If you live in Japan and have a residence record (juminhyo), you can register a personal seal at your city or ward office. A registered seal is called a jitsuin. You need it for important contracts, like buying a car or a home, or signing a loan.
The rules are similar everywhere, but each city decides the details. Check with your city office if you are not sure.
What you need
- Your seal (the one you want to register)
- Your residence card (or My Number Card)
- A few minutes at the resident registration counter of your city or ward office
If you go yourself with your residence card, many offices register your seal the same day. In other cases, they send a letter to your home first, and you finish the registration on a later visit.
Which names can be registered?
Your seal must show a name that is on your residence record. For foreign residents, this can be:
- Your name in alphabet letters, as on your residence card
- Your name in kanji, if it is on your residence record
- Your katakana name, only if it is recorded on your residence record
- Your registered alias (tsushomei), if you have one
You can usually use your full name, your surname only, or your given name only. Some cities also accept a combination, like given name + surname without a middle name.
These are usually not accepted:
- Initials only (for example J.S.)
- A nickname, pen name or any name not on your residence record
- Your job title, address or birthday on the seal
- Signatures, pictures or patterns
About katakana names
To register a katakana seal, your katakana name must be written on your residence record. If it is not there yet, ask your city office to add it (in Japanese: カタカナ併記). Many people do this at the same time as seal registration.
Size rules
The seal impression must:
- not fit inside an 8 mm square (too small), and
- fit inside a 25 mm square (not too big).
Our registered seals (13.5 / 15.0 / 16.5 / 18.0 mm) are made to fit these rules.
The seal must also be made of a hard material. Rubber stamps and pre-inked stamps (like Shachihata) cannot be registered.
After registration
You get a seal registration card (inkan toroku-sho). Keep it safe — you need it to get a seal certificate.
When a contract asks for a seal certificate (inkan shomei-sho), you can get one at your city office. It costs a few hundred yen. In Sakai City, for example, it is 300 yen at the counter and 150 yen at a convenience store with a My Number Card.
Tips
- Use a different seal for your bank account. If one is lost, the other stays safe.
- Keep your registered seal and your registration card in different places.
- If you lose your registered seal, tell your city office right away.
Ready to order? Registered Seal — from ¥3,980 · We make it in a size and name format that most city offices accept. If your city office refuses it because of the size or name format we chose, we carve a new one for free (once).
Sources: city office guides from Ota City (Tokyo), Bunkyo City (Tokyo) and Sakai City (Osaka).