Police certificatesLast checked October 21, 2026
Police certificate for Japan
Criminal Record Certificate (Certificate of Criminal Record)犯罪経歴証明書 (also 渡航証明書 / 無犯罪証明書)In personEmbassy or consulateOfficial page(opens in a new tab)
- Local name
- 犯罪経歴証明書 (also 渡航証明書 / 無犯罪証明書)
- Issued by
- Prefectural police headquarters (e.g. Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department) for the prefecture of the applicant's current or last Japanese resident registration
- How to apply
- Apply in person at the prefectural police headquarters where you are, or were last, registered as a resident; fingerprints are taken, so you must attend yourself. Bring a valid passport, proof of name and registered address, and proof that a foreign public body (e.g. an embassy or immigration office) has asked for the certificate. Call ahead, as some destinations or purposes cannot be accepted immediately.
- From abroad
- People living abroad can apply at a Japanese embassy or consulate in their country of residence. Anyone who applied through an embassy or consulate cannot apply for the same certificate again in Japan.
- Fee
- FreeFree of charge (Tokyo MPD and Kagoshima Prefectural Police).
- Processing time
- About two weeks (Tokyo MPD; longer at New Year and Golden Week); about 10 days (Kagoshima)
- Notes
- Only issued when a foreign public body requires it. Applicants under 14 cannot apply (Tokyo). Certificate is printed in Japanese, English, French, Spanish and German, issued sealed, and shows the passport number. It is not mailed; collect in person or by a proxy with power of attorney. Seal verification and apostille are handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not the police.
Not confirmed
We couldn’t confirm these on an official page. Check the official page.
- Japanese embassy pages (emb-japan.go.jp) returned HTTP 403, so the embassy procedure, documents and processing time abroad could not be read.
- Requirements are per prefecture; details were confirmed only for Tokyo and Kagoshima.
Official sources
These details come from the official pages below, checked on the date above.
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General information from official government sources, not legal advice. Rules and fees change: check the official page before you apply.
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