How much does inkan registration cost in Japan?
Last checked: 2026-11-06
Registering a personal seal (inkan) costs nothing to 300 yen in the cities we checked, and a seal registration certificate costs 300 yen where it is listed. Each municipality sets its own fee, so these are examples and not a national price. Foreign residents with a resident record use the same system.
Fees in four cities
| City | First registration | Registering again | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yokohama | Not listed | Not listed | 300 yen |
| Hamamatsu | Free | 350 yen | Not listed |
| Kasama | 300 yen | 500 yen, such as after losing your seal or card | 300 yen |
| Mutsu | 300 yen, including the card | Not listed | Not listed |
Some of these pages are several years old, and Mutsu's is undated. Check your own city's page.
What it means
- Seal (inkan or hanko). A stamp with your name.
- Registration. You record one seal at the city office. You often get a registration card.
- Certificate. A paper from the city proving the seal is yours. You pay each time you ask for one.
Yokohama says you need the registration card to request a certificate at the counter.
Do you need one?
Not everyone does. You need a registered seal only when someone asks for a certificate. One example: MLIT's rental guidebook says a guarantor may need to provide proof of earnings and a seal registration certificate. See deposits, key money and guarantors. Ask the bank, landlord or company in front of you what they accept.
Who can register
Hamamatsu, Kasama and Mutsu say you must be over 15 and registered as a resident there. So register your address first. Mutsu allows one seal per person.
What to bring
- The seal.
- Your residence card or special permanent resident certificate. Hamamatsu and Kasama also accept a My Number Card.
- The form, from the office, and the fee if your city charges one.
Hamamatsu says a residence card, special permanent resident certificate, My Number Card or driver's license allows same-day registration. Other ID takes several days, and so does using a proxy.
Seal rules
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Fits in a square of 8 mm to 25 mm a side | Yokohama, Kasama, Mutsu |
| Name | Must match your resident record. Full name, family name, given name, or name plus initial, but not initials alone. | Kasama |
| Katakana | People from countries that do not use Chinese characters can use a katakana spelling | Hamamatsu |
| Not accepted | Nicknames, no outer frame, rubber or easily deformed seals, and seals hard to read when copied | Yokohama, Mutsu |
Before you order a seal, check how your name appears on your resident record, and ask the city if your name is long.
Changing or losing a seal
To change a seal in Hamamatsu, you file a cancellation notice first. If you lose your seal or card, Kasama charges 500 yen to register again. Ask your city what to do at once if you lose them.
What we could not confirm
- The seal itself. We have no official figure for shop prices, so we leave them out.
- Tokyo wards. We did not verify any ward's fee.
- Convenience store certificates. Fees and access may differ, and we did not verify them.
- Other uses. We did not verify what each bank or company requires. Our Japan Post Bank page lists what that bank asks for.
For other government fees, see our fees database.
This page is general information. Your city office decides what it accepts.