What do people get wrong about the hanko (personal seal)?
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
The small carved seal pressed in red ink is where Japan signs. Foreigners find it archaic; the government has been removing it from paperwork since 2020; and yet every household still has two or three. What it is for, what changed, and what a newcomer actually needs are three different questions.
The three seals
| Seal | Japanese | Use | Registration | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered seal | jitsuin (実印) | Property purchase, vehicle registration, mortgages, wills, company formation, major contracts — with a seal certificate (印鑑登録証明書) from the municipality | Registered at the municipal office; one per person; must be unique, usually full name, 8–25 mm | ¥3,000–30,000+ (hand-carved) |
| Bank seal | ginkō-in (銀行印) | Opening accounts, withdrawals at the counter, transfers at many banks (online banks may not require) | Registered with the bank | ¥2,000–10,000 |
| Everyday seal | mitome-in (認印) | Acknowledging deliveries, internal approvals, minor forms | None; ready-made stamps (¥100–500) with common surnames sold at 100-yen shops | ¥100–1,000 |
| Shachihata | shachihata (シャチハタ; self-inking) | Same as mitome-in but not accepted where a proper impression is required (banks, registration) | — | ¥500–1,500 |
- The 2020–21 reforms (Digital Agency / Cabinet Office): seal requirements were removed from about 14,700 of 14,900 administrative procedures; the remaining ones are mostly real-estate and vehicle registration where the jitsuin and certificate serve as strong identity proof.
- Foreign residents can register a jitsuin in katakana, alphabet or kanji matching the residence card; many municipalities accept alphabet seals. A signature is legally valid for most contracts, but banks and landlords may still ask for a seal — a mitome-in in katakana (¥1,000–3,000, made in a day) removes friction.
- Delivery acknowledgement: since 2020 most couriers accept a signature or contactless delivery; the mitome-in by the door is fading.
- Security: the jitsuin and its certificate together can transfer property — store the jitsuin separately from the certificate card, and never lend it.
[Verify] Reform figures with the Cabinet Office / Digital Agency's 2020–21 seal-requirement review; registration rules with your municipality.
Misunderstanding 1｜Hanko were abolished in 2020
Administrative forms mostly dropped them; property, vehicles and many bank operations did not. The jitsuin is as legally weighty as ever where it remains.
Misunderstanding 2｜A visitor needs one
No. Tourists sign. Even short-term residents can manage with a signature at most places; a ¥1,000 katakana mitome-in is a convenience, not a requirement.
Misunderstanding 3｜Any seal works for anything
A self-inking Shachihata is refused for banking and registration because the rubber face deforms. Jitsuin and bank seal should be different seals, and the jitsuin used only for registered matters.
Misunderstanding 4｜Losing a seal is like losing a pen
Losing the jitsuin is like losing a signature that anyone can forge perfectly. Report to the municipality, cancel the registration, register a new one. Keep it away from the certificate card.
Misunderstanding 5｜Seals are a formality with no logic
A registered seal plus municipal certificate is a two-factor identity check that predates digital ID by centuries; the reform kept it exactly where the stakes justify it. The everyday seal, by contrast, is going the way of the fax.
---
Sources
- Cabinet Office / Digital Agency — Review of seal requirements in administrative procedures (押印見直し, 2020–21)
https://www.digital.go.jp/
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications — Seal registration (印鑑登録) guidance for municipalities
https://www.soumu.go.jp/
- Ministry of Justice — Real-estate registration and seal certificates (登記・印鑑証明)
https://www.moj.go.jp/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
About this article
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
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