Key Points
- A Japanese Employment Certificate is generally a private document prepared by an employer; its contents and format are not determined by one universal overseas-submission standard.
- A company-prepared Employment Certificate is not directly apostillable by MOFA as a Japanese public document. Notarial and other Japan-side authentication steps are considered only when the receiving authority actually requires authentication.
- The required employment facts, signatory, signature or seal format, translation, document age, and supporting evidence depend on the receiving authority and procedure.
- Our current destination scope is the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Employer coordination is available as an optional add-on where additional liaison is required.
What is a Japanese Employment Certificate?
在職証明書 / Zaishoku ShomeishoA Japanese Employment Certificate is generally a company-prepared document used to confirm specified facts about a current employment relationship. Japan does not use one universal Employment Certificate form for every overseas purpose.
Depending on the request, the employer may be asked to confirm matters such as the employee's name, current employment status, employment period, position, department, duties, or remuneration. Only facts that the employer can properly confirm and that are relevant to the receiving party's instructions should be included.
No particular field—including annual salary, job duties, a company seal, or a representative seal—is universally mandatory. The required contents and execution method are case-specific.
A current-employment certificate should also be distinguished from a certificate issued after termination of employment. Under Article 22 of Japan's Labor Standards Act, when a former worker requests certification concerning specified matters such as the period of employment, type of work, position, wages, or reason for leaving, the employer has statutory obligations concerning that requested certificate. That statutory rule should not be presented as a universal format rule for a current Employment Certificate.
A former employee's document must therefore be reviewed according to the actual document, requested facts, and receiving-authority requirements rather than automatically treating every resignation-related certificate as identical to a current Employment Certificate.
An Employment Certificate issued by a private employer is generally a private document. Where an employment record is issued by a public authority, public institution, or other public-sector employer, its document status and available authentication procedure may differ and must be reviewed from the actual issuing body, document form, and receiving-authority requirements.
Self-employed persons, sole proprietors, company directors, business owners, and similar applicants may not have an appropriate conventional employer-issued Employment Certificate. Depending on what the receiving authority requires them to prove, corporate registry records, tax records, contracts, business records, or other evidence may be relevant. The appropriate evidence should be confirmed case by case rather than using a fixed document set.
Authentication of an Employer-Prepared Private Document
Confirm Whether Authentication Is Required Before Selecting a ProcedureAn Employment Certificate prepared by a private employer is not a Japanese public document and therefore cannot receive a MOFA apostille directly in its original private-document form.
If the receiving authority requires authentication, a Japanese notary may first need to authenticate a signature, signature and seal, acknowledgment, copy, declaration, or another private-document element. The appropriate notarial act depends on the actual document and execution method.
After the relevant Japanese notarial certification, the applicable Legal Affairs Bureau certification and MOFA apostille may be available. In jurisdictions where a one-stop notarial authentication service is available, the administrative handling may be consolidated, but the underlying authentication target must still be identified first. (Reference: MOFA: Application Procedure and Required Documents)
Notarization, Legal Affairs Bureau certification, or an apostille authenticates the relevant signature, seal, notarial certification, or other formal element in the applicable process. It does not independently prove that the stated employment period, position, salary, duties, experience, or other employment facts are true.
| Question | What to Confirm |
|---|---|
| Document creator | Which Japanese employer or other entity prepared the certificate? |
| Signatory | Who signs or seals the document, and in what capacity? |
| Authentication target | Is the receiving party asking to authenticate the original signature, a seal, a copy, a declaration, or another document set? |
| Translation | Does the receiving party require English translation, translator certification, notarization, or another specified format? |
| Submission format | Original, certified copy, PDF, separate translation, or another format? |
Japanese notarial procedures differ depending on whether the signatory appears personally or an authorized agent attends, and whether the signatory is a corporate representative or another corporate officer or employee.
For example, an agent procedure for a document signed by a corporate representative may require a power of attorney bearing the representative seal, evidence of the representative's authority, the corporate representative seal certificate, and identification for the agent. The exact documents must be confirmed with the relevant notary office before engagement.
If the employer can issue an English-language original and the receiving authority accepts that original document and format, a separate Certified Translation by our office may not be necessary. Whether an employer-issued English original is sufficient must be confirmed for the actual receiving authority and submission.
Global mobility and international HR teams, overseas law firms, immigration consultants, and migration advisers may contact us regarding matters involving employment or retirement certificates issued in Japan. Based on the receiving authority's written requirements, we review the applicable Japan-side notarization, apostille, Certified Translation, and delivery steps. For professional enquiries, see our page for legal and professional service providers.
