Estate Division Agreements: Apostille, Translation and Signature Certificates for Heirs Abroad

November 8, 2026

Taiga Sato

When someone dies in Japan and one of the heirs lives abroad, the family often gets stuck on two questions: how the heir abroad can sign the estate division agreement (isan bunkatsu kyogisho), and what to submit in place of a Japanese seal registration certificate (inkan shomeisho). In the opposite case, when the deceased had a bank account or real property abroad, a foreign bank or authority may ask for the Japanese estate division agreement with an English translation and an apostille.

In short: a Japanese national living abroad usually obtains a certificate of signature at the Japanese embassy or consulate in their country of residence in place of a seal registration certificate, and a certificate of residence as proof of address. A Japanese estate division agreement is a private document, so to use it abroad, the signatures are first certified at a Japanese notary office, and then the Legal Affairs Bureau and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) add their certifications. This page explains both situations for heirs living outside Japan, including foreign spouses and children of Japanese nationals.

Please note that filing inheritance registrations of real property on behalf of clients is the work of judicial scriveners (shiho shoshi), filing inheritance tax returns is the work of tax accountants (zeirishi), and negotiating the division of an estate is the work of lawyers (bengoshi). Our office helps with the English translation and certification (notarization and apostille) of the documents.

This page is based on official information from MOFA (including its pages on certificates issued at Japanese embassies and consulates and its application guide 3, updated 18 September 2026), the Ministry of Justice, the Japan National Notaries Association, the National Tax Agency, the Niigata District Legal Affairs Bureau and the Japanese Law Translation database, as of 8 November 2026.

In short: the documents you need depend on the situation

Situation	What you need	How to obtain it
A Japanese heir living abroad signs the estate division agreement	Certificate of signature (in place of a seal registration certificate) and, where needed for an inheritance registration or similar procedure, a certificate of residence (proof of address)	Go in person to the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country of residence
One of the heirs is a foreign national living abroad	Certification of the signature, and proof of address, by a notary or other authority in the home country or country of residence (check with the office handling the procedure)	A local notary or similar authority
A Japanese estate division agreement is submitted to a bank, court, etc. abroad	The agreement, an English translation, certification at a notary office and an apostille	Notary office → Legal Affairs Bureau → MOFA
You need to show a foreign institution that you are an heir	Family register (koseki tohon) with an English translation and an apostille	Municipal office → MOFA

Since 1 April 2024, registering an inheritance of real property in Japan has been mandatory. You must apply within 3 years from the day you learned that you acquired real property through inheritance, and failing to do so without a justifiable reason can lead to a non-penal fine of up to JPY 100,000. Even for inheritances that took place on or before 31 March 2024, if the property has not been registered, the deadline is 31 March 2027 (Legal Affairs Bureau). Sending documents back and forth with heirs abroad takes time, so start preparing early.

Japanese heirs living abroad: certificate of signature and certificate of residence

In inheritance procedures in Japan (inheritance registration of real property, closing the deceased's bank accounts, etc.), all heirs normally stamp the estate division agreement with their registered seal (jitsuin) and attach a seal registration certificate. People who live abroad and have no resident registration in Japan cannot obtain a seal registration certificate, so they use a certificate of signature issued by a Japanese embassy or consulate instead.

Certificate of signature

A certificate of signature is a document in which a Japanese embassy or consulate certifies that a signature is the person's own. MOFA lists real property registration and bank loans as examples of its uses. If you are a foreign national living in Japan and need a signature certificate there, see Signature certificates in Japan.

Item	Details (according to MOFA)
Format	Format 1 (attached): you sign the estate division agreement or other document sent from Japan in front of the consular officer, and the document is bound to the embassy's or consulate's certificate and sealed across the join. Format 2 (stand-alone): the signature alone is certified
Who can apply	Japanese nationals
How to apply	Go in person and sign in front of the consular officer. Agents and applications by mail are not accepted. If you bring a document you have already signed, you will have to sign it again
What to bring	An identity document such as your Japanese passport. For Format 1, the estate division agreement you will sign
Fee	The equivalent of JPY 1,700 per certificate (in local currency)

Which format you need depends on the receiving authority (the Legal Affairs Bureau, the bank, etc.), so check in advance. The usual flow is that the agreement is prepared in Japan and sent to you abroad, and you sign it at the embassy or consulate. Bring it there unsigned.

Certificate of residence (proof of address)

If proof of address is needed, for example for an inheritance registration of real property, obtain a certificate of residence (zairyu shomei) at the embassy or consulate.

