Key Points
- A diploma original, a university-issued graduation or degree certificate, and an academic transcript are different document types and are handled as such.
- The authentication route is not determined by whether the school is national, public, or private alone; the exact document, issuing entity and its status, issue date, and receiving authority are confirmed first.
- Qualifying academic certificates of incorporated national and public universities and of private universities may be eligible for MOFA authentication, while a direct MOFA apostille is generally not available for them; where an apostille is required, a notarial authentication route may need to be considered.
- Certified Translation and any direct-from-school, sealed, or electronic submission requirements follow the receiving authority's current instructions.
What is a Japanese Diploma / Academic Transcript?
卒業証明書 / 成績証明書 · Sotsugyo Shomeisho / Seiseki ShomeishoJapanese academic documents cover several distinct records. The diploma or degree diploma original (学位記 / 卒業証書) is conferred by the institution and, in many cases, is issued only once. A graduation or degree certificate (卒業証明書 / 学位証明書) is a separate certificate that the university issues on request. An academic transcript (成績証明書) records coursework and grades. These are different documents, and a receiving authority may request one, several, or a specific combination of them.
The authentication route is not determined by the word “diploma” or by whether the school is national, public, or private. We confirm the exact document, the issuing institution and its institutional status, the issue date, the document format and any official seal or signature, the receiving authority, and the authentication actually requested before the Japan-side route is chosen.
A note on terminology: A Gyoseishoshi (行政書士) is a Japanese national qualification under the Gyoseishoshi Act. Within the scope permitted by Japanese law, a Gyoseishoshi may prepare and submit certain documents to government agencies and handle related administrative procedures.
Academic Document Classification
The Document and Issuing Entity Must Be Checked Before the Authentication Route Is ChosenUnder MOFA's current classification, qualifying student-facing academic documents issued by incorporated national university corporations and public university corporations may be eligible for MOFA authentication / official-seal confirmation, while a direct MOFA apostille is generally not available for them. Qualifying student-facing academic certificates issued by private universities may likewise be eligible for MOFA authentication / official-seal confirmation, while a direct MOFA apostille is not available. (Reference: MOFA: Frequently Asked Questions on Certification)
Exceptions. Certificates issued by national or public universities that have not been incorporated, and diplomas or qualifying academic documents issued before incorporation, may be eligible for a direct MOFA apostille. The issuing entity, its status, and the issue date therefore matter.
Where a direct apostille is unavailable but an apostille is actually required by the receiving authority, a notarial authentication route — followed by the competent Legal Affairs Bureau's certification of the notary's seal and a MOFA apostille — may be applicable after review of the actual document and authentication target.
Some academic documents — for example certificates issued by a non-incorporated national or public university, or diplomas and qualifying documents issued before incorporation — may be eligible for a direct MOFA apostille. Eligibility is confirmed from the exact document, issuing entity, status, and issue date, not from the school type alone.
Where the exact document is not eligible for a direct MOFA apostille and the receiving authority actually requires an apostille, a notarial authentication route followed by Legal Affairs Bureau certification and MOFA apostille may be applicable. Where no apostille is required, no authentication step should be assumed or added.
MOFA authentication / official-seal confirmation and a MOFA apostille are different procedures. Official-seal confirmation may be relevant where the receiving side requires consular legalization; it is not automatically a substitute for an apostille, and even for a Hague Convention destination, the receiving authority's or embassy's instructions must be checked. Consular legalization itself is not a standard component of our five-destination service.
Document age. MOFA generally applies a recent-issuance requirement to certifiable documents, but one-time originals such as diplomas may be treated differently. Graduation certificates and transcripts that can be newly issued should not automatically be treated like one-time diploma originals. The exact document and current MOFA requirements should be confirmed before relying on a document-age rule, and the receiving authority's own document-age expectation is a separate check.
English-language university documents. A university-issued English document does not automatically require a Certified Translation. Confirm the receiving authority's language requirement, whether a separate translator certification is required, and whether authentication applies to the original academic document or another document set.
Receiving-Authority Considerations
Current Service Scope: United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, New Zealand, and the PhilippinesThe destination country alone does not determine which academic document is required, whether it must be apostilled, or how it must be translated or submitted. The receiving authority's current instructions control. Credential evaluators and educational institutions may also have their own direct-submission or sealed-document requirements, which should be confirmed for the specific procedure.
