Do foreigners need an inkan to buy property in Japan?

What a registered seal is, when a signature affidavit replaces it, and what residents and non-residents each need to close

If you have read that buying property in Japan requires a registered personal seal, the answer depends on where you live. The rules on an inkan to buy property in Japan split by residency: residents use an inkan and its registration certificate, while non-residents abroad cannot register one and use a notarized signature affidavit instead. This post sets out what each path requires.

What an inkan is and why it matters

An inkan, or hanko, is a personal stamp used in place of a handwritten signature on official documents in Japan. The version that carries legal weight is the jitsuin, a seal registered with your municipal office. When you register it, the office issues an inkan toroku shomeisho, the seal registration certificate, which proves the seal is officially yours.

For a property purchase, the seal and its certificate confirm that you, and not someone else, authorized the transaction. The certificate is attached when ownership is recorded at the Legal Affairs Bureau, the Homukyoku.

Do foreigners need an inkan to buy property in Japan?

It depends on your residency status, and the two paths are different.

If you live in Japan, you need one. A foreign resident registers a seal at the local municipal office and obtains the seal registration certificate, the same as a Japanese resident. You can have a seal made using romaji or katakana. For registration of ownership, the certificate is usually expected to be issued within the previous three months.

If you live abroad, you do not. A non-resident cannot register a seal in Japan, so the seal certificate is replaced by a certified signature affidavit. This is a document that attests your name, address, and signature, sworn before an authority and certified. It substitutes for both the seal registration certificate and the juminhyo, the certificate of residence, that a resident would provide.

What the signature affidavit is and how to get one

The affidavit, also called a signature certificate, verifies that the signature on the registration documents is yours. You obtain it one of two ways:

• At a Japanese embassy or consulate. They certify your signature, in Japanese with a thumbprint, on documents sent from Japan or on their own certificate form.

• Through a notary public in your country of residence. A signature notarized by a notary public is accepted for property registration. Depending on the country, the notarization may then need an apostille or consular legalization.

If the affidavit is written in a language other than Japanese, a Japanese translation is attached for the registration. Unlike the seal certificate, a signature certificate does not carry a three-month validity limit.

The original affidavit is filed with the registration application at the Legal Affairs Bureau that has jurisdiction over the property. In practice, a judicial scrivener, shiho shoshi, prepares and submits the registration, and many will help with the affidavit format.

What you still need alongside it

The seal or affidavit is one item in the document set. For a purchase, you will also have:

• A valid passport for identification at signing and registration.

• Proof of your current address, which the affidavit can cover for a non-resident.

• A residence card, if you live in Japan, which mortgage lenders ask for.

Non-residents have one further obligation unrelated to the seal. Since April 2026, the residential-use exemption under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act has been removed, so a non-resident buyer files an acquisition report through the Bank of Japan to the Ministry of Finance, generally within 20 days of the transaction.

What to do before you close

Prepare the seal or affidavit early. A non-resident sorting out an affidavit through a consulate or notary, with any apostille step, can add weeks to a cross-border closing if left to the end.

The Akiya Guide covers the documents, the registration step, and the judicial scrivener's role in Chapter 11 and Chapter 19. The Due Diligence Kit sets out the title and registration checks that run alongside this paperwork. If you are estimating the full purchase, the cost calculator accounts for registration and the other closing costs.