How to Request an Employment Certificate in Japan: Proof of Employment and Work History

An employment certificate is a document in which an employer certifies matters such as employment status and employment dates. Start by obtaining the recipient's required format and fields, then ask the HR or general affairs department at your current or former employer to issue it.

Japanese instructions may refer to zaishoku shomeisho, zaiseki shomeisho, kinmu shomeisho, or shokureki shomeisho. Do not choose a document by its name alone: establish who must certify which facts and for what period. This guide covers requesting and checking certificates connected with changing jobs in Japan.

Employment, enrollment, and work history certificates: the differences

These distinctions are a reading aid. Names and contents vary by issuer and recipient. For example, Iga City issues a document called a zaishoku shomeisho to people who previously worked for the city and have left, and explains requests involving differently named recipient forms. This illustrates why the name alone does not establish whether a certificate concerns current employment. Its process is specific to the city. See Iga City's issuance guidance.

Our guide to certificates issued when leaving employment covers the statutory document in detail. Here, the focus is requesting proof of employment and work history.

Six requirements to establish before requesting issuance

Turn the recipient's email or instructions into a clear request for the issuer. Simply asking for “one employment certificate” can leave necessary information unspecified.

• Format: Must the recipient's form be used, or is the employer's form acceptable?
• Certified facts: Are employment status, dates, duties, employment type, or working hours needed?
• Reference date: What date must the employment status relate to, and is there an issue-date requirement?
• Copies and format: How many originals, copies, or PDFs are needed?
• Issuer: Who must certify the facts, and are a signature or seal specified?
• Deadline and collection: When is submission due, and how will the document be delivered?

Obtain the required form and its completion instructions before contacting your employer. Do not add unrelated income or personal information that the recipient does not require.

How to obtain an employment certificate: request to submission

1. Find the responsible issuing contact

For your current employer, check with HR, general affairs, the internal request system, or the appropriate manager. For a former employer, use the HR contact from your departure or the company's official contact channel.

A former colleague is not necessarily authorized to sign a certificate on behalf of the company. Contact the department or person responsible for certifying the facts as the employer.

2. Request the required facts and explain the deadline

Provide your name, previous department where relevant, employment dates, required facts, purpose, submission deadline, and preferred collection method. If your name or address has changed, provide matching information through the secure method the employer specifies.

If asked about the purpose, explain the actual purpose. If you are unsure whether the recipient's name must be disclosed, ask what information is necessary for issuance. Do not misrepresent the request as an unrelated procedure.

3. Confirm the expected issue date and delivery method

There is no universal same-day or three-business-day turnaround for every employer. Record checks, approval, and mailing affect timing. Confirm the expected issue date separately from your submission deadline.

Iga City's guidance gives an ordinary estimate of around one to two weeks for its former employees, with longer times possible. This is the city's own practice, rather than a standard applying to other employers. See its processing-time guidance.

4. Check the issued certificate

Review your name, employment dates, employment type, required duties, reference date, and issuer details. Compare each field with the recipient's requirements.

If a fact is wrong, ask the issuer for correction or reissuance. Do not edit the dates or duties yourself and submit the altered document. Distinguish the original for submission from your own retained copy.

5. Submit through the designated channel and keep a record

Follow the recipient's instructions for mailing an original or uploading a PDF. If the document contains an address or date of birth, check the recipient and avoid public sharing links.

Record the submission date, acknowledgment, and any further requests. Use our job-change paperwork checklist to manage related documents.

Example requests to HR or general affairs

These are fictional examples. Adjust the identifying information depending on whether you are contacting your current or former employer.

Requesting from your current employer

Subject: Request for an employment certificate — [department and name]

“Dear HR team, I am [name] from [department]. I need an employment certificate for [actual purpose], and have attached the required form. The required facts are my employment status, starting date, and employment type. The recipient requires one original by [date]. Could you let me know the expected issue date and collection method? Please also advise whether any additional application procedure is necessary.”

Requesting from a former employer

Subject: Request for certification of employment dates and duties — [name]

“Dear HR team, I worked in [department] from [date] to [date]. My new employer requires verification of my work history using the attached form. The required facts are my employment dates, employment type, and duties. Submission is due on [date]. Could you advise whether you can issue the certificate, the expected issue date, and any identification or collection procedure I should follow?”

Replace the purpose, required facts, and original/PDF requirements with the actual details. Even if identification documents may be needed, first confirm the official submission procedure rather than attaching them speculatively to an initial email.

Example employment and work history certificate entries

The following fictional entries help you check a document with the issuer. A table you complete yourself is not, by itself, an employer-issued certificate ready for submission.

Detailed work history forms may ask for working hours and specific duties. Chiba City's work history form is one official example with fields for employment dates, employment arrangements, and duties. It is a form for the city's recruitment process, rather than a list of mandatory fields for all employers. See the Chiba City work history certificate form.

If you worked in several departments or employment arrangements, ask the recipient whether a combined period is sufficient or separate entries are needed.

If issuance is refused or the deadline cannot be met

Establish which certification is actually required

Distinguish current employment proof, past-duty verification, and the statutory certificate issued when leaving employment. Article 22 of Japan's Labour Standards Act requires prompt issuance of requested departure-related matters, and excludes matters the employee did not request. This does not automatically apply to every current-employment certificate or recipient-specific form. See the ministry's Q&A on certificates when leaving employment.

Tell the recipient what is missing and when it may be available

Example: “I have requested the certificate from my employer, but issuance is unlikely before the submission deadline. The current expected issue date is [date]. Could we discuss an adjusted deadline, the employer's alternative format, or other documents that could verify the required facts?”

Wait for the recipient's decision rather than assuming an extension or substitute will be accepted. A withholding tax statement or employment contract may not establish current employment status or all detailed duties.

If the employer has closed or old records are unavailable

Identify the records you still have and the facts that cannot be certified, then discuss them with the recipient. Do not create a misleading certificate or use someone else's signature to fill a gap.

Frequently asked questions

Can I complete an employment certificate myself?

You may enter accurate facts in fields the employer asks you to complete. You cannot independently supply the issuer's certification or company seal. Follow the employer's verification and issuance process.

Is a company seal always required?

Check the recipient's form and the issuer's procedure. There is no single seal requirement for every purpose; also ask whether electronic issuance is accepted.

Is a work history certificate the same as a career history document?

A shokumu keirekisho is an application document in which you describe your experience. A shokureki shomeisho issued by an employer has a different author and purpose. Confirm the document name and required facts with the recipient.

To obtain the right certificate, establish the recipient's requirements before asking the issuer for the necessary facts and deadline. Match the period and information being certified, rather than relying only on the document's name.