The Japan export certificate is the official document issued when a car’s Japanese registration is cancelled so it can be exported. It proves the car’s identity: chassis number, model, engine and date of first registration. Your customs office and registration authority will ask for it, often with an English translation.
Key takeaways
- The export certificate is issued through Japan’s transport authorities (MLIT) when the car is deregistered for export. It is presented to Japan Customs when the car is exported.
- It shows identity and registration details, and often past odometer readings. It does not show accident history or service records.
- Check that its chassis number and date of first registration match your invoice, bill of lading and your country’s age rule.
What is the Japan export certificate?
It is the car’s official Japanese registration record, closed for export. In Japanese it is usually the 輸出抹消仮登録証明書, often translated as “export deregistration certificate”.
When a car registered in Japan is sold for export, its registration is cancelled at the Transport Bureau. The bureau then issues this certificate. If the car’s registration was already cancelled earlier, a related certificate (輸出予定届出証明書, “export notification certificate”) is issued instead.
Small kei cars go through the same kind of procedure.
The exporter must present the certificate to Japan Customs with the export declaration while it is still valid. It is valid for six months. After customs approves the export, the information is passed back to the transport ministry, so the car is recorded as exported.
What the certificate shows
The certificate copies the main details from the car’s Japanese registration. Look for these fields:
- Registration number: the Japanese number plate the car had.
- Date of first registration (初度登録年月): the year and month the car was first registered in Japan.
- Make (車名) and model code (型式).
- Chassis number (車台番号): the car’s identity number. Most Japanese-market cars use a chassis number such as “NZE141-1234567” rather than a 17-character VIN.
- Engine model (原動機の型式) and engine capacity: engine size often affects duty in the importing country.
- Specifications: body type, seats, fuel type, length, width, height and weights.
- Owner at the time of deregistration: the last registered owner in Japan.
- Odometer readings (走行距離計表示値): many certificates show readings recorded at past inspections, with dates.
What the certificate does not show
Some websites claim the export certificate shows accident history, repair records or the number of previous owners. It does not.
- Accidents and repairs: check the auction sheet. An “R” grade there means repair history.
- Service history: check the maintenance booklet, if the car has one.
- Condition: check the auction sheet, photos and, if your country requires it, the pre-export inspection certificate.
Why it matters to you
The export certificate does three jobs for a buyer.
- It proves the car left Japan legally. A deregistered car with an export record is not a car still registered to someone in Japan.
- It proves the car’s age. Countries with age limits use it. Kenya, for example, counts its age rule by the year of first registration; see Kenya’s car import age limit.
- Your customs office needs it. Many countries ask for the export certificate with an English translation among the clearing documents. Tanzania is one example. See the documents checklist for your country.
Before you pay, you can check a car’s year and chassis details against the listing in our current stock. Ask our office to confirm the exact date of first registration for your country’s rule.
How to check your export certificate
- Chassis number: it must be the same on the certificate, the invoice, the bill of lading, the inspection certificate and the car.
- Date of first registration: make sure it meets your country’s age rule on the date the car arrives, not only on the day you buy.
- Engine capacity and fuel: make sure they match what you ordered, because they can change your duty.
- Mileage: if readings are shown, compare them with the auction sheet and the odometer. They should rise over time.
- Translation: ask for an English translation if your customs office needs one, and check it against the original.
Our guide on checking a Japanese car’s history shows how to use the certificate with the other documents.
When you receive it
The export certificate is part of the document set you receive after shipping, with the bill of lading and invoice. Ask your exporter how and when the originals will be sent, and give your clearing agent the details early.
Keep the original safe. You need it to clear the car, and often again to register it. Our guide to the documents to clear a car at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam shows where it fits.
Frequently asked questions
Is the export certificate the same as the auction sheet?
No. The export certificate is an official registration document from the Japanese authorities. The auction sheet is the auction house’s condition report.
Does the export certificate prove the mileage is genuine?
Not on its own. Past odometer readings on the certificate help you spot problems. Compare them with the auction sheet and the car.
Why does the year on the certificate differ from the model year I was told?
The certificate shows the date of first registration in Japan, which can be later than the date of manufacture. Ask the exporter for both, because countries count age differently.
What if the original certificate is lost?
Tell your exporter at once. Replacing export documents takes time and may delay clearing, so keep the original safe and send copies, not originals, when someone only needs to see it.
Sources
- JETRO: Procedures for exporting used cars from Japan (Japanese; export deregistration, six-month validity, customs declaration)
- MLIT Tohoku District Transport Bureau: Export deregistration (Japanese)
- MLIT: Measures against improper use of export deregistration certificates (Japanese, 1 Feb 2008)