United States
Receiving Authorities and Procedures Vary Case-SpecificUnited Kingdom
Receiving Authorities and Procedures Vary Case-SpecificSingapore
Receiving Authorities and Procedures Vary Case-SpecificNew Zealand
Receiving Authorities and Procedures Vary Case-SpecificPhilippines
Receiving Authorities and Procedures Vary Case-SpecificThe receiving authority's current written instructions, the requested document set, the required submission format, and the actual authentication and translation requests are confirmed before any Japan-side step is arranged.
Diploma and Transcript Process
Five-Step Document-Specific Workflow* University issuance, notary availability, Legal Affairs Bureau procedures, MOFA processing, courier schedules, and receiving-authority review remain outside our control.
Pricing for Diploma and Academic Documents
Classification-Based PricingAcademic-document pricing depends on the classification result: whether the exact document is eligible for a direct MOFA apostille, whether a notarial authentication route is actually required, and whether the receiving authority requires a Certified Translation. The applicable fee is confirmed after classification.
Notary public fees, official issuance fees where applicable, domestic postage, international courier or shipping charges, and other third-party disbursements are settled separately from our professional fees.
View Full Pricing →Diploma and Academic Document FAQ
Eight Practical QuestionsThese questions address apostille eligibility, English-language documents, route determination, document sets, name differences, closed or distant institutions, timing, and the initial inquiry.
Can a Japanese university diploma or graduation certificate receive an apostille?
It depends on the exact document and issuer. Under MOFA's current classification, qualifying academic documents of incorporated national and public universities and of private universities may be eligible for MOFA authentication / official-seal confirmation, while a direct MOFA apostille is generally not available for them.
Exceptions exist: certificates issued by national or public universities that have not been incorporated, and diplomas or qualifying documents issued before incorporation, may be eligible for a direct MOFA apostille.
Where the receiving authority actually requires an apostille and direct apostille is unavailable, a notarial authentication route followed by Legal Affairs Bureau certification and MOFA apostille may be applicable after review.
Do I need a Certified Translation if my Japanese university issued the document in English?
Not automatically. A university-issued English document does not by itself require a Certified Translation.
Confirm the receiving authority's language requirement, whether a separate translator certification is required, and whether authentication applies to the original academic document or another document set. Where a Certified Translation is required, academic-document translation starts from ¥38,500.
How is the authentication route determined for a university-issued academic document?
The route is not determined by the word “diploma” or by whether the school is national, public, or private. We confirm the exact document, the issuing institution and its institutional status, the issue date, the document format and relevant seals or signatures, the receiving authority, and the authentication actually requested.
Only after that classification is the Japan-side route — direct MOFA apostille where eligible, or a notarial authentication route where actually required — selected.
Do I need both a diploma and an academic transcript?
The receiving authority determines the required document set. Some procedures request only one document; others request a graduation or degree certificate together with a transcript, or a specific combination.
Credential evaluators and educational institutions may also have their own direct-submission or sealed-document requirements. Confirm the exact request for the specific procedure before ordering or authenticating multiple documents.
What if the name on my diploma differs from my current name?
Reissuance and name-format policies belong to the issuing institution. Confirm with the university whether it can issue a current certificate or a notation reflecting the name change.
The receiving authority may separately require evidence linking the former and current names. Japan-side supporting documents such as a family register may be relevant only where the receiving authority actually requests them; there is no automatic affidavit or notarial route for name differences.
What if the university is far from Tokyo, has closed or merged, or the document was issued overseas?
Issuance or reissuance should first be confirmed with the university or its successor institution. For closed or merged institutions, the availability of records depends on the successor or record custodian.
Documents issued by an overseas university generally follow the issuing country's authentication system and are outside a Japan-issued-document apostille route.
Our Japan-side scope begins once the applicable Japanese document and issuer have been identified.
How long does academic-document authentication take?
No fixed timing applies. University issuance, notary availability, Legal Affairs Bureau procedures, MOFA processing, courier schedules, and receiving-authority review are controlled by external institutions.
For deadline-sensitive matters, early email-based document review is recommended so that the classification and required route can be confirmed before the schedule is planned.
What information should I send for an initial inquiry?
Please provide the destination country, receiving authority, document, desired deadline, and whether the document has already been issued.
After the initial scope review, we may follow up on the issuing institution, document type and version, issue date, and sealed or electronic status where relevant. Email is recommended where written requirements need to be reviewed; WhatsApp may be used for initial overseas inquiries, and LINE is available for clients residing in Japan.