Procedure to apply for a criminal record certificate (a poli

Procedure to apply for a criminal record certificate (a police certificate)

Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters accepts applications from persons who are required by the official authorities of their destination country to obtain a criminal record certificate and meet the following conditions.
 Applications cannot be accepted at police stations or police boxes.

• Japanese or foreign nationals who are currently registered as residents in Osaka Prefecture.
• Japanese or foreign nationals who are currently registered as residents overseas but were last registered as residents in Osaka Prefecture.

(Note) A criminal record certificate cannot be applied for through a representative, and persons under 14 years of age are not eligible to apply. 

• To save time, please fill out the application form for a criminal record certificate in advance.
• If you are unable to fill out the application form in advance, for example because you do not have access to a printer, you may complete it when you visit the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters.
• Please do not use an erasable ballpoint pen, a pencil or any other similar writing instruments.

• Official letter of request from a foreign embassy to the Japanese Police (such as a letter from a foreign government agency) 
• Documents clearly stating that a foreign official authority requests a criminal record certificate from the applicant(the applicant’s name and purpose of the request must be stated)
• Copy of a procedural document indicating the necessity for issuance of a certificate(e.g. a visa application form when applying for a visa, an application form when applying for a position at a government agency)

 (Note) Please print them out and bring hard copies with you.

If we determine that a Japanese translation is necessary for any document submitted with your application, you must submit the translation upon receipt of the criminal record certificate. 

For more information, please refer to「【Reference】Official Documents Confirming the Necessity for the Issuance of the Certificate.」

(Note) Photocopies are not accepted.

Your passport must be valid. (The passport number will be stated on the criminal record certificate. If your passport number changes due to renewal or for any other reasons, the certificate may become invalid.)

• Certificate of residence with the Individual Number(My Number) omitted is required.
• It must have been issued within the past 6 months.
• Photocopies are not accepted. (Please bring the certificate issued by a municipal office or obtained at a convenience store.)

If all of the conditions listed below are met and you bring one of the documents listed below, we can accept the application without requiring you to submit a certificate of residence. 

• Driver’s license
• Individual Number Card (My Number Card)
• Residence card or special permanent resident certificate (for foreign nationals)
  (The above documents must be valid. Photocopies are not accepted.) 

【Conditions】

• The address on the documents must be the same as that on the certificate of residence.
• The name in Kanji(Chinese characters) on the documents must be exactly the same as that on the certificate of residence. Differences in Kanji characters, such as between 辺 and 邊, or 吉 and 𠮷, will not be accepted. 
• Your permanent domicile must not have changed since you obtained your passport. (If your permanent domicile has changed, you must submit a certificate of residence indicating your permanent domicile.)

For those who moved their resident registration to a foreign country: 

• Supplementary family register record (Fuhyo) (Certificate of removal from the residence record (Johyo), if you are a foreign national.)
• Any document showing your current address (photocopies are accepted).

Please check the website below for more details.

Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, and the period from December 29 to January 3)

Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis only. Reservations are not accepted, so please come to the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters during office hours.
Please note that we are often busy accepting applications around 11:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., so please allow plenty of time for your application to be processed.

(Note 1) We cannot accept your application on the day of application if your documents are incomplete or if we need to check with the relevant authority regarding your application. Please contact us in advance if you have any questions.
(Note 2 ) It takes about 30 minutes to complete the application procedures. Reservations are not accepted. It may take more than one hour if there are many applicants.

Free of charge

The certificate is usually issued about two weeks after the application procedure is completed. However, processing may take longer than usual before and after consecutive holidays, such as Golden Week and the New Year holidays, so please allow plenty of time for your application to be processed.

A1

A criminal record certificate is available in five languages: Japanese, English, French, German and Spanish.

A2

We can issue a criminal record certificate only when it is required by a foreign official authority. We cannot accept an application if the certificate is required by an individual or a private company. Please confirm in advance the application procedures required by the authorities in your destination country.

A3

Yes. You may apply at a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad. Please contact the embassy or consulate in advance to confirm the required documents and the approximate processing time. If you have already submitted an application through a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad, we cannot accept another application from you. 

A4

No. Applications are accepted only at the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters.

A5

No. Because fingerprinting is required, the applicant must appear in person.

A6

No. Under the Penal Code, a person under 14 years of age is not criminally punishable and therefore cannot apply for a criminal record certificate.

A7

Your passport number appears on the criminal record certificate. If you renew your passport, your passport number will change, and the certificate may therefore become invalid. We recommend that you apply after renewing your passport. However, a special measure may apply depending on your individual circumstances. So please check with the relevant authorities.

A8

For information on whether your case will appear on a criminal record certificate, pleases refer to “Regarding Issuance of Criminal Record Certificate Application Procedures” on the National Police Agency’s website.

A9

No. Certificates cannot be sent by mail. In principle, the certificate must be collected by the applicant in person. However, if you are unable to collect it yourself due to unavoidable circumstances, someone may collect it on your behalf. If you wish to use this procedure, please make the request at the time of application. A consent form will be provided to you.

A10

No. If you open the envelope, the certificate will be invalid because the envelope is addressed to the authorities of the destination country. Please check with the relevant authorities regarding the procedures after recieving the certificate.

An apostille is an official certificate issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. It can be used as a certificate equivalent to legalization by the embassy or consulate of the destination country. Please contact the Osaka Liaison Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further information.

Osaka Liaison Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Address: 4th Floor, Osaka National Government Building No. 4
  4-1-76, Otemae, Chuo-ku, Osaka City
• Main telephone number: 06-6941-4700

【Reference】
Regarding official documents that can be used to verify the need for the certificate:

United States of America

Permanent residence (immigrant) or fiancé(e) visa 
Documents issued by an embassy, consulate, or immigration office that contain the applicant’s name and case number

People’s Republic of China

Work permit
Completed 「Application form for foreigner’s work permit」 (photocopies are accepted)

Viet Nam

Work permit
Completed 「Request for issuance of work permit for foreign employee」 and other related documents (photocopies are accepted)

Republic of Korea

F-6 Visa (Spouse of a Korean National), F-4 Visa (Overseas Korean )
Completed visa application form (photocopies are accepted)

Taiwan

Visa
Completed visa application form (photocopies are accepted)

Long-term stay
Completed visa application form (photocopies are accepted)
Application for ARC and extension of stay, and other supporting documents

Brazil

Temporary stay visa excluding transit or tourism
Completed visa application form (photocopies are accepted)

Belgium

Visa valid for a stay of more than 3 months
Letter from an embassy or consulate or completed visa application form (photocopies are accepted)

Spain

Work permit or residence permit if applying in Spain (Visa valid for a stay of more than 90 days if applying in Japan)

• Completed application form for a work permit or residence permit if applying in Spain (photocopies are accepted)
• Completed visa application form if applying in Japan (photocopies are accepted)

Australia

Documents showing acquisition of a visa, including a permanent visa
Completed visa application form, including the form for a permanent visa (photocopies are accepted)

New Zealand

Permanent visa or visitor visa 
Completed visa application form, including the form for a permanent visa (photocopies are accepted)

(Note) If you apply for a visa or other documents online, you must print them out and bring them with you.
We may be unable to issue a certificate depending on the purpose and condition of your application or your destination country, so please contact us in advance with any inquiries.

Overseas Travel Documentation Review Section, Criminal Identification Division, Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters
3-1-11, Otemae, Chuo-ku, Osaka City
Zip code 540-8540
Main telephone number: 06-6943-1234 Ext. 46223
Office hours: 9:00 a.m. ~ 5:00 p.m. (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, and the period from December 29 to January 3)