requires, and whether a payment report is needed after the remittance.
6. Who files the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act report.

For registration fees and what happens on closing day, see “How Is Japanese Property Transfer Registration Completed? Judicial Scrivener, Registration Fees and Closing”.

FAQ: Documents for Foreigners Buying Japanese Property

Can I buy property in Japan if my passport shows no address?

Yes. The passport confirms identity, but the address must be proved separately: a document proving your current address is given to the agent at signing, and at registration you also prepare an address certificate from the government of your home country or country of residence, or a notary-authenticated affidavit plus a passport copy.

Do foreigners need a Japanese seal to buy property?

Where a signature and seal are required by law, a foreign national’s signature is enough. A buyer who simply acquires ownership generally submits an address certificate; when a mortgage is registered, a seal certificate or substitute document is generally needed, so check with the judicial scrivener before signing.

Do I need to show proof of funds to buy in Japan?

The law requires an asset and income check only for high-risk transactions with a transfer of property above 2 million yen. In other cases, funding documents are the requirement of the agent, seller or bank, and you prepare them under their own rules.

About This Information

• Sources were checked on September 30, 2026. They are the laws and regulations currently in force in Japan, explanatory documents from the Ministry of Justice, the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Japan and local governments, and a case commentary from a professional body.
• The following conclusions are drawn from official documents and are not written directly by the authorities: whether a buyer needs a seal certificate (a cross-reading of the provisions of the Real Property Registration Rules); that a foreign national entering Japan briefly must still have the address confirmed when buying (a comparison of the enforcement regulations and enforcement order of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds); that a person without a juminhyo generally cannot register a seal (explanations from Minato Ward and the city of Yokohama); that an overseas buyer who does not live in the home has no way to apply the owner-occupied registration tax reduction (the Special Taxation Measures Act and the Meguro Ward certificate requirements); and that no official uniform standard for private bank mortgages could be found (only the conditions of Flat 35 from the Japan Housing Finance Agency were found, not those of individual banks).
• The method in which a foreign national uses an embassy signature certificate in place of a seal certificate, signing before a local notary, comes from a 2015 case commentary by the Real Estate Transaction Promotion Center; the original text of the Ministry of Justice notice it cites could not be obtained. Seal registration is illustrated with Minato Ward and Yokohama, and the owner-occupied home certificate with Meguro Ward; rules elsewhere may differ.
• The nationality declaration at registration takes effect on October 5, 2026. Not checked here: which Taiwanese or Hong Kong document would be accepted as address proof at registration; how Hong Kong nationality is recorded in the nationality field; the threshold at which banks confirm identity for international remittances; and the specific methods of non-face-to-face identity verification.

Have a question about this guide? Leave a comment below, or ask Zagdim directly.

Sources

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Important Notice

This article is general information and is not individual legal, tax, financial or real estate transaction advice. Sources were checked on September 30, 2026. Rules may change, so rely on the current notices of the competent Japanese authorities and on the requirements of your judicial scrivener, agent and bank.