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็ฟป่จณ่จผๆ˜Ž · Certified from $49

Japanese to English Translation
in New Zealand.

Your New Zealand office has asked for a birth or marriage certificate, but Japan does not issue one in that form. What Japan gives you instead is the koseki, the family register, and we know exactly how to present it. Our Japanese translation services have run from Auckland since 2013, with NZSTI-aligned translators and a free check before you pay. This page covers written Japanese to English translation, and English into Japanese.

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✓ Auckland-based since 2013
✓ Koseki Tohon and Shohon
✓ Era years turned into Western years
✓ Spelling matched to your passport
✓ Japanese to English and English to Japanese
Free Japanese Document Check — 30 min STEP 1 OF 3
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The Big Question

Does Japan Issue a Birth or Marriage Certificate
for New Zealand Applications?

Not as a separate paper. In Japan, births and marriages are written into the family register, called the koseki. So when a New Zealand office asks for a certificate, you send a koseki copy or a city office acceptance certificate instead, with a certified Japanese translation.

New Zealand asks for What Japan gives you
A birth certificateA koseki copy, or the Shusshou Todoke Juri Shomeisho (ๅ‡บ็”ŸๅฑŠๅ—็†่จผๆ˜Žๆ›ธ), which confirms the birth was registered
A marriage certificateA koseki copy showing the marriage, or the Konin Todoke Juri Shomeisho (ๅฉšๅงปๅฑŠๅ—็†่จผๆ˜Žๆ›ธ)
A divorce certificateA koseki copy, or the Rikon Todoke Juri Shomeisho (้›ขๅฉšๅฑŠๅ—็†่จผๆ˜Žๆ›ธ)
A record for someone who has died or left the registerThe Joseki Tohon (้™ค็ฑ่ฌ„ๆœฌ), the closed register

Document names as listed by the US Embassy in Japan and Japanese consulates. On a small screen, move the table sideways.

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A hospital paper is not enough

The note a Japanese hospital gives parents is not an official Japanese birth certificate. The proof that counts comes from the city office that registered the birth, so ask for that one.

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Two Kiwis married in Japan?

Only Japanese citizens have a koseki. If neither of you is Japanese, the city office issues a certificate of registration as your proof of marriage instead. That is the page we translate.

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The consulate may have a shortcut

Japanese consulates can issue an English birth or marriage certificate, based on the koseki, for Japanese citizens. Ask your New Zealand office whether it will take one before paying for a translation.

For a partner visa, the koseki does the job of a Japanese marriage certificate. It names both spouses, the date of marriage and the office that recorded it. Our marriage certificate translation page explains what Immigration New Zealand looks for in any proof of marriage.

The Family Register · ๆˆธ็ฑ่ฌ„ๆœฌ ็ฟป่จณ

Koseki Tohon or Koseki Shohon:
Which One Do You Need?

The Koseki Tohon is a copy of the whole family page. The Koseki Shohon covers one person only. If your application involves a spouse or children, the Tohon is usually the safer choice, because it shows how everyone is connected.

What a koseki actually is

A koseki is one record for a whole family, kept by the city office of the family’s registered home, called the honseki-chi. It holds births, marriages, divorces and deaths. Only Japanese citizens are listed, so it also works as proof of Japanese nationality.

On newer computer-issued copies, the one-person extract may be titled Kojin Jiko Shomeisho rather than Shohon. It is the same kind of document with a newer name, and we translate the title as it appears.

Getting a copy has become easier

Since 1 March 2024, a computerised koseki can be issued at any city office in Japan, not only the one where the family is registered. The request must come from you, your spouse, your parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren. A brother or sister cannot collect it for you this way, and this nationwide option does not accept postal requests.

A koseki can only be issued in Japan. If you live here, a parent or your spouse in Japan is usually the quickest route.

How recent it needs to be

Many offices, including Japanese consulates, want a koseki issued within the last three to six months. Check your own office’s rule before you ask family to send one, so they only have to do it once.

You rarely need every entry on a large family page translated. Our Japanese to English translation covers the parts about the people in your application, certified together. Our selective translation page explains when that is accepted here.

Names

Why Doesn’t the Name on Your Japanese Documents
Match Your Passport?

Because a koseki writes your name in kanji, while your passport writes it in English letters with no accent marks. The same long vowel can be spelled three different ways, and all three can be legal.

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Satoh, Satoo or Satou

Japanese passports never use the line over a long vowel. A long “o” can be written OH, OO or OU instead, so ไฝ่—ค may appear as SATOH, SATOO or SATOU. We copy whatever your passport says, exactly.

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A second name in brackets

A Japanese passport can show another name in brackets, such as a maiden name, if there is a legal reason. Japanese law has a married couple share one surname, so this comes up often in marriage files.

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New readings on newer copies

From 26 May 2025, Japan began adding a name’s reading in katakana, called furigana, to the koseki. A newer copy may show it and an older one will not. People living overseas were not sent the notice about it.

