JP
Documents from Japan
Japan documents attestation and notary services for Japanese residents
Japanese residents of the UAE sometimes need a paper signed here for an office in Japan: a power of attorney so a family member can handle property or an inheritance, a declaration, a consent for a child’s travel, or a notarised copy of a passport. Our in-house notary public services handle this in person, online by video or at your home, and we tell you which stamps the paper needs after the notary.
1
Home country
The issuing body or a notary
2
Home country
The foreign ministry
3
Home country
The UAE embassy or consulate there
4
In the UAE
MOFA in the UAE
Japan documents attestation for use in the UAE is the other half. A koseki extract, a degree or a company paper from Japan is certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, legalised at the UAE embassy in Tokyo, and attested by MOFA in the UAE. Getting the right extract before you start saves a second trip through the chain.
At a glance
- Power of attorney, affidavits, declarations, NOCs and true copies for use in Japan are notarised in person, online or at your home in the UAE.
- A UAE document going to Japan is attested by MOFA first. Whether the Japanese mission in the UAE then legalises it depends on what the office in Japan asks for.
- A Japanese document coming to the UAE needs the Japanese foreign ministry and the UAE embassy in Tokyo before MOFA. Source: MOFA FAQ.
- The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so a Japanese apostille does not replace the UAE embassy stamp. Source: HCCH status table.
- MOFA works with Arabic or English, so Japanese text needs a translation. Source: MOFA attestation service.
Side by side
Signing Japanese paperwork in the UAE
| You need | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| A power of attorney for a relative in Japan | Drafted in English with a Japanese translation if the office wants it, then notarised |
| A declaration or affidavit for an office or bank in Japan | Notarised as an affidavit or a signature authentication |
| A consent for a child travelling with one parent | Drafted and notarised. See NOC for a child visa |
| A copy of your passport or residence card that an office will accept | Certified by our notary against the original |
Ask the office in Japan three things before you sign: the wording it needs, whether it wants a Japanese translation, and whether it needs the MOFA stamp and the Japanese mission after the notary. Our notary then checks your ID, watches you sign and applies the seal. You can sign in person, by video through UAE remote notarisation channels such as the Ministry of Justice e-Notary system and UAE PASS, or at home. We tell you if your document can be done online.
See power of attorney notarised in Dubai, affidavits before a notary and UAE documents for use abroad.
Checklist
Japan documents attestation: public or private first
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan can check the seal of a Japanese government office directly, but not a private signature. That decides the first step.
- Public documents, such as a family register extract issued by a municipal office, can go to the ministry.
- Private documents, such as a notarised copy, a translation made in Japan, or a company paper, start with a Japanese notary (koshonin). The notary certifies the signature, and the Legal Affairs Bureau (homukyoku) then certifies the notary.
Tell the notary office in Japan the document is for the UAE, so it follows the legalisation route for the UAE. We check how your particular document is treated before you send anything.
Side by side
The family register in place of birth and marriage certificates
Japan records births and marriages in the family register (koseki), so the paper you attest is usually an extract from it.
| Extract | What it shows | When people use it |
|---|---|---|
| Full copy (koseki tohon) | Everyone in the register | A child’s visa or a spouse visa, where parent and child or husband and wife appear together |
| Individual copy (koseki shohon) | One person | When only one person’s record is needed |
The extract comes from the municipal office of the registered domicile (honseki), which may be a different city from where the family lives. A marriage with a non-Japanese spouse is recorded in the Japanese spouse’s register only, since the foreign spouse has no koseki. Ask the UAE office which extract it wants before you order one. See birth certificate attestation and marriage certificate attestation.
Era years and names
Many Japanese records write the year by imperial era: Showa, then Heisei from 1989, then Reiwa from 2019. A translator converts these to Gregorian years, and one slip gives a birth date that no longer matches the passport. Read every converted date against your passport before the translation is stamped.
The register shows names in kanji; the passport uses Latin letters, sometimes with a long vowel written as “oh” or dropped. The translation must copy the passport spelling letter for letter. You can translate in Japan, or attest the Japanese original and translate it in the UAE. See legal translation.
Degrees
Ask your university whether it issues an English degree certificate. An English certificate removes the translation step for MOFA, though the receiving office in the UAE may still ask for Arabic. See degree attestation in Dubai.
How we help Japanese clients
- We draft and notarise powers of attorney, declarations, affidavits and consents for Japan.
- We certify true copies of your passport and residence documents.
- We sort each Japanese document into public or private and list its first step.
- We check era years and name spellings on translations, then take returned documents through MOFA.
- We come to your home, office, hospital or care home in the UAE. See home visit notary and online notary.
Prices
Prices
| Service | Our service price | Government fee, paid on top at cost |
|---|---|---|
| Power of attorney for use in Japan | From AED 1,500 | AED 100 per party on the federal schedule. Dubai private notary route: AED 100 per party registration plus AED 100 per signature |
| Declaration or affidavit | From AED 600 | AED 300 as an affidavit, or AED 200 per party as a signature authentication |
| Banking or medical form for use abroad | From AED 500 | Confirmed when you book |
| MOFA stage, personal document | From AED 150 | MOFA AED 150 |
| MOFA stage, commercial document | From AED 300 | MOFA AED 2,000 |
| Legal translation | From AED 50 per page | AED 50 per page if notarised with the instrument |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign a power of attorney for Japan in Dubai?
Yes. You sign it before our notary in the UAE, in person, online or at home. Ask the office in Japan whether it also needs MOFA and the Japanese mission.
Can I get an apostille in Japan for my UAE visa?
No. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for certification for the UAE, then go to the UAE embassy in Tokyo and MOFA.
Is a koseki extract accepted as a birth certificate?
In most files the family register extract is the document that goes through the chain, because the register is where Japan records a birth. Check with the UAE office which extract it wants.
Can the Japanese consulate in Dubai attest my Japanese degree for a UAE job?
No. For use in the UAE, the stamps come from the Japanese foreign ministry, the UAE embassy in Tokyo and MOFA. The Japanese mission deals with documents for use in Japan.
Get a written quote
Send us your Japanese document
Send a photo of each page and tell us whether it is going to Japan or will be used in the UAE. Office open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. WhatsApp and online requests answered 24/7.
- Phone: +971 52 947 5935
- WhatsApp: +971 52 947 5935
- Email: info@dubainotaryservices.com
Sources for this page
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FAQ (attestation chain and fees): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attestation service (language requirement): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation
- HCCH status table, the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- Ministry of Justice, E-Notary: https://www.moj.gov.ae/en/services/esystems/e-notary.aspx