Japanese Translation Services
Japanese records are translated into English at DHCTranslations from $54 a document, with the signed certificate and the PDF included; past 400 words the charge is $0.12 per word. The certificate names the municipal office, police authority or court behind the record, which is what a USCIS officer checks against the form.
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Certified Translations
For USCIS, US courts, WES, ECFMG and CGFNS.
Quote Response
Same-day certified PDF delivery available for most documents ordered before 4pm ET.
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Prepared For Submissions To US Agencies & Credential Services
*Authority names are referenced as industry benchmarks of compliance. All official translation orders are processed directly through DHCTranslations.
Japanese documents we translate most often
Family register
The family register in the copy you hold, with every entry and the municipal office that issued it.
Family register extract
The family register extract or the individual record, covering one person rather than the whole family.
Marriage record
The marriage entry in the register or the marriage acceptance certificate issued when it was filed.
Criminal record
The criminal record certificate from the prefectural police, with its reference and the purpose stated.
Academic transcript
The academic transcript, with marks and the grading scale, for a WES or NACES evaluation.
Graduation and degree
The graduation certificate and the degree record, with the institution and the qualification as issued.
Driving license
The driving license, with the classes it covers and the date it expires, for a state DMV or an exchange.
Passport
The data page and the machine-readable strip, set out line for line as printed.
Medical certificates
Medical certificates and hospital reports, with the clinic named and the diagnosis as written.
Court documents
Judgments and orders, laid out so a US court can follow the original page.
Powers of attorney
Powers of attorney and sworn statements, with the seal registration reference kept.
Residence certificate
The residence certificate, with the address, the household and the date of issue translated as recorded.
Can't find your specific document type?
We translate document types that are not listed here. Send us the document and we will confirm the price before you order: [email protected].
What a certified Japanese translation costs
Certified translations start at $54 per document: from $0.12 per word after the first 400 words into English, and from $0.14 per word for English into another language, with some pairs quoted higher.
Certification is the translator's signed statement, and it is included in the price.
A translation for USCIS, a US court or a US university is certified by the translator's signed statement, and nothing further is added to the quote.
$54
From, per document
$0.12+
Per word after 400, into English
How It Works: 3 Steps to a Certified Translation
A simple route from a phone photo to a certified PDF prepared for the receiving authority.
Send Your Document
Upload a clear scan or photo of every page, including seals and reverse sides.
- The complete document
- Language pair and deadline
- Who will receive it
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Review a fixed, itemized quote and pay through the encrypted gateway.
- Major credit/debit cards accepted worldwide
- Secure global payment gateway integration
- Instant invoice and receipt generation
Receive Your Certified Translation
Certified PDF, often the same day when ordered before 4pm ET, with printed copies available on request.
- Certification page and translator credentials
- Layout, stamps and seals mirrored
- Certification wording the receiving body asks for
What comes with a certified Japanese translation
A Japanese order is returned with a signed statement of accuracy, and the certificate names the municipal office, police authority or court that issued the record.
What the certification includes
- Signed statement of accuracy: the translator's name, signature and date, their CIOL or ITI membership number, our company stamp and our contact details.
- Era dates: Japanese records date by era and year, so the fifty-fifth year of one era is 1980 and the third year of the current one is 2021. The era is kept as printed with the Gregorian year beside it, because a US form asks for the year alone and an officer should not have to convert it.
- No middle name: a Japanese name has a family name and a given name and nothing between them. The two are kept in the order the register prints them, and where a US form insists on a middle name the certificate says the original has none.
- Certified PDF: the certified file is emailed at no extra cost, which is what a US filing accepts. A printed set can be arranged if a receiving body insists on paper, and is quoted per order.
Certified for
Prices are per document and start at $54 — see what a translation costs.
Japanese registers and the certificates they produce
A Japanese municipal office keeps the family register and issues several certificates from it that look alike and prove different things. The table below sets out the ones US applicants are asked for and what the English does with each.
Family register
- What usually appears
- 戸籍謄本, or the newer 戸籍全部事項証明書, covering the whole family
- What we do with it
- Translated in full, with the certificate type named and the municipal office kept
Residence certificate
- What usually appears
- 住民票, listing the address and everyone living there
- What we do with it
- Translated whole, with each person's relationship to the head of household
Criminal record
- What usually appears
- 犯罪経歴証明書 from the prefectural police, issued for a visa application
- What we do with it
- Translated complete, with the issuing authority and the reference number
Academic record
- What usually appears
- 成績証明書 with marks out of 100 or a five-level grade, plus 卒業証明書
- What we do with it
- Every subject and mark translated, with both scales explained
The certificate in hand decides which row applies. The English names the document the office actually issued rather than calling every one of them a family register, because a US reader comparing the two needs the same name twice.
What our clients say
Rated 4.9/5 from 314 verified reviews for USCIS submissions, court filings and credential evaluations.
“My passport uses Hepburn but the koseki reads my surname differently, and the note reconciling the two was exactly what the caseworker needed.”
Haruka S.
“The register listed my parents' divorce on a later page, and the translator included it and explained the annotation instead of leaving it out.”
Yuki T.
“A handwritten reference was transcribed and certified within 24 hours.”
Aisha B.
The certification, the price and the turnaround are the same for Japanese documents sent from anywhere in the United States. Start with the page that matches what you need:
Frequently asked questions
DHCTranslations translates Japanese records into English at our US offices, and the certificate is signed by the translator who did the work. Send a scan of every page, including the reverse of a certificate, and name the office that will read it.
A document costs $54, and the signed statement and the PDF are part of that. Beyond 400 words the rate is $0.12 per word into English, and a Japanese version of a US document is $0.14. A family set sent together is priced on the total words.
A page paid for before 4pm ET on a weekday is usually emailed back that day. A family register with several entries normally takes the next business day, and a judgment or a long medical certificate is given a date when we quote.
Yes. USCIS wants the whole document in English and a certificate signed by the translator that states competence, the date and contact details, which is what 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires. A page of seals and stamps is described where the seal sits rather than at the end.
The full register is the certified copy of the whole record, and the extract covers one person from it. Since computerization both are also issued as all-entry and individual-entry certificates. Send whichever the office asked for, and the certificate names it.
Records date by era and year: the fifty-fifth year of the Showa era is 1980, the tenth of Heisei is 1998 and the third of the current era is 2021. The era stays as printed with the Gregorian year beside it, since a US form asks for the year on its own.
Nothing is invented. The family name and the given name are kept in the order the register prints them, and where a US form will not accept a blank middle name, the certificate states that the original has none.
Hepburn is the usual system, so a long vowel may be written with a macron or with a plain vowel instead. Where a passport carries a spelling without the macron, that spelling is used, because the officer will compare the two documents line by line.
The residence certificate proves where someone lives and who shares the address; the family register proves family relationships and records births, marriages and deaths. A US form asking for an address wants the first, and one asking who the parents are wants the second.
Yes. The prefectural police issue it for a stated purpose, usually a visa or a residence application, and it is dated. If the purpose printed on it does not match your filing, ask for a new one before sending it to us.
Yes, at $0.14 per word. Certificates and powers of attorney are the usual orders, and the Japanese is set so a municipal office in Japan can read it without the English beside it, with the seals and era dates in the form that office expects.
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We aim to answer every inquiry within 30 minutes, or e-mail us at [email protected]
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