It is a custom in Japan to use personal seals (in Japanese, they are called Hanko or Inkan ) instead of signing one’s name.
Situations where Hanko are used are:
(1) Receiving packages sent from friends / family
(2) Renting a room
(3) Opening a bank account
(4) Signing the contract for a cell phone
(5) During procedures in government offices(for example, signing marriage papers）
(6) Transactions between companies（contracts, etc）
(7) Writing letters and resumes for business purposes, etc.
In other words, Japanese people use seals in cases where a signature is used in foreign countries.
Legally, ‘to sign one’s name (in one’s own hand)’ and ‘to set one’s seal beside one’s name in print’ has the same effect. So your signature is acceptable if you do not have a personal seal. However, Japanese people tend to think it is official when they see red seal imprints on documents.
Some landlords understand that international students will not have a personal seal, so during the signing of the contract they accept a handwritten signature. However, some banks and cell phone companies do not accept signatures when opening an account, so you may need a personal seal in these cases.
There are a few types of seals :
(1)San-mon-ban
(Also called Mitome-in) This type of seal is used frequently in daily life. San-mon-bon are ready-made seals at prices of several hundred yen. ‘Mon’ was a small currency unit in the old days of Japan, so ‘san(three)- mon ’ literally means “small value”.
(2) Jitsu-in
This is a seal that can only be registered to you at the government office of your specific neighborhood. Jistu-in is not necessary in daily life, and you probably won’t need this type of seal. When you register for your Jitsu-in at your government office, a seal registration certificate (Inkan-shomei) is issued. This registration certificate is not required when you are asked to put your seal on documents in daily life, for example, when receiving a package. The seal registration certificate is required when purchasing something very expensive (such as a car or real state), when establishing a company, or when serving as someone’s guarantor. For foreigners, registration of Jitsu-in is accepted only when your name is written identically to that on your foreign resident registration card. Depending on the order and characters used for your name on your card (alphabet, katakana or hiragana), the same should be used for seal registration. For details please check at local government offices.
(3) Ginko-in
This is a seal registered at your bank when opening an account. At some banks you can open an account with your signature, but as noted earlier, there are some that require seals. Ginko-in is like a key to your bank account. There are two ways to draw money from your bank account: (i) use your cash card at ATM, or (ii) use your Ginko-in and passbook at the counter.
Generally, Japanese people use round-shaped seals of about 1-2cm in diameter for individual use. For Jitsu-in and Ginko-in, big-sized seals or irregular-shaped seals may not be accepted, so please check the rules at your government offices and banks. |
