Certified Koseki Tōhon (戸籍謄本) Translation — Japanese into English
The koseki tōhon is the Japanese family register: it is what proves your birth, your parentage and your marriage to IRCC, since Japan issues no separate birth certificate. Asiatis produces its certified translation into English, ready to file.
Pricing depends on the number of pages in your document. Get your quote online in a few minutes.
Get my quote onlineAlso known as
戸籍謄本 — koseki tōhon · koseki tohon · koseki · koseki shohon · 戸籍抄本 · 除籍謄本 · joseki tohon · 改製原戸籍 · kaisei genkoseki · 全部事項証明書 · 個人事項証明書 · registre familial japonais · Japanese family register · family registry Japan
What is the koseki tōhon?
The koseki (戸籍) is the Japanese civil status register. Unlike most countries, Japan issues no separate birth, marriage or death certificates: all of these events are recorded in a single register held by the municipality of legal domicile (本籍地, honsekichi), which is not necessarily the municipality of residence. The koseki tōhon (戸籍謄本), officially called zenbu jikō shōmeisho (全部事項証明書) since the registers were computerized, is the full copy of it: it lists every person entered in the register, with their dates of birth, marriage, divorce, adoption and death, along with the family relationships between them. This single document is therefore what you will provide to IRCC to prove a birth just as much as a parent-child relationship or a marriage.
Variants of the document
| Name | Type | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 戸籍謄本 / 全部事項証明書koseki tōhon | Full copy | Lists every person entered in the register. This is the version required in almost every immigration application. |
| 戸籍抄本 / 個人事項証明書koseki shōhon | Individual extract | Covers one person only. Often refused when a family relationship has to be proven: check the requirement before ordering. |
| 除籍謄本joseki tōhon | Closed register | A register every member has left (death, marriage, transfer of honseki). Needed to reconstruct an older line of descent or an estate. |
| 改製原戸籍kaisei genkoseki | Original register before reformatting | The version predating a change of format (1948, then computerization). Often handwritten and vertical; essential when an entry was not carried over into the current register. |
How to obtain the document in Japan
- 1
Identify your honsekichi (本籍地)
The koseki is held by the municipality of legal domicile, which may differ from your municipality of residence. If in doubt, a jūminhyō (住民票) requested with the honseki shown on it will tell you.
- 2
Apply in person, by mail or through a proxy
The request goes to the city hall of the honsekichi: in person, by mail (郵送請求, with a Japanese postal money order 定額小為替 for the fee), or through a proxy holding a power of attorney (委任状). Since March 2024, wide-area issuance (広域交付) also allows you, under certain conditions and in person, to obtain a computerized koseki at any city hall in Japan, for yourself, your spouse and your direct ascendants or descendants.
- 3
From outside Japan
Japanese consulates do not issue koseki. From Canada, the two usual routes are a mail request to the city hall of the honsekichi and a request made by a relative acting as proxy in Japan. Asiatis does not obtain the document for you: we translate the one you have obtained.
- 4
Fees and turnaround
The fee is set by the city hall and is paid by Japanese postal money order (定額小為替); mail time depends on Japan Post and on your address in Canada. The city hall of the honsekichi is the only place that can confirm either one before you order.
What an acceptable translation requires
IRCC requires any document that is not in English or French to be accompanied by a translation into one of those two languages. The translation must be complete — headings, marginal entries, stamps and seals included — and may not be produced by the applicant, by a family member, or by a representative on the application. Asiatis assigns your koseki to a certified translator who is a member of a Canadian professional order: the translation carries that translator's signed and sealed declaration, the form IRCC asks for, and you have no affidavit to swear before a commissioner for oaths. For a Quebec immigration application, the MIFI admits French and English alike, provided the translator belongs to OTTIAQ, ATIO, STIBC or CTINB.
The pitfalls specific to this document
Dates are in imperial eras
A koseki dates events in Reiwa (令和), Heisei (平成), Shōwa (昭和), and sometimes Taishō or Meiji. “平成7年3月2日” is not readable as such by an IRCC officer: every date has to be converted to the Gregorian calendar, and the conversion has to be exact to the day, including in years when the era changed.
The romanized name must match the passport
A name in kanji admits several readings and several romanizations. If the translation reads “Itoh” while the passport reads “Ito”, the officer sees two different people. Always send a copy of your passport with the document: that spelling is the one the translation follows.
Family relationships are coded
The 続柄 entries (長男, 二女, 養子…) state the rank and the nature of the relationship — eldest son, second daughter, adopted child. A generic rendering as “son” or “daughter” loses precisely the information the officer is checking.
The layout is part of the document
A koseki is a table, sometimes vertical, with entries in the margin. The translation has to reproduce the structure and flag every seal, stamp and signature in its place, rather than deliver a running text.
Older registers are handwritten
Kaisei genkoseki predating 1948 are handwritten, in vertical script, in classical Japanese and with character forms no longer in use. They call for a specialized translator and do not run to the same turnaround as a computerized register.
An extract does not replace a full copy
Many applicants order a koseki shōhon because it is shorter, then find that it does not prove the family relationship being asked for. Check the exact requirement before paying for the translation.
What you receive
- Complete certified translation, laid out to match the original register
- Every Japanese era date converted to the Gregorian calendar
- Signed and sealed translator's declaration meeting IRCC requirements
- PDF delivery — the digital format is enough for IRCC; a paper copy is mailed on request, on a timeline that depends on your address
Pricing depends on the number of pages in your document. Get your quote online in a few minutes.
Get my quote onlineFrequently asked questions
Which version of the koseki do I need translated?
In almost every IRCC application, the full copy (戸籍謄本 / 全部事項証明書). The individual extract shows one person only and is not enough to prove a parent-child relationship or a marriage. If in doubt, send us a photo of the document: we will tell you within minutes what it is.
How much does it cost to translate my koseki?
The price depends on the number of pages in your document — a typical koseki tōhon runs to one to three. The simplest route is our online quote form: you upload the document and get your price within minutes, with no commitment.
Get my quote onlineCan I translate my own koseki?
No. IRCC does not accept translations made by the applicant, by a family member or by a representative on the application, even where that person is a professional translator.
Do you need the original, or is a photo enough?
A clear, complete scan or photo of the document is enough for us to produce the translation. Keep the original: that is what you will file with your application, together with our certified translation.
Does my translation have to be in English or in French?
IRCC accepts both. We deliver your Japanese documents in English, which covers a federal application as well as a Quebec one: the MIFI admits French and English alike, provided the translator belongs to OTTIAQ, ATIO, STIBC or CTINB. Tell us at the time of ordering if yours is a Quebec application.
Will my translation be accepted if my name is spelled differently on my passport?
That is the single most common pitfall. We systematically align the romanization of your name with the one on your passport — remember to send us a copy with your order.