Buying Property in Japan Without a Japanese Address: What You Need for Registration, the Contract and ID Checks

The short answer: no resident record is needed, but the paperwork changes

When you buy property in Japan and register the transfer of ownership, the buyer's address is normally proven with a copy of the Japanese resident record (juminhyo). Foreigners living abroad do not have one, but that does not stop them from buying or from being registered as owner. The Ministry of Justice has set out which documents can replace the resident record when a foreign national with an address outside Japan becomes the registered owner ^[1]. What actually takes time is obtaining those documents in your home country, getting them translated, and working with the agent and the judicial scrivener (shiho shoshi) on identity checks and remote procedures.

Below we go through what an overseas buyer needs to prepare, in the order it comes up: registration, the agent's identity verification, the contract, and the period after purchase.

Step one: proof of address in place of a resident record

For registrations applied for on or after 1 April 2024, when a foreign national living abroad becomes a new registered owner, proof of address follows the Ministry of Justice circular of 15 December 2023. You attach one of the following ^[1]:

1. An address certificate issued by the government (including a consulate) of your home country or country of residence, equivalent to a Japanese resident record. A printout of electronic data issued by that government is also accepted if its authenticity can be checked using that government's method ^[1].
2. A sworn affidavit certified by a notary in your home country or country of residence, together with a copy of your passport. In the affidavit you swear that your name and address are true and sign it. The passport copy must be valid on the date the affidavit was made or on the date the registration application is received, and must include the pages showing your name, validity period and photo. If the copy is not bound with the affidavit, it must state that it is a true copy of the original and be signed by you ^[1].

If you do not hold a passport, you attach a written statement explaining this plus copies of other identity documents. Where there is an unavoidable reason, such as the absence of a notary system in your country, certification by a Japanese notary is also accepted ^[1]. Documents in a foreign language need a Japanese translation, but not of the full text: the parts relevant to the proof, such as the title, name, address, date of issue, validity period, issuing authority and certification wording, must be translated, and the translation can note that the rest has been omitted ^[1].

In practice, which option is easier depends on what certificates you can obtain where you live. To avoid finding out just before settlement that a document is in the wrong format, it is worth confirming the format with the judicial scrivener handling the registration before you sign the contract.

Step two: a domestic contact recorded in the register

Also from 1 April 2024, when an individual or company with an address abroad becomes the registered owner, the application must include information on a domestic contact in Japan ^[2]. The contact can be an individual or a company, and the Ministry of Justice gives real estate businesses and judicial scriveners as examples. If no suitable person is available, you can state that there is no domestic contact, but you must then attach a written statement signed, or name-and-sealed, by the person becoming the registered owner ^[2].

The aim is to make sure there is a point of contact in Japan if the owner needs to be reached in future. If you ask a friend to be your contact, explain beforehand that the Legal Affairs Bureau may get in touch with them; if you ask an agent or scrivener, check whether they charge for it and for how long they can take it on.

Step three: the agent's identity check, covering purpose and occupation as well as your passport

Under Japan's Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, real estate brokers are designated as specified business operators, and concluding, or acting as agent or broker for, a sale contract for land or buildings counts as a specified transaction ^[3]. For an individual customer, the broker must verify name, address and date of birth, as well as the purpose of the transaction and the customer's occupation. For a company, the nature of its business and its beneficial owner are also checked, and the verification records must be kept for 7 years ^[3].

Photo identity documents include a driving licence, an Individual Number (My Number) card, a residence card and a passport, and certain documents issued by foreign governments or international organisations are also listed as acceptable ^[3]. MLIT asks brokers to take into account factors such as non-resident customers, non-face-to-face transactions and unclear sources of funds when they prepare their risk assessments ^[3]. So if you are buying from abroad and are asked about your purpose, your occupation and where the purchase money comes from, that is a normal, legally required step. Having an explanation and supporting documents ready saves several rounds of back-and-forth.

The contract and the important-matters explanation: remote is possible, with prior consent

Since 30 March 2021, MLIT has fully allowed online important-matters explanations (IT juusetsu) by video conference and similar means for sales transactions as well ^[4]. And since 18 May 2022, the documents required in real estate brokerage can be provided electronically, provided the other party's wishes are confirmed in advance and their consent obtained ^[5].

This means an overseas buyer does not necessarily have to fly to Japan to hear the explanation or sign the contract. However, the registration documents used on settlement and handover day are, as a rule, originals, and international post takes time in both directions. The safest approach is to obtain the judicial scrivener's list of required documents when you sign the contract, and to arrange notarisation and translation in your home country according to that list.

After the purchase: the 20-day foreign exchange report, a tax agent and address-change registration

Foreign exchange report. When a non-resident acquires real estate in Japan or rights relating to it, a report must be submitted to the Minister of Finance through the Bank of Japan within 20 days of acquisition. It can be filed by the buyer or by a resident agent, such as the real estate broker ^[6]. Following the ministerial ordinance amendment effective 1 April 2026, acquisitions for one's own residence are also covered ^[7].

Tax agent. A non-resident who needs to file a tax return, receive documents from the tax office or pay tax must appoint a tax agent (nozei kanrinin) and submit a notice of appointment to the tax office ^[8]. This matters for the annual fixed asset tax notice and for declaring any rental income.

Address-change registration. From 1 April 2026, if the registered owner's address or name changes, a change registration must be applied for within 2 years, and failing to do so without a justifiable reason can lead to a non-penal fine of up to 50,000 yen. Changes that occurred before that date and have not been registered must be registered by 31 March 2028 ^[9]. Keep this in mind if you later move or relocate to Japan.

Summary

Not having an address in Japan is not an obstacle to buying. The difference is that the resident record is replaced by a home-country address certificate or a sworn affidavit, and you add a domestic contact, the identity check and the post-purchase foreign exchange report. The steps most likely to cause delays are notarisation and translation in your home country and international post. Tell your agent about your residence situation while you are still viewing properties, and get a complete document list when you sign the contract, and the process becomes much smoother. If you live overseas and are considering a property in Osaka, please contact us; we can help you, in Chinese as well, set out the procedures and a timetable.