How we handle it. Your name is written family name first on the koseki, the Japanese way. We present it in the order your passport uses and add a short translator’s note if the spelling or order could raise a question. A kanji name can have more than one reading, so we follow your passport, never a guess.

In December 2025 the Japanese government made Hepburn its official way of writing Japanese in English letters. Older documents may still use other styles, which is one more reason we always check against your passport. Building a full visa file? Our immigration document translation page shows how we keep names the same across every paper.

Dates

How Are Reiwa, Heisei and Showa Dates
Turned Into Western Years?

By adding a fixed number to the era year. Japanese records count years from the start of each emperor’s reign, so a koseki may say Heisei 5 rather than 1993. Our Japanese to English translation shows both, so nobody has to work it out.

Era Began Example
Reiwa ไปคๅ’Œ1 May 2019Reiwa 8 = 2026
Heisei ๅนณๆˆ8 January 1989Heisei 5 = 1993
Showa ๆ˜ญๅ’ŒDecember 1926Showa 50 = 1975

Two years with two names

In 2019, dates up to 30 April are Heisei 31 and dates from 1 May are Reiwa 1. In 1989, the first seven days of January are Showa 64 and the rest is Heisei 1. A birthday in either year needs the exact day checked.

Year one has no number

The first year of an era is written ๅ…ƒๅนด, gannen, instead of the number one. Someone who does not know that can misread it completely. We convert it like any other year.

The wrong era is a big error

Mixing up Heisei and Showa does not move a date by a day. It moves it by decades. That is why every era date we translate is written both ways, where anyone can check it.

Your date of birth is the one that matters most. It is checked against your passport on every application. Our birth certificate translation page covers what New Zealand offices expect any birth record to show.

Seals

What Happens to a Hanko Seal
in an English Translation?

We describe it in words, in the place it appears. A hanko, also called an inkan, is a small name stamp used in Japan instead of a signature. An English reader needs to know it is there and whose it is.

Why a seal instead of a signature

Official Japanese papers, contracts and company documents are usually stamped in red rather than signed. The registered seal carries the same legal weight a signature does here. A translation that leaves it out makes a signed document look unsigned.

How the seal shows up in our work

Where the stamp sits, we write a note such as [seal: Tanaka] or [official seal of the city office]. Nothing is guessed. If a seal is too faint to read, we say so plainly rather than inventing the name.

Japanese citizens living overseas

A person without a registered seal in Japan cannot get the usual seal certificate, the Inkan Shomei. Japanese consulates offer a Signature Certificate instead, which confirms a signature for use back in Japan. If you are dealing with property or an estate in Japan, that is the document to ask about.

Contracts, company papers and agreements with hanko stamps are part of our commercial work, and they are priced on length rather than per document.

Driving · ้‹่ปขๅ…่จฑ่จผ ็ฟป่จณ

Do You Need a Translation to Drive
on a Japanese Licence in New Zealand?

Yes, because a Japanese licence is written in Japanese. The good news is that Japan is on NZTA’s exempt list, so converting to a New Zealand licence is simpler than for most countries.

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Who can translate it

NZTA accepts a translation from an NZTA-authorised translator, from an embassy or consulate, or from the office that issued the licence. Your Japanese driver licence translation from us is completed by an NZTA-approved translator. The driver licence translation page lists the full conversion steps.

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Exempt means fewer tests

Because Japan is an exempt country, a car licence you have held for two years or more can usually be converted without sitting the theory or practical test. Held for less time, you may still need a test.

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Going the other way

Converting a New Zealand licence in Japan is different. Japan asks for a translation from the Japan Automobile Federation, JAF, and we cannot stand in for it. We would rather tell you now than sell you the wrong thing.

How long can you keep driving on it? That limit belongs to NZTA, and it is about to change, so check the current rule on NZTA’s own site before relying on any date you have heard.

Where It Is Going

Which New Zealand Offices
Need a Japanese Translation?

Immigration New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs, NZQA and NZTA all ask for a certified Japanese translation when a document is not in English. What differs is which Japanese document each one expects.

Partner, resident and working holiday visas

For a partner or resident visa, Immigration New Zealand wants proof of the relationship and of each person’s identity. A koseki usually covers both in one document. Working holiday and study visas need less, but anything not in English still needs a certified translation.

A child born in Japan to a New Zealander

New Zealand’s own Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade sets out what to send for citizenship by descent. It is the Shusshou Todoke Juri Shomeisho, or, where one parent is Japanese, a Koseki Shohon that names both parents and the child. That is precise guidance, and it saves families from sending the wrong paper.

For the rest of a citizenship application, our citizenship document translation page covers what the Department of Internal Affairs asks for.

Degrees for NZQA

A Japanese degree certificate and transcript are translated in full for NZQA, with every subject, grade and era-dated year shown. Qualifications are not a place for partial translation.

Each of these offices updates its own rules from time to time — check the current position with Immigration New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs or NZTA before you apply. Last checked: 21 September 2026.

