Apostille for Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Documents: English Translation, Notarization and MOFA Apostille

Saint Lucia is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, which entered into force for Saint Lucia on 31 July 2002. When you submit Japanese documents for Saint Lucia's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme, an apostille from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is enough and no embassy legalization is needed. However, Saint Lucia's Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) requires documents in English, so Japanese documents such as the certificate of residence (juminhyo) or company registration certificate need an English translation. To certify the translation together with the original, attach a translator's declaration, have it certified at a notary office and then obtain the apostille. This page explains the procedure in Japan for each document, including the juminhyo, utility bills, company registration certificate and residence card.

This page is based on the Saint Lucia CIU's "FAQs", "Citizenship by Investment" and "Application Forms" pages, Saint Lucia's Citizenship by Investment Act and Regulations (the document checklist in Schedule 5), MOFA's pages on the certificate of official seal and apostille, its application guide, FAQ and list of Contracting States to the Hague Convention (updated 11 September 2026), the Tokyo Notaries Association's page on certification of foreign-language documents and the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau's page on certification of a notary's seal, as of 16 October 2026. Applications are submitted through a Saint Lucia Authorised Agent, so follow your agent's instructions for the final format of the documents.

In short: for Saint Lucia, the standard route is "English translation + declaration + notarization + apostille"

At notary offices in Hokkaido (within the Sapporo Legal Affairs Bureau district), Miyagi, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka, the notary's certification, the Legal Affairs Bureau's certification of the notary's seal and MOFA's apostille can be obtained at once (the one-stop service). No legalization by a Saint Lucia embassy or consulate is needed.

Document format required by the Saint Lucia CIU

The requirements that can be confirmed from the CIU and the legislation are as follows.

Checklist item numbers and form names (such as SL1–SL4) may be revised. Give priority to the latest checklist provided by your agent.

What is the declaration method?

To certify a Japanese public document (juminhyo, company registration certificate, etc.) and its English translation as one set, MOFA cannot apostille it directly; instead, the translator's declaration is certified by a notary. The procedure is as follows.

1. Bind the original (or copy), the English translation and the translator's declaration into one set
2. The translator signs the declaration, which states that the attached documents are a copy of the original of X and an accurate translation of it from Japanese into English
3. A notary at a notary office certifies the signature
4. The Legal Affairs Bureau to which the notary belongs certifies the notary's seal
5. MOFA issues the apostille (at notary offices in the one-stop areas, steps 2–5 are completed at once)

If you submit only the Japanese original without a translation, the juminhyo and company registration certificate can be apostilled directly by MOFA (originals issued within the last 3 months only). However, because the CIU requires documents in English, attaching an English translation is usual for Saint Lucia. For details, see Translation and notarization.

Points to note for each document

Certificate of residence (juminhyo)

• The CIU requires proof of address dated within 3 months before submission, so use a newly obtained juminhyo
• Obtain it without your My Number (individual number) shown
• If family members are applying as dependants, check with your agent whether a juminhyo for all household members showing relationships can be used

For details, see Certificate of residence (juminhyo) and seal registration certificate.

Utility bills (Tokyo Gas, electricity, etc.)

• They are issued by companies, so they are private documents. MOFA cannot apostille them directly; they go through a notary office
• The CIU requires proof of address as an original. With the declaration method the original is bound into the set and submitted, so if you want to keep the original, consider using a bill from another month
• Check that your name and address match your juminhyo and passport and that the bill is dated within 3 months before submission
• Ask your agent whether a printout of an online statement is treated as an original

Company registration certificate

• A public document issued by the Legal Affairs Bureau. Use an original issued within the last 3 months
• It may be requested to show that you are a company officer or shareholder when explaining the source of funds

For details, see Company registration certificate.

Residence card (current and previous)

• A notary cannot directly certify that a copy of a residence card or passport is identical to the original. Instead, a declaration is attached to the copy and the notary certifies the signature on the declaration
• The declaration is signed either by a translator who has checked the original or by the card holder. If the translator signs, our office checks the original
• Attach copies of both the front and back
• For previous residence cards, the handling depends on whether you still have the original. Ask your agent what can be used instead if you do not

For passport copies, see Passport copies: notarization and apostille.

Affidavit on funds

Under the CIU checklist, the Affidavit in Support explaining the source of funds and similar matters must be sworn before a notary or similar officer and apostilled in the country where it was made. In Japan, you go to a notary office in person, swear and sign in front of the notary (sworn certification), and then obtain the Legal Affairs Bureau's certification of the notary's seal and MOFA's apostille. Sworn certification requires you to attend in person and cannot be done by an agent. For how to prepare one and how to write it in English, see Affidavits (sworn statements) in Japan.

