Japanese Police Certificate for a Chef's Visa: The Process

Some visa systems ask a chef from Japan for a police certificate. Japan's version has rules that surprise employers: it is issued only when a foreign authority has asked for it, the chef must give fingerprints in person, it comes in a sealed envelope, and applying from abroad can take months. Getting any of these wrong can hold up a start date.

This page covers the process as published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Osaka Prefectural Police and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), as of September 2026.

1. What the Japanese police certificate is

• Names. In Japanese it is called 犯罪経歴証明書 (hanzai keireki shōmeisho), 渡航証明 (tokō shōmei) or 無犯罪証明書. The Tokyo police confirm these are the same document. In English it is usually called a Certificate of Criminal Record.
• Issuer. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department or the prefectural police headquarters. Local police stations do not accept applications.
• Languages. Japanese, English, French, German and Spanish on one certificate.
• Format. Issued in a sealed envelope.
• Cost. Free at the Tokyo and Osaka police, according to their pages.
• Who can apply. Japanese nationals and foreign nationals who have lived in Japan. Not people under 14.

The key condition: the Tokyo police accept applications from people who have been asked by a foreign public authority, such as an embassy or immigration department, to submit one. An employer cannot simply ask for it as a background check.

2. Does your chef need one?

That depends on the visa, not on the job. A few examples from official sources:

MOFA notes that some receiving bodies may accept, instead of a police certificate, a notarised statement by the applicant that they have no criminal record. Ask the immigration authority or your lawyer before choosing that route.

3. Applying in Japan

The chef applies in person at the police headquarters covering their registered address. For Tokyo residents that is the Metropolitan Police Department in Kasumigaseki. The Tokyo page (updated 3 August 2026) lists three documents for a Japanese national living in Tokyo:

1. a valid passport (no copies);
2. proof of name and registered address, such as a residence certificate issued within six months or a My Number card;
3. a document showing why the certificate is needed.

For the third item, the Tokyo police give examples including a request letter from an embassy with the applicant's name, an invitation letter, a school acceptance letter, a letter of appointment or offer of employment, a transfer order, or an employment contract. They note that requirements vary by country and reason, and that applicants should call first.

Fingerprints are taken at the time of application. The Tokyo and Osaka police both say the certificate is ready about two weeks after applying, cannot be posted, and can be collected by a proxy with a letter of authorisation.

Other points on the Tokyo page worth passing to the chef:

• The passport number is printed on the certificate. If the chef renews their passport afterwards, the number will no longer match.
• If the name in the family register differs from the passport, the application cannot be accepted until the passport is updated.
• If the chef has already applied through an embassy abroad, the same application cannot also be made in Japan.

4. Applying from outside Japan

A chef who already lives abroad (for example on a working holiday) applies through the Japanese embassy or consulate. MOFA's page (9 July 2026) explains that the embassy forwards the application through MOFA to the National Police Agency; the certificate itself is still issued by the police.

• Fingerprints are taken at the embassy or at a local police station, depending on the embassy.
• The certificate can be collected at the embassy where the application was made, at another embassy, or at MOFA in Tokyo by the applicant or a named proxy.
• MOFA says it takes about two months, and sometimes more than three.

A chef who is temporarily back in Japan can apply at the police headquarters for their last registered address in Japan, which is much faster. The Tokyo police list extra documents for this case, including proof of current overseas address.

5. What the employer needs to do

• Supply the proof of need. Your offer letter or employment contract may be part of it, alongside the immigration authority's request. Make sure it names the chef exactly as in the passport. See our offer letter template.
• Do not ask the chef to open the envelope. Follow the immigration authority's instructions. IRCC, for example, tells online applicants to open the sealed envelope, scan the certificate and upload it, and to keep the original; the US State Department tells visa applicants not to open it.
• Translation. Because the certificate already includes English, IRCC's Japan page says it does not need to be translated. Check your own immigration authority's rule.
• Apostille or authentication. If required, this is done by MOFA, not the police.
• Passport renewals. If the chef's passport expires soon, renew it before applying.

6. Planning the timeline

If your chef is in Japan and the visa will need a certificate, it is usually worth applying before leaving. Add the certificate to the document list you send with your offer, alongside employment and graduation certificates. For a Japanese-language walkthrough written for chefs, see 犯罪経歴証明書の取り方, and for the wider pre-departure checklist, onboarding a chef from Japan.

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Police procedures differ between prefectures and change over time; the chef should check the page of the police headquarters where they will apply, and you should follow the instructions of the immigration authority handling the visa.