Receiving-Authority Considerations
Current Service Scope: United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, New Zealand, and the PhilippinesThe destination country alone does not determine whether an Employment Certificate is needed, whether it needs authentication, or which employment facts must be shown. The exact receiving authority, filing or administrative procedure, evidence request, and written instructions control.
United States
USCIS · Other Recipients Case-SpecificUnited Kingdom
Home Office · Other Recipients Case-SpecificSingapore
MOM · Other Recipients Case-SpecificNew Zealand
Immigration New Zealand Case-SpecificPhilippines
Government Authorities · Other Recipients Case-SpecificThe receiving authority's current written instructions, the requested employment facts, and the actual authentication target are confirmed before any notarial, Legal Affairs Bureau, or MOFA step is arranged.
Employment Certificate Process
Five-Step Document-Specific Workflow* Employer issuance, notary availability, external authority processing, receiving-party review, and delivery schedules remain outside our control.
Pricing for Employment Certificate
Private-Document Authentication and TranslationEmployment Certificate pricing depends on whether the receiving party requires authentication of the private document, Certified Translation, or both.
Employer Coordination Support is an optional add-on and is used only where additional liaison with the employer is needed.
Employer Coordination Support is an optional add-on from +JPY 11,000 (tax included) per employer where additional liaison is needed and can be provided. The employer remains responsible for deciding whether to issue the certificate, for the employment facts stated in it, and for whether and when it responds. Employer coordination does not guarantee issuance or cooperation.
Employment Certificate FAQ
Eight Practical QuestionsWho prepares a Japanese Employment Certificate?
The employer prepares and issues the document based on the employment facts it is willing and able to certify. There is no single universal Employment Certificate format for every overseas receiving authority.
The required facts may include employment status, employment period, position, duties, department, or remuneration, depending on the receiving authority's written instructions.
Company seals, representative seals, salary, and job-duty wording are not universally mandatory.
Does an Employment Certificate always need notarization and an apostille?
No. A company-prepared Employment Certificate is a private document and cannot receive a MOFA apostille directly in its original private-document form.
However, not every receiving authority requires authentication. If authentication is requested, the actual authentication target and appropriate Japanese notarial procedure must be confirmed first.
Where a relevant private-document notarization is obtained, the applicable Legal Affairs Bureau and MOFA steps may then be used.
Does the company representative have to attend the notary office personally?
Not always. Japanese notarial procedures distinguish between personal appearance and authorized-agent procedures and also depend on whether the signatory is a corporate representative or another officer or employee.
An agent procedure may require a specific power of attorney, evidence of representative authority, a corporate representative seal certificate, and identification for the agent.
We confirm the applicable notary-office requirements before accepting the authentication work.
Is an Employment Certificate required for every immigration or overseas filing?
No. A Japanese Employment Certificate is relevant only where the particular receiving authority or procedure requires employment, experience, salary, duties, position, or another employment fact to be proved.
The receiving authority's current written checklist or request should be reviewed before the certificate is prepared.
Can an Employment Certificate be sufficient as work-experience evidence?
It can be relevant, but it is not necessarily sufficient by itself. Depending on the receiving authority and the fact being proved, a certificate of employment or reference letter may need supporting evidence such as payslips, tax records, corporate records, contracts, or other records.
The required evidence set should be confirmed from the actual receiving authority's instructions rather than assumed from the destination country alone.
What is the difference between an Employment Certificate and a certificate issued after resignation?
A current Employment Certificate generally confirms facts about an existing employment relationship.
For a former worker, Article 22 of Japan's Labor Standards Act provides a separate statutory framework under which the employer must issue a certificate concerning specified requested matters such as employment period, type of work, position, wages, or reason for leaving.
The former-worker certificate and a current Employment Certificate should not automatically be treated as identical documents or as requiring the same overseas authentication process.
What if the Employment Certificate was issued by an overseas employer or subsidiary?
A document prepared or signed by an overseas employer generally follows the authentication framework applicable to that country and document.
Our standard service concerns Japan-side document procedures. We do not undertake foreign-country authentication or determine foreign-law requirements.
What information should I send for an initial inquiry?
Please provide the destination country, receiving authority or organization, document name, desired deadline, and whether the document has already been issued or prepared.
After the initial scope review, we will advise whether the receiving party's written instructions, a draft certificate, employer authorization, notary-related documents, or other materials are actually needed.
Do not send representative ID documents, seal certificates, powers of attorney, or other sensitive employer materials solely for the initial inquiry.