死亡診断書 / 死亡届
Certified translation of Japanese death certificates
Settling an estate, claiming insurance benefits, or stopping pension payments abroad requires proof of death that the receiving institution can read. Upload a scan of the death certificate (shibo shindansho) or the family register entry, and we will email your certified translation and signed certificate of accuracy in both PDF and Word formats within 48 hours of payment. Most death certificates are a single page, and the total is fixed before you pay.
$24.95 per pageMost certificates are a single page
Certificate of accuracy included · Fixed total before you pay
- Delivered within 48 hours
- Sent by email in PDF and Word formats once payment is confirmed. A 24-hour expedited option is available.
- Official documents only, since 2021
- Death certificates, family registers, and civil-status records for probate, insurance claims, and pension procedures abroad.
- Fixed total before you pay
- Send your scans and our quote will state the single, fixed total for the entire order. You can cancel for a full refund at any point before work begins.
Which document is the "official death certificate"
When an insurance company, probate court, or pension office abroad asks for an official death certificate, they are generally referring to the shibo shindansho. This is the medical certificate issued by a physician that records the cause, date, time, and place of death, as well as the certifying doctor; it is often preserved as the copy submitted with the death notification (shibo todoke). Deaths are also recorded in the Japanese family register, and some foreign authorities accept a koseki copy showing the death entry, or a certificate of acceptance of the death notification (juri shomeisho), in place of the medical certificate. If you are uncertain which record your authority requires, send your file through our order form and we will identify it before issuing a quote.
Handwritten sections
The medical sections of a shibo shindansho are frequently written by hand. They are translated like the printed parts. If a passage is genuinely illegible, it is marked as illegible in the translation rather than guessed, so the translation records the state of the original.
How much does a death certificate translation cost?
Translation costs $24.95 per original page, which includes our signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy and standard delivery within 48 hours. Because most death certificates consist of a single page, the total is usually $24.95. If you are also submitting an accompanying koseki extract, it is billed per page of the register. You can review our complete fee structure and sample order totals on our pricing page.
Common questions
The insurer asked for an "official death certificate". Which document is that?
This usually refers to the shibo shindansho, the death certificate completed by the physician, often provided as the copy attached to the official death notification. Some overseas institutions will accept a family register (koseki) record showing the death entry instead. If you are unsure which document you have, submit it through our order form and we will identify it.
Part of the certificate is handwritten. Is that a problem?
No. The sections completed by the physician are frequently handwritten. If any character or passage is genuinely illegible, it is noted as illegible in the translation rather than guessed.
Do you need the original certificate, or is a scan enough?
A clear scan or legible photograph of each page is all we need; nothing needs to be mailed. The completed translation and signed certificate of accuracy are delivered electronically by email in PDF and Word formats.
More in the general FAQ, including certification requirements by country.
Send your document, get a fixed quote.
Submitting more than one document to the same authority? Upload the full packet in one order. Bundle discounts apply automatically from 3 separate documents (10%) and from 5 (15%).
Get a fixed quoteNo payment today. Upload clear scans, and we confirm the fixed total before work begins.