Police Certificates from the Japanese National Police Agency are issued only when requested by certain authorities as required by law. The certificate is designed for certain purposes such as working with children (under 19), sick, disabled or elderly people in the UK, or when requested by foreign authorities (e.g. an embassy, immigration agency, and others). Individuals who wish to apply for a Police Certificate other than for the above mentioned reasons are asked to contact the Consular section in regards to the correct application procedure.

Application

Documents required for the application are as follows:

1. Your valid passport
2. Application form (provided by the Consular Section)
3. Fingerprints form (provided by the Consular Section)

You may collect a fingerprint form from the Consular Section prior to submitting your application, or you can request the form to be posted, provided you supply us with an A4 stamped addressed envelope, with a 1st class LARGE stamp.
You may arrange to have your fingerprints taken on the fingerprint form at your nearest Police Station. For details, please contact either New Scotland Yard (TEL: 020 7230 2128) or your local Police Station directly. An appointment and/or fee may be applicable.

Application for a Police Certificate must be submitted by the applicant in person at the Embassy of Japan in the UK. Your application will be forwarded to Japan and it will take approximately two months for processing. This document certifies whether the applicant has any criminal convictions in Japan and is written in Japanese, English, French, German and Spanish.
In some cases submission of an apostille may be required by the requesting organisation in place of a fully legalized certificate, as facilitated by the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Hague Apostille Convention). Please confirm with the organisation requesting a Police Certificate whether you will require this in advance and be sure to inform us of this requirement when you apply.

Collection

You must come to the Consular Section of the Embassy of Japan in the UK in person to receive the certificate, as it contains private and confidential information. You must bring your valid passport once again for identification purposes. If you would like to send someone to collect it for you, let us know his/her identity upon application.

Office Hours

09:30 - 16:30  Monday to Friday
(We close on British National Holidays, the year-end and New Year holidays)
An appointment is NOT required.

Consular Section, Embassy of Japan in the UK
101-104 Piccadilly
London W1J 7JT
Tel: 020 7465 6565
Fax: 020 7491 9328

People living in Scotland and North England (Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear), should contact the Consulate General of Japan at Edinburgh.

Fee

Free of charge.

Important Information

1. Please use the fingerprint form provided by the Consular Section.
2. In some cases we may require additional documents, such as a letter from the authority requesting the Police Certificate and a textual extract of the relevant law with Japanese translations.
3. The National Police Agency in Japan may request that your fingerprints be taken again if they have not been taken to a sufficient standard.