Translation/Certified True Copies in Japan

[akita-dw]

I'm living in Japan and looking to sponsor my wife for PR. Beyond the documents required from Japan (Koseki tohon, marriage certificate, etc.), almost all of our documents to be used as proof of a genuine relationship (rental agreement, utility bills, drivers license, just to name a few) are written in Japanese.

I understand that we need to get everything translated, and have these translations notarized to prove that they are true. All the translation companies I have found have an extra fee to have this done, so that's no problem.

It's the step of having certified true copies made that's giving me a lot of trouble... the translation companies all deal in emailed scans and pdfs exclusively, meaning they aren't able to compare the originals in order to certify them as true copies.

If anyone could give me some advice as to where to get copies certified in Japan it would be greatly appreciated! I'm also curious as to whether or not copies need to be certified as true copies before they are translated, or if I can go ahead with the translation step now and get them certified later?

 

[Wakki]

Who can certify copies?
Persons authorized to certify copies include the following:

In Canada:

• a notary public
• a commissioner of oaths
• a commissioner of taking affidavits

Authority to certify varies by province and territory. Check with your local provincial or territorial authorities.

Outside Canada:

• a notary public

Authority to certify international documents varies by country. Check with your local authorities.

 

[funboy101]

I'm living in Japan and looking to sponsor my wife for PR. Beyond the documents required from Japan (Koseki tohon, marriage certificate, etc.), almost all of our documents to be used as proof of a genuine relationship (rental agreement, utility bills, drivers license, just to name a few) are written in Japanese.

I understand that we need to get everything translated, and have these translations notarized to prove that they are true. All the translation companies I have found have an extra fee to have this done, so that's no problem.

It's the step of having certified true copies made that's giving me a lot of trouble... the translation companies all deal in emailed scans and pdfs exclusively, meaning they aren't able to compare the originals in order to certify them as true copies.

If anyone could give me some advice as to where to get copies certified in Japan it would be greatly appreciated! I'm also curious as to whether or not copies need to be certified as true copies before they are translated, or if I can go ahead with the translation step now and get them certified later?

We did this in Canada but hopefully is applicable - my recollection is we took all koseki documents to a notary, who made certified copies. We then sent those copies to the translator, who noted in his affadavit that he used them for the translation, and included the certified copies in the document package he provided for each translated document. IRCC accepted this.

For in Japan I think you could do something similar - confirm that a notary will do certified copies of bills, rental agreements, etc. Then send them to the translator. However for any official documents (like koseki), notaries won't notarize or certify them, you need to bring them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can google in Japanese to better learn about what and how they certify copies.

 

[akita-dw]

We did this in Canada but hopefully is applicable - my recollection is we took all koseki documents to a notary, who made certified copies. We then sent those copies to the translator, who noted in his affadavit that he used them for the translation, and included the certified copies in the document package he provided for each translated document. IRCC accepted this.

For in Japan I think you could do something similar - confirm that a notary will do certified copies of bills, rental agreements, etc. Then send them to the translator. However for any official documents (like koseki), notaries won't notarize or certify them, you need to bring them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can google in Japanese to better learn about what and how they certify copies.

Thanks for the info! I really appreciate it.

I'll make sure to get everything certified then before moving forward with any translations.

 

[akita-dw]

We did this in Canada but hopefully is applicable - my recollection is we took all koseki documents to a notary, who made certified copies. We then sent those copies to the translator, who noted in his affadavit that he used them for the translation, and included the certified copies in the document package he provided for each translated document. IRCC accepted this.

For in Japan I think you could do something similar - confirm that a notary will do certified copies of bills, rental agreements, etc. Then send them to the translator. However for any official documents (like koseki), notaries won't notarize or certify them, you need to bring them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can google in Japanese to better learn about what and how they certify copies.

So just as you said it's proving to be a little difficult to get certified copies of those documents... We can easily get replacements at city hall for very cheap, so do you think it would be ok to just include the originals in the application instead of certified copies for the Koseki Tohon? This would be a lot easier and save me a trip to Tokyo!

 

[funboy101]

So just as you said it's proving to be a little difficult to get certified copies of those documents... We can easily get replacements at city hall for very cheap, so do you think it would be ok to just include the originals in the application instead of certified copies for the Koseki Tohon? This would be a lot easier and save me a trip to Tokyo!

According to Foreign Affairs website you can mail documents: https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/cs/page22e_000425.html#a03_01

You could also call and see if there is an office closer to you, they had one in Fukuoka when I was there but it's not mentioned on the website, which is odd.

To be honest if I were you, I'd get the certified copies. I talked with our translator (in Canada) about this and he said from his experience, there were cases of people's applications getting rejected without the copies. It really depends on the officer who looks at your file. If they want to be "by the book" they may say it's not complete without certified copies, even if you provide originals, because their requirements are for copies. A bit silly but given that AOR can take 3 months to receive, if your app is sent back as incomplete then you've lost 3 months of time. Hopefully mail or a closer regional office are options for you.

 

[akita-dw]

As an update to this situation:

We visited our local notary public in Japan and he told me notary publics in Japan don't have the authority to certify copies in the way that cic outlines.

He told us that the most he can do is notarized a written affidavit by my wife and I that is essentially a promise that the copies we are submitting are accurate to the originals.

I'm quite certain that this is not what we need for our application...

If anyone has any advice on the notary public situation in Japan I would be infinitely grateful.

 

[Kayaker]

I sent in original copies from city hall for the koseki tohon and all related documents.

As for supporting documents like utility bills and rental agreements - not sure you need certified copies at all? We just sent in copies of the supporting documents, sometimes with handwritten explanations/clarifications where needed.