English to Japanese

Can You Translate New Zealand Documents
Into Japanese?

Yes. Our English to Japanese certified translation follows the same standard as work coming into English. Japan has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since 1970, so New Zealand papers going there are usually notarised and then apostilled.

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Marrying in Japan

A New Zealander marrying in Japan needs a Certificate of No Impediment with an apostille. The Department of Internal Affairs can supply both, plus a Japanese translation if the city office wants one. If you would rather arrange the Japanese translation separately, we can do it.

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Study and work in Japan

Transcripts, references and police certificates for Japanese schools or employers. Ask the receiving office whether they want the apostille on the original, on the translation, or on both.

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Paperwork only

We translate documents. We do not provide spoken interpreting for meetings, appointments or ceremonies, so please book that through someone else.

Translation, notary, then apostille — in that order. Getting the steps out of sequence means paying twice. Our apostille services page walks through each step and its fee.

Clear Pricing

How Much Does Japanese to English Translation
Cost in New Zealand?

From $49 for a certified Japanese to English translation. Era conversion, seal notes and passport spelling checks are part of that price. Japanese costs the same as any other language we certify, with no extra charge for kanji.

Most Chosen
Certified
From $49
per document · GST inclusive
🏛 For INZ, DIA, NZQA & NZTA
  • ✓Era years shown both ways
  • ✓Signed Certificate of Accuracy
  • ✓Spelling taken from your passport
  • ✓Free revision if an office queries it
Court Ready
From $99
per document · GST inclusive
⚖ For NZ courts & tribunals
  • ✓Everything in Certified
  • ✓Translator’s affirmation before a NZ JP
  • ✓Whole koseki, every entry
  • ✓Suits estate and custody matters
Notarised
From $149
per document · GST inclusive
🇯🇵 For use in Japan
  • ✓Everything in Certified
  • ✓Signed and sealed by a NZ Notary Public
  • ✓Apostille available (+$50)
  • ✓Courier posted to you
Choose Your Turnaround

Choose a speed as well as the option above.

Standard
3–5 working days
Included
Express
Within 24 hours
+$20
Urgent
Within 12 hours
+$50

The prices above are starting prices. The final cost depends on how many people are on the koseki pages you need, how old and handwritten they are, and which office they are for. Send photos and we reply with a written quotation giving the exact price and ready date. Nothing is charged until you approve it.

Sending papers to Japan? Our notarised translation page explains when the Notary Public step is needed.

Prices last reviewed: 21 September 2026. All prices include GST.

Still Wondering

What Else Do People Ask About
Japanese Translation in NZ?

Can my Japanese partner translate our koseki for the visa?

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No. Immigration New Zealand does not accept a translation from the applicant, a partner, any relative or the adviser handling the file. The person translating has to be independent and must sign to say the work is accurate.

Do I have to post you the original koseki?

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No. A clear photo or scan of every page is enough for us to quote and translate. What you then send to the New Zealand office depends on its own rules. Keep the original safe, since a replacement has to come from Japan.

Can you read an old handwritten koseki?

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Yes. Registers that were never moved onto computer can be handwritten and written top to bottom. They take longer to read, and some can only be issued by the home city office, not any office. If a character truly cannot be made out, we mark it rather than guess.

How long does a Japanese document translation take?

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A Japanese translation of a one-person Shohon or an acceptance certificate is quick. A full Koseki Tohon with several family members, or a Joseki Tohon covering many years, takes longer, because every name and era date is checked. Your written quote gives the ready date, with express and urgent options if you need them.

Is there a Japanese translator near me in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Queenstown?

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Wherever you are, our Japanese translation NZ service works the same way. Our Japanese translator team works online from Auckland for people all over the country, including those on working holidays in Queenstown. Send photos by WhatsApp or email and the certified PDF comes back the same way.

Do you provide Japanese interpreters?

▾
No, only written translation. If you need someone to interpret at an interview, hospital visit or hearing, the organisation you are dealing with can usually arrange one when you book.
Related Pages

Which Other Documents Might
Your Japanese File Include?

Pages people often open next when their papers come from Japan.

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Visa Documents
Partner & working holiday
 🎓
Academic Transcript
From $99 · For NZQA
 ⚖
Legal Documents
Estates & contracts
 💼
Business Documents
Hanko contracts & company papers

Send Your Koseki and Passport Page.
We Will Tell You Exactly What Your Office Needs.

A photo of each koseki page and your passport is all it takes. A real person in Auckland checks which document you have, converts every era date, lines your name up with your passport, and tells you whether anything else is needed. One written quotation covers it all, free, within half an hour and with no obligation. We have worked from Auckland since 2013, and any mistake on our part is corrected at our own cost.

Get Your Free Check → WhatsApp Us

Auckland-based since 2013 · Open 7 days · Japanese to English and English to Japanese · From $49 · ๆˆธ็ฑ ่‹ฑ่จณ