Can a Japanese embassy or consulate issue my koseki?

No. Japanese missions abroad issue residence certificates, signature certificates, and certificates of personal status, but they do not issue koseki and do not order them on your behalf. The request has to go to the municipality that holds the register.

Should I ask for the tohon or the shohon?

The receiving authority has the final say, but immigration authorities abroad generally want the tohon (zenbu jiko shomei), which shows every person recorded in the register. Nationwide issuance at a counter other than the registered domicile also cannot be used for the shohon, so the tohon is the safer request.

Can I apply online and have it posted to my address abroad?

No municipality has been confirmed to do this as of September 2026. Municipalities that accept online applications post the certificate only to a registered address in Japan. Some municipalities do accept a card payment for the fee alone on a postal request from abroad (Osaka City, Nakano City).

I am tracing Japanese ancestors. Which register do I need?

Registers that have been closed (joseki) or superseded by a revision of the format (kaisei genkoseki) are the ones that carry earlier generations. They are issued by the same municipality on the same routes described here, at a higher statutory fee of 750 yen per copy.

Guide

How to obtain a koseki from outside Japan

If an immigration office, court, bank, or registry abroad has asked for a Japanese family register, the first problem is usually not the translation but the document. A koseki is issued only by the municipality that holds the registered domicile (honseki), and no Japanese embassy or consulate can issue one or order one for you. There are three routes open from abroad: asking a relative in Japan, requesting by post, and collecting it yourself during a visit. What follows is drawn from the Ministry of Justice, the Family Register Act, and the published procedures of municipalities that handle overseas requests, as at September 2026.

Only the municipality holding the honseki can issue it

Family registers are held where the honseki is recorded, not where anyone lives, so the issuing office is the municipality of the registered domicile. Japanese missions abroad issue residence certificates, signature certificates, and certificates of personal status; the Consulate-General of Japan in Vancouver states plainly that a koseki must be requested directly from the municipal office of the registered domicile. You therefore need to know which municipality that is before anything else can proceed.

Under Article 10 of the Family Register Act, a copy may be requested by the person recorded in the register, their spouse, their direct ascendants (parents, grandparents), and their direct descendants (children, grandchildren). Nationality is not what decides this; the line of descent is. A sibling, cousin, or unrelated agent requesting on someone's behalf needs a signed power of attorney.

Route 1: ask a relative in Japan to request it

This is the fastest and most reliable route, because the fee payment and the collection both happen inside Japan. Nakano City recommends it outright where the applicant has a spouse or direct relative in Japan. A spouse, parent, or child can request at the counter or by post without a power of attorney; anyone else needs the original signed authorisation. The certificate is posted to the representative's address in Japan, so arrange either onward international post or, if you only need it translated, a scan or photograph by email.

Route 2: request by post from abroad

Postal requests are provided for by Article 10(3) of the Family Register Act, and most Tokyo wards and designated cities publish a procedure for overseas residents. The detail varies by municipality, so check the office that holds the honseki before sending anything. The common points are these.

What to send: a request form giving an email address they can reach you at, a copy of identification showing your current address abroad, the fee, return postage, and a return envelope. A passport copy alone is refused by most offices because it does not show an address; send a copy of a local driving licence, a certificate of residence issued by a Japanese mission, or a utility bill instead.
Statutory fee: 450 yen per copy for a current register (zenbu jiko shomei), and 750 yen per copy for a closed register (joseki) or a pre-revision register (kaisei genkoseki), as set by Cabinet Order.
How the fee can be paid (this is where requests fail): paying through a relative or acquaintance in Japan, by postal money order or registered cash mail, works everywhere. Paying directly from abroad does not: some municipalities accept Japanese yen in cash by international registered mail (Osaka City, Yokohama City, Funabashi City), some accept International Reply Coupons towards the fee (Setagaya City, Nakano City) while others refuse them (Yokohama City, Funabashi City), and some accept a card payment (Osaka City, Nakano City). International postal money orders were discontinued on 27 March 2020, and bank transfers and foreign currency are not accepted.
Where it is returned, and how long it takes: only to the overseas address shown on your identification. If you left Japan without cancelling your resident registration, some offices will not post to an overseas address at all (Osaka City). Trackable EMS return is offered by some (Yokohama City charges 51 yen for the envelope). Allow roughly ten days to two weeks from request to receipt (Nakano City).

Route 3: collect it in person during a visit to Japan

Nationwide issuance (any municipal counter): since 1 March 2024, a register for yourself, your spouse, or a direct relative can be issued at any municipal counter, not only the one holding the honseki. You have to attend in person with photographic government identification such as a driving licence, My Number card, or passport. Postal and agent requests are excluded, as are the shohon and registers that have not been computerised. It cannot be used from abroad, but it removes the need to travel to the honseki municipality while you are in Japan.
Convenience-store issuance: with a My Number card, and where the honseki municipality participates, the certificate can be printed at a multi-copy machine in a convenience store in Japan. If your resident registration is in a different municipality from your honseki, you must register to use the service in advance. Check the J-LIS list of participating municipalities for a mark in the family register column.
My Number card after moving abroad: since 27 May 2024, Japanese nationals can continue using a My Number card after moving overseas. The continuation has to be requested when filing the move-out notification, otherwise the card expires on the stated departure date. Those who left Japan on or after 5 October 2015 without a card can apply from abroad and collect it at a Japanese mission or a municipal counter in Japan.

Once you have the register

We do not need the original. Send a clear scan or photograph through the order form and you receive the English translation with a signed certificate of accuracy, in PDF and Word, within 48 hours of payment. Ask the municipality for the tohon rather than the shohon: authorities abroad generally want the register showing everyone recorded in it. Sample pages and the format are on the koseki translation page.

Questions that come up

Can a Japanese embassy or consulate issue my koseki? No. Japanese missions abroad issue residence certificates, signature certificates, and certificates of personal status, but they do not issue koseki and do not order them on your behalf. The request has to go to the municipality that holds the register.
Should I ask for the tohon or the shohon? The receiving authority has the final say, but immigration authorities abroad generally want the tohon (zenbu jiko shomei), which shows every person recorded in the register. Nationwide issuance at a counter other than the registered domicile also cannot be used for the shohon, so the tohon is the safer request.
Can I apply online and have it posted to my address abroad? No municipality has been confirmed to do this as of September 2026. Municipalities that accept online applications post the certificate only to a registered address in Japan. Some municipalities do accept a card payment for the fee alone on a postal request from abroad (Osaka City, Nakano City).
I am tracing Japanese ancestors. Which register do I need? Registers that have been closed (joseki) or superseded by a revision of the format (kaisei genkoseki) are the ones that carry earlier generations. They are issued by the same municipality on the same routes described here, at a higher statutory fee of 750 yen per copy.

Sources (last reviewed 8 September 2026)

Municipal procedures and accepted payment methods change. Check the current notice published by the municipality holding the honseki before you send a request.

Koseki translation is $24.95 per source page, delivered within 48 hours with a signed certificate of accuracy in the format accepted by USCIS, UKVI, and the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Request a fixed quote.