Introduction
Filipinos who have worked in Japan as Technical Intern Trainees or Specified Skilled Workers sometimes face an unexpected requirement when applying for a visa to study or work in Taiwan: the authentication of their Japanese employment certificate.
“I was told to get it authenticated, but I don’t know how.” “I’ve already left the company — can it still be authenticated?” For those facing these questions, this article shares the realities of the procedure and possible solutions, based on an actual case I handled.
For privacy reasons, no personal information about the client or the institutions involved is included in this article. This article is not intended to criticize any specific organization; its sole purpose is to share procedural information.
Why Does a Taiwan Visa Application Require Authentication of a Japanese Employment Certificate?
Taiwan Is Not a Party to the Hague Convention
There is a simplified system for authenticating foreign public documents called the “Apostille,” based on the Hague Convention (the treaty abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents). Many countries, including Japan, are parties to it.
However, Taiwan is not a party to the Hague Convention, so the Apostille cannot be used. Instead, a procedure called “consular authentication” (consular legalization) is required. Consular authentication is a process by which that country’s consulate confirms that a document or signature is genuine.
Consular Authentication Verifies the Signature and Seal — Not the Content
There is an important point to understand here. Consular authentication does not examine whether the contents of a document are true. It is merely a formal confirmation that “this signature and seal genuinely belong to the person in question.” Responsibility for the truthfulness of the content lies with the issuer.
Why Is Authenticating a Japanese Employment Certificate So Difficult?
An Employment Certificate Is a Private Document
In Japan, certificates of employment and certificates of resignation issued by companies are treated as “private documents.” To authenticate a private document, it must first be certified by a notary at a notary public office.
The Company Must Appear at the Notary Office
For a notary to certify a private document, the company representative who signed and sealed it — or an authorized agent holding a power of attorney — must appear at the notary public office to confirm the authenticity of the signature and seal.
After Resignation, the Company Has No Legal Obligation
Under Japan’s Labor Standards Act, the obligation to issue a certificate of resignation applies only when the employee requests it at the time of resignation. Unlike in the Philippines, where the obligation to re-issue certificates to former employees is clearly defined by law, Japan has no explicit statutory obligation to respond to re-requests from a former employee after resignation.
This means that even if you ask a company from which you have already resigned to “please appear at the notary office,” the company has no obligation to comply — and in practice, it is very difficult to arrange.
Signature Authentication Is Not Common Practice in Japan
In the Philippines, signature authentication by a Notary Public is a routine and relatively simple procedure. In Japan, however, the culture centers on personal seals (hanko), and the very concept of signature authentication at a notary office is largely unfamiliar to the general public.
Approaches I Actually Tried, and the Results
Approach 1: Submitting an Explanatory Document About Japanese Practice
First, I prepared a document carefully explaining the realities of the authentication procedure in Japan and conveyed it to the relevant Taiwanese office. Specifically, I explained that it is uncommon in Japanese practice for a company to visit a notary office or consulate on behalf of a former employee who has already resigned, and that Japan and the Philippines have fundamentally different legal systems regarding the issuance of certificates to former employees. I then asked whether it would be possible to substitute this with an Affidavit prepared by the applicant within the Philippines.
However, the authentication requirement remained unchanged.
Approach 2: Preparing a Factual Certification by an Administrative Scrivener
Under Article 1-2 of the Administrative Scrivener Act, an Administrative Scrivener is authorized to prepare documents certifying facts. As a neutral third party, I prepared a “Certificate of Residence and Employment Activities in Japan” based on objective official records (Residence Cards, the Certificate of Technical Intern Training Program Completion, passport entry/exit records, Designation Documents, etc.) and a direct telephone confirmation with the employing company. I then applied for consular authentication at the Taiwanese consulate.
However, the response from the Taiwanese side was that “consular authentication can only be granted to documents officially issued by an appropriate/authorized institution.”
Had this been an Apostille, this type of document might have been accepted. But because Taiwan is not a party to the Hague Convention, the consular authentication route applied, and the requirements regarding the issuing entity were examined more strictly.
Approach 3: Inquiries to the Consulates
I made inquiries to several Taiwanese consulates. The response was that they could not accept the documents because the place of issuance of the employment certificate was outside their jurisdiction. In this case, since all the attached documents were issued in the Kanto region, I was directed to inquire with the office in Tokyo instead.
This was purely a matter of jurisdiction based on the place of issuance — it does not imply that a factual certification prepared by an Administrative Scrivener would have been accepted for consular authentication had the place of issuance fallen under a different jurisdiction.
Inquiry to Taiwan’s Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) and the Official Response
Having a factual certification I prepared as an Administrative Scrivener rejected over the phone without any review of its contents left me with a genuine question, so I submitted an inquiry to Taiwan’s Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA — the equivalent of Japan’s Consular Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) asking for their view on the reasoning behind it.
As a result, I received a detailed and clear official response from the Consular Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Tokyo, the office with jurisdiction over the matter. It should be noted that, across every office I contacted, one point was consistently emphasized: no pre-screening of documents is offered in principle. The final decision on authentication is made only after a complete application is submitted and reviewed by the Consul.
Here are the key points of that response.
