How to Request Family Registers — By Mail, Through Nationwide Issuance, and Your First Step

Gathering family registers (koseki) is the most time-consuming part of making a family tree. Quite a few people get stuck here and stop. In this article, we explain how to request family registers step by step, so that even first-timers can follow along.

There Are Three Registers to Gather

• Certified copy of the family register (certificate of all matters)— the register you are currently listed in. This is where you start
• Certified copy of a closed register (joseki)— a register that was closed after everyone left it
• Certified copy of a pre-revision register (kaisei genkoseki)— the older register, from before it was remade due to a change in the law

The further back you go, the more you will be working with closed registers and pre-revision registers. “Kaisei genkoseki” is the formal reading, but at the counter it is sometimes called “harakoseki.”

Who Can Request Them?

You can request the registers of yourself, your spouse and your direct blood relatives (parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren) on your own. For collateral relatives such as uncles, aunts and cousins, a letter of authorization or similar document is generally required. This collateral barrier is where family tree projects most often hit a dead end.

Three Ways to Request Registers

1. At the Office of Your Registered Domicile

This is the most reliable way. However, if your registered domicile (honseki) is far away, you will have to make a trip just for this.

2. By Mail

For a distant registered domicile, you request by mail. You will generally need the following.

• A request form (you can print one from each municipality's website)
• A copy of your ID (such as a driver's license)
• Fixed-amount postal money orders (teigaku kogawase) to cover the fees (sold at post offices; cash is often not accepted)
• A stamped return envelope
• Copies of registers showing that you are a direct relative (to prove the connection)

Fees are generally ¥450 for a certified copy of the family register and ¥750 for a closed register or pre-revision register. Allow one to two weeks for the round trip to be safe.

3. At an Office Other Than Your Registered Domicile (Nationwide Issuance)

Since March 2024, you can receive family registers at the counter of a municipality other than your registered domicile. Because you can request registers from all over the country at once, this saves a great deal of effort.

There are, however, a few rules.

• You must go to the counter in person (requests by mail or through a representative are not possible)
• You can only request registers for yourself, your spouse and your direct blood relatives
• Old registers that have not been computerized may not be available by this method

Handling differs from one municipality to another, so please call to check before you go.

A Short Phrase That Speeds Up Your Request

If you add a note such as “all connected registers from the birth to the death of [name],” the staff will pull out everything you need at once. You don't have to specify each register one by one, so there are fewer back-and-forth exchanges.

Sort the Registers You Receive the Same Day

When registers arrive, note down whose, from when, and from where each one is before stacking them. As the number grows, they become hard to tell apart later. With Family Storage, you can put this organizing straight into shape by placing the records you gather on your Family Map.

For an overview of how to make a family tree, see What Is a Family Tree? — How to Make One, Gathering Family Registers, and Costs.

If you would like to leave the gathering of family registers to us, we offer our family tree creation service (Family Research).