🇯🇵
Buying property in Japan as a foreign buyer
Document Checklist
身分証明書 (Mibun Shōmei-sho)
Identification
Required for: Contract signing and ownership-transfer registration
Document: Passport for non-residents; Residence Card (在留カード — Zairyū Kādo) for resident foreigners
Issued by: Country of citizenship for passport; Immigration Services Agency of Japan for Residence Card
印鑑証明書 (Inkan Shōmei-sho)
Registered seal certificate or notarised signature affidavit
Required for: Ownership-transfer registration at the Legal Affairs Bureau
Resident pathway: Registered seal certificate from the municipality where the buyer is registered
Non-resident pathway: Notarised signature affidavit from the country of residence in lieu of the seal certificate
The judicial scrivener will instruct on which form of identification authentication is acceptable for the specific transaction. Non-resident pathway documents are commonly notarised and apostilled in the buyer's country of residence.
委任状 (Ininjō)
Power of Attorney (non-resident, optional)
Required for: Appointing a Japan-resident agent to act on the non-resident buyer's behalf at signing or registration
Authentication: Notarised in the buyer's country of residence and commonly apostilled
Many non-resident buyers appoint a judicial scrivener or administrative scrivener as agent to handle the registration leg and the post-purchase reporting in Japanese.
収入証明 (Shūnyū Shōmei)
Proof of income
Required for: Mortgage underwriting if the purchase is financed
Resident pathway: Japanese tax return and withholding-slip gensen-chōshū-hyō (源泉徴収票)
Non-resident pathway: Foreign tax return and equivalent income statements; specific requirements vary by lender
銀行口座 (Ginkō Kōza)
Japanese bank account
Required for: Wiring the balance to the seller on settlement day and for ongoing tax payment
Opened at: A Japanese bank or a foreign-friendlier institution such as SMBC Trust Bank (Prestia) or Shinsei Bank
Settlement requires the buyer to wire the balance from a Japanese account, and the wire must clear same-day. Open the account well before the settlement date to avoid delays.
登記事項証明書 (Tōki Jikō Shōmei-sho)
Property registry extract
Issued by: Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局 — Hōmukyoku)
Typically obtained by: The brokerage on the buyer's behalf
重要事項説明書 (Jūyō Jikō Setsumei-sho)
Important Matter Explanation document
Required for: Pre-contract disclosure under Real Estate Brokerage Act Article 35
Delivered by: Licensed Real Estate Transaction Specialist (宅地建物取引士 — Takken-shi) at the brokerage
The licensed specialist presents an identification card (shi-shō — 士証) during the explanation. The explanation may be delivered in person or via approved video conference.
売買契約書 (Baibai Keiyaku-sho)
Sales contract document
Required for: Signing the binding sales contract
Delivered by: The brokerage, per Real Estate Brokerage Act Article 37
Stamp Duty is paid by affixing a revenue stamp directly to the contract document at signing.
View full guide
→