Japan

The full sequence, with what each step costs and what is published about how long it takes, is in How to Get an FBI Background Check and Apostille or Legalization for an FBI Background Check. What follows is what is documented specifically about Japan: the authentication path, translation expectations, and the documented position on request channels. It does not estimate durations, and it does not recommend providers.

The requirement is normally imposed by the receiving body rather than chosen by the applicant. In Japan, the document is most commonly requested from:

• Immigration authorities, for status of residence applications
• Employers and institutions in regulated sectors

Where an applicant has lived in more than one country, the receiving authority typically requires a certificate from each country of residence over a stated period — the FBI summary covers the United States only.

Each scenario below is a pathway in which the document is commonly requested. The controlling requirement is always the one published by the authority handling the specific application.

Japan is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. [2] A United States federal document destined for Japan is therefore authenticated by apostille rather than by consular legalization.

In either case the competent authority for an FBI Identity History Summary is the U.S. Department of State, not a state Secretary of State, because the summary is a federal document. [3] [5]

The official language for administrative purposes is Japanese. Whether a translation is required, and who must prepare it, is set by the receiving authority rather than by the FBI or the Department of State.

1. 1

   Step 1: Confirm the requirement

   Read the receiving authority's own published checklist for the specific Japan pathway.

   Step 1

2. 2

   Step 2: Choose a request channel

   Direct electronic, direct mail, or an FBI-approved Channeler, subject to eligibility. [6]

   Step 2

3. 3

   Step 3: Obtain the Identity History Summary

   The FBI publishes a figure for each route it handles itself: within 48 hours of electronic fingerprinting at a participating U.S. Post Office, approximately 10 days from receipt of a mailed fingerprint card, or up to 15 days for a request sent entirely by post. [4] From outside the United States the 48-hour figure is not available to you, and the post in each direction sits outside all three.

   Step 3

4. 4

   Step 4: Obtain an apostille

   Submit to the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications, identifying the destination country. [3]

   Step 4

5. 5

   Step 5: Translate, if required

   Per the receiving authority's rule on Japanese translation.

   Step 5

6. 6

   Step 6: File within the recency window

   Any validity period is imposed by the receiving authority, not by the FBI.

   Step 6

• Sending a federal document to a state Secretary of State for apostille. The Department of State is the competent authority. [3]
• Planning a filing date around the FBI's processing figure alone. It measures the FBI's own handling and stops there; the post in each direction, the apostille or legalization, and any translation are all outside it. [4]
• Requesting a single copy when several authenticated originals are needed.
• Assuming a translation is unnecessary because the summary is in English.