Apostille & Document Legalization for Japan — from Canada

Japan remains a defining first job abroad for Canadian graduates, whether through the JET Programme, private eikaiwa chains, or ALT dispatch companies. Employers and Japanese immigration paperwork commonly call for the applicant's university degree and an RCMP criminal record check, and an apostille is how those Canadian documents are certified for use in Japan. Some employers also want transcripts or TEFL certificates prepared the same way.

Visa Jet handles the chain document by document: the degree notarized where required and apostilled by the provincial authority, the RCMP check apostilled through Global Affairs Canada, and the finished set couriered to you or straight to the recruiter's checklist address. Contract start dates are unforgiving, so we sequence steps to avoid a single wasted pass.

Marriage in Japan is a civil registration at a municipal office, and a Canadian marrying there typically needs documents proving identity and freedom to marry — commonly a birth certificate and an affidavit or certificate of competency to marry — with an apostille attached. Municipal offices differ in what they ask and in what Japanese translation they expect, and many require a translation of each foreign document.

We prepare the Canadian side in the right order — document, notarization where applicable, apostille, then Japanese translation — and encourage couples to confirm the ward or city office's exact list, since local practice governs what is accepted on the day.

Japan has been an Apostille Convention member for decades, and since Canada joined on 11 January 2024, Canadian public documents destined for Japan take a single apostille — from the issuing province's designated authority or, for federal documents like RCMP checks, from Global Affairs Canada. Legalization at a Japanese consulate is not part of the current process.

Japanese-issued documents — a koseki extract, for instance — are certified in Japan by Japanese authorities and cannot be apostilled here. Where a cross-border file involves both, we complete the Canadian documents and flag which items must be handled on the Japanese side.

Japanese employers, municipal offices, and institutions most often request from Canadians:

Japanese authorities generally work in Japanese, and municipal offices in particular tend to require a Japanese translation of every foreign document presented, sometimes with the translator identified. Employers vary — many accept English documents internally but need translations for the official steps they file on your behalf.

Visa Jet coordinates Japanese translation as the final link in the chain, after the apostille is attached, so the translation reflects the complete certified document. We match the translation format to what the receiving office has described wherever the requirement is specific.

Canadian citizens visit Japan visa-free for short stays. Work — including teaching — runs through Japan's status-of-residence system, where employers typically obtain a Certificate of Eligibility and the apostilled documents we prepare support the surrounding file. Permanent residents of Canada and other foreign nationals may need a visa depending on nationality, and we assist with organizing those applications; decisions rest solely with the Japanese authorities.

Our service is remote across Canada: email your employer's or municipal office's checklist to info@visajet.ca or call +1 819-635-8787, and we will map each document's path from issuing office to Japan.