How to request your family's koseki from Japan
A free guide for descendants of Japanese emigrants. You can usually request it yourself by mail. Rules differ by city, so always check the city's own page before you send anything.
Last checked: October 2026. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Step 1. Find the honseki (registered address)
A koseki is kept by the city, town or village of the family's honseki, not where they lived. You need the honseki written in kanji, and your ancestor's name in kanji.
- Look at family papers first: old Japanese passports, letters, temple papers, gravestones, alien registration papers.
- US immigration and naturalization files often list the prefecture and village.
- Many villages have merged since the Meiji era. The old village name now belongs to a bigger city. Search "[old village name] 現在" or ask us.
Step 2. Check who can request it
- Direct descendants (child, grandchild, great-grandchild) can usually request a direct ancestor's koseki.
- You may need to prove the family line: for example birth certificates that connect you to the person in the koseki, with Japanese translations.
- Old registers are called joseki (closed register) or kaisei genkoseki (pre-revision register). Ask for these by name for Meiji to Showa records.
Step 3. Prepare what to send
- Request form. Download the city's form (戸籍証明書等の請求書). Write the honseki, the name of the head of house, which records you want, how many copies, and your purpose ("family history research / 家系調査のため").
- Copy of your ID. Usually a photo ID. Many cities also need proof of your current address (a utility bill or lease) because a passport has no address.
- Proof of relationship. Documents that link you to the ancestor, with a Japanese translation that you sign and date.
- Fees. The national standard is 750 yen per copy for joseki and kaisei genkoseki, 450 yen for a current koseki. Some cities accept credit card online for overseas requests. Others need Japanese cash or postal money orders (teigaku kogawase), which are hard to get abroad. A relative in Japan can send the fee for you.
- Return envelope and postage. Write your address. If you cannot buy Japanese stamps, cities usually accept International Reply Coupons. Note: some cities say EMS to the US is currently suspended, so check the return method.
Step 4. Send, wait, and get it read
Send everything to the city's mail request office. Expect several weeks. Older families often have several registers, so the city may tell you to request more.
When it arrives, it will likely be handwritten in old style. That is where we can help: we transcribe it, translate it into English, and draw the family tree.
Prefer a professional to request it? Requesting koseki for others for a fee is limited to licensed professionals in Japan. We do not do it, but we can introduce a licensed administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi). We take no referral fee.
Examples of official city pages (Japanese)
Your ancestor's city will have a similar page. Search "[city name] 戸籍 海外 郵送".