Criminal record certificate

Issued by the prefectural police headquarters (the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo) in five languages including Japanese and English, in a sealed envelope. It is apostilled directly by MOFA without opening the envelope. The CIU requires one issued within the last 6 months. For details, see Criminal record certificate.

If you want to use an existing English translation

Even if an overseas application support company has prepared an English translation, the declaration must be signed by a translator who can declare that the translation is accurate. Our office compares the existing translation with the Japanese original, makes any necessary corrections, and has our translator sign the declaration. If many corrections are needed, a new translation may be quicker. The fee for checking is quoted according to the volume of documents.

If you are asked for the notary's or translator's qualifications

The CIU checklist requires copies of documents showing the qualifications of the notary who certified documents and of the translator who translated them. In Japan, this is handled as follows.

If your agent asks for other materials (such as a copy of the individual notary's appointment), we check individually whether they can be provided in Japan.

Do you need to go to the notary office yourself?

Typical costs and timeline

Notarization is done document by document, so five documents mean five notary fees. As a guide, once the documents and translations are ready, notarization and the apostille take about 3 business days; if our office also does the translation, allow about 5–6 business days. If you apply to MOFA by mail, documents are sent 3 business days after acceptance.

For Japanese nationals

Japan's Nationality Act provides that a Japanese national who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses Japanese nationality (Nationality Act, Article 11, paragraph 1). A Japanese national who acquires Saint Lucian citizenship therefore loses Japanese nationality at that point. The programme's costs, conditions and the treatment of Japanese nationality are explained in Saint Lucia citizenship: costs, conditions and process (in Japanese).

FAQ

Do I need legalization by a Saint Lucia embassy?

No. Saint Lucia is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille from Japan's MOFA is enough.

Can anyone do the English translation?

The CIU requires a "certified English translation" and a copy of each translator's qualification document, but does not specify a national qualification for translators. In Japan, the usual method is for the translator to sign a declaration and have the signature certified by a notary.

Can five documents be certified together as one?

The standard approach is to prepare a declaration for each document and have each certified separately. The CIU checklist also specifies original or copy for each document, so combining them makes submission harder. Check with your agent whether combining them is acceptable.

Can a foreign national living in Japan use your service?

Yes. We certify documents issued in Japan and documents located in Japan, such as copies of residence cards, juminhyo and company registration certificates.

Can you handle the Saint Lucia citizenship application itself?

Our office handles translation, notarization and apostilles for Japanese documents. Only Authorised Agents can submit applications to the Government of Saint Lucia, so please ask your agent to handle the application.

Our notarization and apostille service for Saint Lucia

Our office (Royal Partners Administrative Scrivener Office; Taiga Sato, Certified Administrative Scrivener) handles English translation, checking of existing translations, preparation of declarations, certification at the notary office, MOFA's apostille and shipping abroad for Japanese documents used in Saint Lucia CBI applications. Our office goes to the notary office on your behalf.

PDF scans, return within Japan and international shipping are not included in the basic fee and are added if you request them. Notary fees, shipping and other actual costs are charged separately. Our office obtains the certifications in Japan on your behalf and cannot guarantee that the receiving authority will accept the documents. For the overall procedure see What is an apostille?, for fees see Fees, and for shipping see International shipping times and costs.

References (official sources)

• Saint Lucia CIU, "FAQs"
• Saint Lucia CIU, "Citizenship by Investment"
• Saint Lucia CIU, "Application Forms"
• Laws of Saint Lucia, Citizenship by Investment Act, section 30
• Laws of Saint Lucia, Citizenship by Investment Regulations, Schedule 5 (document checklist)
• HCCH, Apostille Convention status table
• MOFA, "List of Contracting States (Regions) to the Hague Convention" (updated 11 September 2026; in Japanese)
• MOFA, "Application guide 1: Documents that can be certified" (in Japanese)
• MOFA, "Application guide 2: Certification of private documents" (in Japanese)
• MOFA, "Application guide 3: How to apply and required documents" (in Japanese)
• MOFA, "FAQ" (in Japanese)
• Tokyo Notaries Association, "Certification of foreign-language documents" (in Japanese)
• Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau, "Certification of a notary's seal" (in Japanese)
• Metropolitan Police Department, "Criminal record certificate" (in Japanese)