Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di Valore) for Italy: Steps, MOFA Certification and Italian Translation

This page explains, for people planning to go to Italy, the steps and key points for obtaining a declaration of value (dichiarazione di valore).

What is an Italian declaration of value?

When you go to Italy to study or work, you may be asked to "submit a declaration of value for your Japanese school". Put simply, a declaration of value is a document that shows Italian institutions that a Japanese educational institution, such as a high school, university or graduate school, is equivalent in value to an educational institution in Italy.

When people from abroad come to Italy, Italian institutions want to know the level of the school they graduated from and the education they received. The declaration of value is what shows this.

What is needed to obtain a declaration of value?

To obtain an Italian declaration of value you need:

• A graduation certificate and transcript (or a document stating that a transcript cannot be issued) from the school for which you need the declaration of value
• An apostille or certificate of official seal from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on those documents
• An Italian translation
• A letter requesting the declaration of value (written in Italian)
• One colour copy of your passport (the double page with your photo)
• One full or partial copy of your family register (koseki)

If an agent handles the procedure, a power of attorney is also needed.

Steps to obtain a declaration of value

1. Obtain the graduation certificate and transcript
2. Obtain an apostille or certificate of official seal from MOFA
3. Prepare the Italian translation at the same time
4. Apply to the Italian embassy or consulate

1. Obtain the graduation certificate and transcript

First, obtain a graduation certificate and transcript from the Japanese school for which you need the declaration of value. Some schools call the graduation certificate a "certificate of completion", which is fine. Graduation certificates and transcripts can usually be requested by mail; check the school's website.

Some universities issue graduation certificates through a certificate issuing service called POPITA, but MOFA cannot certify POPITA certificates, so obtain a certificate that is not issued through POPITA.

2. Obtain an apostille or certificate of official seal from MOFA

Once you have the graduation certificate and transcript, obtain an apostille or certificate of official seal from MOFA. Simply put, these are procedures in which MOFA certifies Japanese documents for use abroad.

Which certification MOFA can give depends on the type of school you graduated from. Certificates from public high, junior high and elementary schools can receive an apostille, but certificates from incorporated national and public universities (national universities were incorporated in April 2004) and private high schools and universities can receive only a certificate of official seal. Certificates from private vocational schools and miscellaneous schools cannot receive even a certificate of official seal (MOFA, "Application guide 1: Documents that can be certified", as of September 2026).

Please note in particular that English graduation certificates from private schools sometimes do not bear an official seal. In that case MOFA cannot certify them, and you will be told to obtain a Japanese graduation certificate bearing an official seal instead, which can add extra days.

You apply to MOFA's certification section in Tokyo or MOFA's Osaka branch. MOFA states that if there are no problems and no further checks are needed, certified documents are generally returned by mail 3 business days after acceptance (returned by mail only; as of September 2026). For example, if accepted on Monday, they are sent by mail on Thursday of that week. This is the same in Tokyo and Osaka.

This applies to both counter and mail applications; even if you apply at the counter, the documents arrive by mail, so we recommend applying by mail. Since 5 October 2026, applications at the counter of MOFA headquarters in Tokyo require an online appointment (no appointment is needed in Osaka).

You can apply to either Tokyo or Osaka, but choosing the one closer to your address shortens the mailing time. Ordinary mail has recently been subject to delivery delays, so we recommend Letter Pack Light (JPY 430; sometimes sold at convenience stores), which is handled like express mail.

The detailed handling for each type of school (incorporated national and public universities, private universities, vocational schools, etc.) and how to proceed when an apostille cannot be attached are explained in Graduation certificates.

3. Prepare the Italian translation at the same time

Once you have applied to MOFA, prepare the Italian translation in parallel. You may prepare it yourself, but the layout needs to be almost identical to the original, and if the translation has many errors, the application for the declaration of value may not be accepted. If you are not confident in your own translation, using a translation service is the safer choice, even if it costs a little.

When you apply to the Italian embassy (or consulate) for the declaration of value, you will be asked to email the translation in an editable format such as Word or Excel, so have the file ready to send.

4. Apply to the Italian embassy or consulate

Once you have MOFA's certification and the Italian translation, apply to the Italian embassy or consulate. If the school you graduated from is in eastern Japan, apply to the Embassy of Italy in Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo. If it is in western Japan, apply to the Consulate General of Italy in Osaka.

Prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Italy in Osaka: Fukui, Toyama, Ishikawa, Aichi, Mie, Gifu, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hyogo, Wakayama, Tottori, Okayama, Hiroshima, Shimane, Yamaguchi, Kagawa, Tokushima, Kochi, Ehime, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Kagoshima and Okinawa.

If you are already living in Italy long term, you may need to apply for the declaration of value at an Italian consular office in Italy rather than at the Embassy of Italy in Japan. Please note this if you already live in Italy.

How long does it take to receive the declaration of value?

At the Embassy of Italy in Tokyo, depending on how busy the embassy is, documents are sent out about 1 week after the application documents are sent to the embassy, at times when it is not too busy.

Can you apply for a declaration of value on your own?

The application procedure is as described above. You can probably obtain the graduation certificate and transcript yourself. However, mistakes in the following steps can mean redoing them and may add extra days before the declaration of value is issued:

• Obtaining MOFA's certification
• Italian translation (with a layout faithful to the original)
• Writing the request letter (in Italian)

If you have time to spare, you could try it yourself, but if you are short of time while preparing to travel, we recommend using a service by specialists familiar with the procedure.

Full service: declaration of value application, Italian translation and MOFA certification

Our administrative scrivener office offers a service for obtaining Italian declarations of value.

After you request our service: translation is completed in about 3–4 business days, and MOFA's certification takes about 4–5 business days. We then apply to the Italian embassy (consulate). Please allow about 14–20 days from your request until you receive the declaration of value, and request our service with as much time to spare as possible.

Schools we often handle

• Kunitachi College of Music
• Senzoku Gakuen College of Music
• and others

For translation certification at the Embassy of Italy for civil status documents such as the koseki, see Translation certification at the Embassy of Italy in Tokyo.

Taiga Sato, Certified Administrative Scrivener
Royal Partners Administrative Scrivener Office, 2-19-4-506 Azabu-juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0045, Japan