Who can apply: Japanese nationals who have no resident registration in Japan and have lived (or plan to live) in the country for 3 months or more
Fee: the equivalent of JPY 1,200 per certificate
Where: it is issued only at Japanese embassies and consulates abroad, so you cannot obtain one in Japan during a temporary visit
Registered domicile: if you want your registered domicile (honseki) shown on the certificate down to the lot number, you will also need your family register

Fees and required documents may differ by embassy or consulate, so check with the embassy or consulate covering the area where you live.

If there is no Japanese embassy or consulate nearby

For real property registration, the Ministry of Justice states that if a certificate of signature from a consular officer cannot be obtained, a certification of signature by a foreign notary may be used instead of a seal registration certificate. Which certification is accepted depends on the office handling the procedure, so check with the Legal Affairs Bureau, the bank or other institution concerned.

If one of the heirs is a foreign national living abroad

An heir who is not a Japanese national, such as a foreign spouse or a child with foreign nationality, cannot obtain a certificate of signature from a Japanese embassy or consulate. Ask the office handling the procedure what it accepts instead, such as a certification of signature by a notary in the home country or country of residence.

When a foreign heir living abroad becomes the registered owner of real property in Japan (for applications filed on or after 1 April 2024), the Ministry of Justice requires one of the following as proof of address:

A certificate of address issued by a government authority of the home country or country of residence
An affidavit certified by a notary, together with a copy of the passport

Documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a Japanese translation. Where the home country or country of residence has no notary system, for example, certification by a Japanese notary may also be accepted.

To help foreign heirs understand the contents, families often send the agreement with an English translation. Whether the document to be signed is in Japanese only, or in Japanese with the English translation side by side, should be discussed with the office handling the procedure.

Using a Japanese estate division agreement abroad

To close the deceased's bank account abroad, or to transfer real property or securities held abroad, you may be asked to submit the Japanese estate division agreement with an English translation and an apostille. Because the agreement is a private document, it cannot be submitted to MOFA directly. The usual steps are:

Check the receiving authority's instructions: whether an English translation is needed, whether the signatures of all heirs must be certified, and whether an apostille is required
Prepare the English translation: translate the agreement (and the family register, if needed)
Have it certified at a notary office: the notary certifies the heirs' signatures. If the receiving authority accepts it, certification of a translator's declaration may be enough. Ask the notary office which method applies
Certification by the Legal Affairs Bureau and MOFA: the Legal Affairs Bureau to which the notary belongs certifies the notary's seal, and MOFA issues the apostille

At notary offices in Hokkaido (within the Sapporo Legal Affairs Bureau district), Miyagi, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka, you can obtain the notary's certification, the Legal Affairs Bureau's certification of the notary's seal and MOFA's apostille in one visit (the one-stop service).

If the document is going to a country that is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, you need a certificate of official seal from MOFA followed by consular legalization at that country's embassy or consulate in Japan. See Apostille vs. consular legalization, and check the destination in the list of Hague Apostille Convention countries.

Whether the signatures of all heirs must be certified depends on the receiving authority's requirements. The Japan National Notaries Association explains that certification through an agent is possible, but that some receiving authorities require certification in the person's presence. If the receiving authority abroad asks for a sworn statement (affidavit), see Affidavits (sworn statements) in Japan.

Applying to MOFA from abroad

According to MOFA, its certification is free of charge, and if there are no problems, certified documents are sent out by mail 3 business days after acceptance. Since 5 October 2026, applications at MOFA's Tokyo counter require an online appointment, and certified documents are returned by mail only. MOFA returns documents only to addresses in Japan and does not accept applications sent from abroad. If you live abroad, apply through family or an agent in Japan.

Notary fees

Type of certification	Fee
Certification of a private document (signature certification)	JPY 11,000 per case, or half the fee for making the same content into a notarial deed if that is lower. JPY 6,000 is added for a document in a foreign language (Notary Fee Ordinance). For a declaration or other document that states no monetary amount, the fee is JPY 6,500 + JPY 6,000 = JPY 12,500. Please confirm the exact fee for your agreement with the notary office.
Sworn certification (affidavits, etc.)	A flat JPY 11,000. JPY 6,000 is added for a document in a foreign language

For a document that states the value of the property, show the document to the notary office and ask for the exact fee.

Making the agreement a notarial deed

An estate division agreement can also be made into a notarial deed (kosei shosho) at a notary office. The Japan National Notaries Association explains that the heirs do not all have to meet in one place, and the process can proceed by circulating the document among them. If you plan to submit a certified copy of a notarial deed abroad, check the certification procedure with the notary office and MOFA in advance.

