Fees and steps checked on
Japan certificate attestation makes a Japanese diploma, koseki (family register) extract, birth or marriage acceptance certificate, or company register usable in the UAE. The Japanese document is authenticated by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then attested by the UAE Embassy in Tokyo on MOFA's digital route, which includes MOFA attestation so nothing more is stamped in the UAE.
Price: send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. Japan is quoted per document because notarisation is needed for some papers and not others. See attestation fees.
Apostille or authentication?
Japan has been in the Apostille Convention since 1970, so MOFA Japan offers two products. An apostille is for Convention countries and skips the foreign embassy. An authentication (official seal certification) is for countries outside the Convention, and is then legalised by that country's embassy in Japan. The UAE is outside the Convention, so a Japanese document for Dubai needs the authentication. Asking for the wrong one means doing it again. More on this on attestation vs apostille.
Japan to UAE, step by step
- Notarisation for private documents. University diplomas, translations and powers of attorney are signed or certified before a Japanese notary, and the Legal Affairs Bureau certifies the notary's seal.
- MOFA Japan authentication. MOFA certifies official seals on public documents, and on private documents once notarised. In Hokkaido, Miyagi, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka, notary offices can issue the notarial certificate, the seal certificate and the MOFA authentication together in a single visit.
- Online application to MOFA UAE. With UAE PASS you choose Japan as the country of issuance and pay on the MOFA website.
- Original handed to the UAE Embassy in Tokyo. A scanned copy is emailed first, then the embassy asks for the original in person.
- Digital attestation by email. The document comes back attested by the UAE Embassy in Tokyo and MOFA, and the original is collected from the embassy.
Japanese documents and their path
| Document | Before MOFA Japan | MOFA Japan | UAE stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| University diploma (sotsugyo shosho) | Notary, Legal Affairs Bureau | Authentication | UAE Embassy Tokyo digital (includes MOFA) |
| Koseki tohon or shohon | Issued by the city office | Authentication | UAE Embassy Tokyo digital (includes MOFA) |
| Marriage acceptance certificate | Issued by the city office | Authentication | UAE Embassy Tokyo digital (includes MOFA) |
| Power of attorney | Signed before a notary | Authentication | UAE Embassy Tokyo digital (commercial if commercial content) |
| Certificate of company registration | Legal Affairs Bureau | Authentication | UAE Embassy Tokyo digital (commercial fee) |
The Tokyo embassy wants birth, marriage and death certificates as originals, will not accept documents certified in a bundle, and cannot attest laminated papers.
Fees on the UAE side
Your quote includes the notary, MOFA Japan, UAE mission and MOFA fees.
From the UAE
Japanese nationals and anyone who studied in Japan can run the whole file from Dubai or Abu Dhabi. The original goes to Japan by courier or with a contact there, passes the notary and MOFA Japan, and is handed in at the UAE Embassy in Tokyo. The digitally attested version reaches you by email and can be checked on verify.mofa.gov.ae.
If you also studied, married or had a child in South Korea, the steps for those papers are on South Korea certificate attestation.
Problems we see with Japanese files
- Apostille instead of authentication. The most common mistake. The UAE Embassy in Tokyo needs the authentication.
- Japanese-only records. A koseki is entirely in Japanese and names are in kanji. We arrange a certified Japanese to English or Arabic translation and match the romanised names to the passport.
- Two certifying routes mixed up. A document certified by MOFA Japan cannot also be certified by a Japanese embassy or consulate, and the reverse, so the right route is chosen from the start.
- Separate articles. Memorandum and articles of association must be attested as separate documents.
Next: degree certificate attestation or marriage certificate attestation.
