Wherever we live, to adhere to the law and legislation to the country we are living in is mandatory. As a responsible citizen, we come across various certification requirements. Getting a valid Driving License accepted in our country of residence can be a good example of this.
If we are living in Japan, most of the authorized certifications require a Hanko.
Now, let us discuss what is Hanko?
Hanko is the name seal/stamp widely used in Japan for tasks such as making contracts. There are various contract papers that need Hanko. Some of the examples of contracts where Hanko is needed are:
1. Joining a new company.
2. Joining a new school.
3. Joining a new apartment.
4. Joining a new Gym.
5. For tax documents.
6. Opening bank accounts.
7. Getting Certificates such as marriage certificate, driver’s license
8. Writing resumes.
9. Acknowledgement of notifications.
10. For spelling correction on official documents.
Signatures are not used much, in fact signatures are allowed in rare cases for Non-Japanese as a makeshift Hanko, and hence it is much easier and faster to use actual Hanko.
This is the website that makes exclusive Hankos of various types.
Ginkoin: Usually a Ginkoin is of about 12 to 15mm diameter, however there are no regulations. This is used mostly for banking. While opening bank accounts, bank keeps its inkan, and customers need to bring their exact Hanko for bigger withdrawals such as 50,000 yens at a time, and also for closing the account of the customer.
Jitsuin: This is another type of Japanese Name Stamp . This is a hanko which is registered at the city hall or a ward office. They give a certificate which certifies the hanko belonging to a particular person. Users will need this hanko along with certificate for making big purchases such as a house or a car. The ideal size is 13 to 18mm dia., however there are no regulations.
Mitomein:This is the most general Japanese Name Stamp or hanko used for acknowledgement. Users can use it to show they have seen the documents in office, or even to receive registered mails or parcels at home. This is also used for resumes for job application, application to join a new gymnasium etc.
Sanmonban / Shachihata:This is a cheap version of Mitomein as it is locally available. Shachihata is a self-inking hanko. These are available in readymade rubber stamps with most of the popular surnames in Japan.
Users don’t actually need to prepare 3 types of Hankos. They can get a Mitomein Hanko, get it certified through city hall or ward office to use it for bigger purchases, where Jitsuin Hanko is actually required. Thus one type of hanko can be utilized for all three purposes. However it is safe to have three separate Hankos for three different purposes to avoid forgery. Another important fact is, Shachihata or built-in rubber made tamp cannot be registered as Jitsuin as the material deteriorates with time passage.
Making Hankos for Foreigners:
If required, foreigners can make a jitsuin with choice of first name or family name or both. Addition of middle name is practically difficult because of the availability of space. They can use it for banking purpose, get it registered at city hall and have a certificate so that it can be used while making big purchases.
Japanese has 3 writing systems: Hiragana, Ktatakana& Kanji.
Foreigners can choose whatever style and suitable character for their hanko, even English would be fine. However some city halls and ward offices do not allow English and Hiragana characters for registration. So, they need to confirm it before.
They can order their Hankos on this website. This is the best place to order Kanji Name Stamps Online.
They need to click and choose the product photo, choose the font and case color and enter their name desired to be engraved on Hanko. They deliver order-made Hankos to customers’ addresses. Deliveries within japan are charged additional $5, and outside Japan $10. Normally it may take two weeks to deliver overseas orders. Customers can make payments through paypal or credit cards.
For More Info:- Japanese Name Seal