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Getting a Jūminhyō or Inkan Certificate in Japan

✓ Last verified 2026-09-08 Sources: 6 sites 7 min read

The short version

It's a common moment: a guarantor company screening your rental application, or a phone shop processing a contract, asks for a "jūminhyō" or an "inkan shōmeisho," and your residence card and passport — the documents that have covered everything so far — suddenly aren't enough. Both names sound similarly bureaucratic, and it's not obvious from the names alone that they're two unrelated documents proving two different things. This guide covers what each one actually is, where to get it, and what it costs.

Two documents, two different jobs

Jūminhyō (住民票) — proof of address

A printout of your entry in the municipality's resident registry: your registered name, address, and household composition as the city or ward currently has it on file. It proves where you live, not who you are — it doesn't include a photo. Guarantor companies, some phone and utility contracts, and school or daycare enrollment commonly ask for this.

Best if: someone needs official confirmation of your current registered address
Inkan shōmeisho (印鑑登録証明書) — proof a seal is yours

A certificate that a specific personal seal (hanko/inkan), on file with your municipality, is officially registered to you. It proves a seal impression matches the one you registered — nothing about your address. Car purchases, some property and loan contracts, and other paperwork that treats a seal impression as a signature commonly ask for this.

Best if: a contract needs your registered seal impression authenticated, not your address

Neither document requires you to be a Japanese national. Foreign residents with a mid- to long-term residence status are recorded in the same Basic Resident Registration system as Japanese residents, so a jūminhyō is generated for you automatically once you register your address at the ward or city office. Seal registration is opt-in and separate — you have to actively register a seal before a certificate of it can exist.

How to get each one

Jūminhyō (address certificate)

  1. 1 Fastest option: convenience store kiosk, if you have a My Number Card If your My Number Card is set up for the convenience-store certificate service, the multi-function copier at a 7-Eleven, Lawson, or FamilyMart can print a jūminhyō directly, typically for around ¥200–300 — usually cheaper than the ward-office counter fee and available most hours the store is open.
  2. 2 Otherwise: your ward or city office counter Bring photo ID (residence card or passport) and ask for a jūminhyō (住民票の写し) at the resident-registration window. Issued on the spot, typically a few hundred yen.
  3. 3 Or by mail, if you can't visit in person Most municipalities accept a mail request with a photocopy of ID, a return envelope with postage, and payment (often as a postal money order) — check your specific municipality's website for the current form and turnaround time.

Inkan shōmeisho (seal certificate) — first, register the seal

  1. 1 Register a seal at the ward or city office, in person Bring the physical seal you want to register, plus photo ID (residence card and, in most municipalities, your My Number Card or another form of ID). You'll also confirm whether your registered name is on file in the Roman alphabet or katakana, since that affects what the seal itself needs to show.
  2. 2 Same-day registration is typical Most offices complete the registration and hand you a seal registration card (inkan tōroku-shō) the same visit. Some municipalities instead mail a confirmation postcard to your registered address first, as an identity-verification step, before the registration is finalized — the exact process varies by municipality.
  3. 3 After that, pull a certificate whenever you need one Once a seal is registered, you can request an inkan shōmeisho at the counter (bringing your registration card) each time a contract needs one — you don't have to re-register the seal itself. Fee is typically in the ¥300 range, similar to a jūminhyō.

What you'll actually be asked for

Whoever wants the document usually cares about two things beyond the document itself: how much it costs, and how recently it was issued. Fees for both documents commonly run in the roughly ¥200–¥600 range depending on the municipality and issuance method — the convenience store route is often the cheaper end of that. More important is freshness: guarantor companies, banks, and similar screening commonly ask for a copy issued within the last 3 months, a pattern that shows up across rental and loan paperwork generally. That window isn't universal by law for every use case, so when a specific company gives you a validity requirement, follow theirs rather than assuming 3 months applies everywhere.

One detail that catches people off guard: your My Number Card alone doesn't prove your address the way a jūminhyō does, and it isn't a substitute for either document here. It's useful as photo ID at the counter, and it's the key that unlocks the convenience-store shortcut for a jūminhyō — but if a contract specifically asks for a jūminhyō or an inkan shōmeisho, showing the My Number Card itself won't satisfy that request.

Where this tends to come up

These two documents rarely show up as the main event — they surface as a supporting requirement inside some other process. A rental guarantor company's screening is one of the more common triggers, and some phone or utility contracts ask for a jūminhyō as proof of address alongside your residence card. If you've registered for the My Number Card's convenience-store services already, the fastest path to a jūminhyō is often the kiosk rather than a special office trip.

Where this guide stops

This page explains what each document is and the general process for getting one — it isn't a substitute for checking your specific municipality's current procedure, fees, and hours, which vary by city and ward and change over time. It also isn't a substitute for advice from a licensed administrative scrivener (gyōsei shoshi) if your situation involves a dispute or a more complex filing; for routine certificate requests, the ward or city office counter is the right first stop, and staff there can point you to further help if needed.

Related guides

Both documents tend to surface right after the parts of settling in that are already covered elsewhere on this site:

This article provides general information only and is not legal, immigration, or administrative-filing advice. Procedures, required documents, fees, and processing times for jūminhyō and inkan shōmeisho requests vary by municipality and change over time; confirm current details with your local ward or city office before relying on them. See our disclaimer for more.

Sources

Confirmed via search engine results on 2026-09-08. This working environment's direct fetch of the domains below was blocked by the network's egress policy while writing this article, so the process steps, fees, and validity patterns described above are cross-checked across multiple independent sources rather than a single direct read of one source. Confirm current fees and procedure with your municipality.

Related guides

Everyday Essentials The My Number Card in Japan: A Guide for Foreign Residents Everyday Essentials Opening a Bank Account in Japan as a Foreigner Everyday Essentials How to Get a Phone Contract in Japan as a Foreign Resident Everyday Essentials Converting a Foreign Driver's License to a Japanese License (Gaimen Kirikae)