Documents Prepared by a Third Party Are Not Accepted
The response stated that documents issued by a third party to certify an applicant’s employment are not accepted. In other words, it was made clear that an employment certificate prepared by anyone other than the applicant or the issuing company — including an Administrative Scrivener — is not eligible for consular authentication.
The Correct Route for Authenticating a Certificate of Employment (COE)
A Certificate of Employment authenticated by a Taiwanese overseas mission must take one of the following forms:
Option 1: Personal Authentication The applicant prepares the document, appears in person at a notary public office to have it notarized, and then applies for consular authentication (for example, an Affidavit).
Option 2: Business Authentication The company that issued the employment certificate, or a party authorized on its behalf, has the certificate notarized at a notary public office located in the prefecture with jurisdiction over the consular office where authentication will be sought. The company’s representative, or an authorized agent holding a power of attorney, then applies for consular authentication.
A Note on Business Authentication: Corporations vs. Sole Proprietors
Through follow-up inquiries with the Taiwanese offices in both Tokyo and Osaka, I confirmed an important distinction regarding who may appear at the notary office for Business Authentication.
If the employment certificate was issued by a corporation, the notarization step does not require the company representative to appear in person — an authorized agent (such as an employee) holding a power of attorney may appear instead. This was confirmed to be the case in both the Tokyo and Osaka jurisdictions.
However, if the certificate was issued by a sole proprietor, the proprietor must appear at the notary office in person; a representative cannot act on their behalf.
Please note that the details of the authentication procedure may vary depending on the discretion and practice of the jurisdiction in question. We recommend contacting the relevant office directly before proceeding.
Regarding Proof of Residence
- A Certificate of Residence (juminhyo, an official document issued by a Japanese government authority) — can be authenticated directly, no notarization required.
- A photocopy of a Residence Card — must first be notarized at a notary public office before applying for consular authentication.
Conclusion: The Realistic Solutions
Based on the above, if a former employee needs to authenticate a Japanese employment certificate for a Taiwan visa application, there are two realistic options.
Option A: Business Authentication Under the Company’s Name (Requires the Company’s Cooperation)
The company representative, or an authorized agent holding a power of attorney (an employee, if the issuer is a corporation), would need to:
- Have the certificate notarized at a notary public office located in the prefecture with jurisdiction over the consular office where authentication will be sought.
- Apply for consular authentication (business authentication) at the Taiwanese consulate with jurisdiction over that same place.
This route works if the company is willing to cooperate, but in practice, securing that cooperation is often difficult once the employee has already resigned. Please also note that if the issuer is a sole proprietor rather than a corporation, the proprietor must appear at the notary office in person.
Option B: The Applicant Prepares an Affidavit in Person (Realistic)
- The applicant comes to Japan.
- At the notary public office with jurisdiction over the place of issuance (the company’s location), the applicant prepares an Affidavit and swears to it in person before the notary.
- The Affidavit is certified by the notary.
- Consular authentication is obtained at the Taiwanese consulate with jurisdiction over that same place of issuance.
Importantly, the Taiwanese consulate has stated that swearing before a notary through a proxy is not permitted. In other words, the notarization step cannot be completed through a representative — the applicant must come to Japan in person. However, once the Affidavit has been notarized, the subsequent application for consular authentication can be carried out by a representative on the applicant’s behalf.
Note that for an Apostille, it is possible to use a proxy for the procedure at the notary office. However, because Taiwan is not a party to the Hague Convention, this route is not available. This is why the applicant’s personal appearance at the notary office is essential.
Summary: For Those Facing the Same Situation
If you are planning to apply for a Taiwan visa after working in Japan, we recommend understanding the following points in advance:
- Because Taiwan is not a party to the Hague Convention, consular authentication — not an Apostille — is required.
- A document prepared by a third party cannot be used for consular authentication.
- If you have already resigned, requesting the company’s cooperation with authentication is difficult, as there is no legal obligation.
- An Affidavit is a realistic option, but the applicant must appear in person before the notary with jurisdiction over the place of issuance of the employment certificate; only the consular authentication step afterward can be handled by a representative.
- For both the notary office and the Taiwanese consulate, jurisdiction is determined by the place of issuance of the employment certificate (the company’s location).
- The details of the authentication procedure may vary by jurisdiction, so we recommend confirming with the relevant office in advance.
Please note that the information in this article is based primarily on inquiries made to the Taiwanese offices with jurisdiction over Tokyo and Osaka.
Please Consult Us Early If This Applies to You
If, after returning to your home country, you plan to travel with a visa to a country that is not a party to the Hague Convention, and consular authentication of your employment certificate is among the required documents, we strongly recommend obtaining the consular authentication of that document while you are still employed in Japan, before departure. Handling the procedure after returning home may impose a significant burden, such as requiring the applicant to travel back to Japan.
In addition, if your employment certificate was issued within the Kyushu jurisdiction, we are able to provide direct, in-person support with the notary and consular procedures described above. If this applies to you, please feel free to contact us.
Also — this concerns the Apostille — if you need an Apostille on your employment certificate after returning home, or if your company will not issue an employment certificate, please feel free to consult us. We will propose a solution suited to your situation.
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