Documents that prove you are an heir

If a foreign institution asks for proof that you are an heir, Japanese nationals use the family register (koseki tohon), including closed family registers (joseki tohon).

The family register is a public document issued by the municipal office, so an original issued within the last 3 months can be apostilled by MOFA directly. If an English translation is attached, it goes through a notary office. See Family register (koseki).

The Legal Affairs Bureau issues a free certified copy of the statutory heir information chart (hotei sozoku joho ichiranzu). It can replace the bundle of family registers in inheritance procedures within Japan, but the Ministry of Justice states that it cannot be used for purposes other than inheritance procedures. It is also unavailable when the deceased or an heir is not a Japanese national and no family register can be attached. We have not been able to confirm whether institutions abroad accept it or whether it can be apostilled, so for submissions abroad, use the family register as the basis.

Points to note when translating into English

Title of the document: it can be translated as "Agreement on Division of Estate" or "Estate Division Agreement". The deceased is the "Decedent" and each heir an "Heir". There is no fixed official translation. The English translation of the Civil Code in the Japanese Law Translation database renders isan no bunkatsu as "dividing an estate"
Description of the property: translate real property by its location, lot number and building number, and deposits by the name of the bank, the branch, the type of account and the account number, in the same order as the original
Names and addresses: write names as they appear in the passport, and addresses as they appear on the certificate of residence or in local usage
Dates and amounts: convert Japanese era dates (such as Reiwa) to the Western calendar, and state the currency for amounts, as in "JPY 10,000,000"

For how translations are certified at a notary office, see Translation and notarization.

If an inheritance tax return must be filed

An heir who has no address in Japan and files a Japanese inheritance tax return appoints a tax agent (nozei kanrinin) and submits a notification of the appointment to the tax office. Whether and how inheritance tax applies depends on factors such as the heirs' nationality and address and the deceased's address. For background, see the list of countries without inheritance tax on our sister site, Countries with no inheritance tax. Please consult a tax accountant about filing the return.

FAQ

I live abroad and cannot obtain a seal registration certificate. What should I submit?

If you are a Japanese national, obtain a certificate of signature at the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country of residence. For Format 1 (bound to the document), bring the estate division agreement unsigned and sign it in front of the consular officer. If proof of address is needed, also obtain a certificate of residence.

Can I request a certificate of signature by mail?

No. You need to go to the embassy or consulate in person and sign in front of the consular officer.

Can one of the heirs translate the estate division agreement into English?

If the purpose is to help heirs understand the contents for a procedure in Japan, there is no rule on who prepares the translation. If a receiving authority abroad requires proof that the translation is accurate (such as certification of a translator's declaration), follow its instructions.

Does an estate division agreement for a bank abroad need every heir's signature notarized?

The certification required depends on the receiving authority. Check its list of required documents.

I live abroad. Can I send the agreement to MOFA myself?

No. MOFA does not accept applications sent from abroad, and it returns documents only to addresses in Japan. Ask family in Japan or an agent such as an administrative scrivener to apply, and have the documents forwarded to you.

Our service for estate division agreements

Our office (Royal Partners Administrative Scrivener Office; Taiga Sato, Certified Administrative Scrivener) handles the English translation of estate division agreements, family registers and other documents, preparation of declarations, arrangements for certification at the notary office, MOFA's apostille and shipping abroad. We can also obtain family registers by mail on your behalf (see Family register (koseki)), and translate documents to be sent to heirs living abroad. Inheritance registration of real property (judicial scriveners), inheritance tax returns (tax accountants) and negotiating the division of an estate (lawyers) are outside our scope.

As a guide, once all documents are ready, private documents take about 3 business days, or about 5 to 6 business days with translation.

Fees (per request)
Service	Fee
Apostille service (public documents only / including private documents)	From JPY 17,600 (tax included)
Two or more documents	JPY 3,300 (tax included) for each document from the second
Translation (English, Chinese, Korean; for Spanish and other languages we can introduce a certified translator)	From JPY 3,300 per A4 page (tax included)
Return within Japan (Letter Pack Light)	JPY 450
International shipping (DHL, FedEx, EMS)	JPY 3,300 (tax included) + actual shipping cost

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 private documents in general, see Apostille for private documents in Japan; for the overall procedure, see What is an apostille?; for fees, see Fees; and for shipping, see International shipping times and costs.