If a document is headed to Japan, the first question is who’s signing. Japanese citizens can usually get a signature certificate (sign shōmei) from the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles. People who aren’t Japanese citizens can’t use that service and go to a notary public instead.
Sawtelle and Little Osaka, in West LA’s 90025, have long ties to Japan, and we get these requests often: an inheritance in Japan, property registration, a bank account, or a family matter back home.
The consulate route: signature certificates
In Japan, many official procedures use a registered seal and a seal certificate (inkan shōmei). Japanese citizens living abroad often don’t have one, so the consulate issues a signature certificate in its place. The Los Angeles consulate is downtown on South Grand Avenue, and it lists a valid Japanese passport among the requirements. Check its website for current appointment rules before you go.
The notary route
If the signer isn’t a Japanese citizen (a U.S.-born spouse, a child, a business partner), the consulate directs them to a notary public. The Japanese consulate in Seattle notes that for real estate registration in Japan, a signature notarized by a notary public is also acceptable. A notarized signature can also suit Japanese citizens when the receiving party in Japan accepts it, so ask them first.
We notarize the signature on the document with a California certificate in English. If the document is in Japanese, that’s fine as long as we can communicate with the signer directly. See our guide on foreign-language documents.
Does it also need an apostille?
Japan is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so some recipients will ask for a notarized document to carry an apostille from the California Secretary of State. Others don’t. One thing to know: Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says documents that already have an apostille can’t also be certified by a Japanese embassy or consulate, so pick one route rather than doing both. See California apostilles.
Questions to ask the office in Japan
- Will you accept a consulate signature certificate, a U.S. notarization, or either?
- If notarized, does it also need an apostille?
- Do you need a translation, and who should prepare it?
- Is there a deadline, and do you need the original by mail?
We’re not advisors on Japanese law. The office receiving the document has the final say, and a Japanese attorney or judicial scrivener can help with anything about the content.
Need a notary? We come to you anywhere in Los Angeles County, 24/7 by appointment. Book online or call (424) 484-9268.