Foreign Buyers & Sellers
Nowadays, many foreigners are interested in purchasing Japanese real estate.
We have been helping many foreigners in the process of buy and sell real estate in Japan since we opened our Singapore office in 2012.
Please feel free to contact our office anytime if you are looking to buy or sell foreign real estate. We welcome clients from Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and many other countries and regions.
Important Notes
Payment of the Sale Price
It is necessary to confirm the method of payment of the sale price in advance.
When a foreigner who does not have a bank account in Japan purchases real estate, it is required to transfer the purchase price to Japan in advance to make the delivery of real estate smoothly. However, there are many cases where people are not comfortable moving large sums of money to an unknown account in Japan in advance, even the accounts provided by property agents without a trusting relationship.
Our legal partners from the same STK Group suggest using Escrow Deposit Accounts of Shiho-shoshi Lawyers as your temporary escrow account in Japan, with a notarized escrow agreement available if in need. This method is especially preferred for real estate settlements related to clients from Taiwan.
Delivery and Management of the Title Deeds
Mail it to you, or keep it in management companies in Japan?
Translation of Registration Transcripts and Explanation of Rights
We recommend foreign nationals who do not have Japanese language skills to read translated transcripts.
Management of Investment Properties After Purchase
We’ll take care of the following services: tax agents, notification to Bank of Japan, and withholding taxes.
I want to sell my property through a middle man for an Intermediary-omission Registration
All documents for registration will be provided in both Japanese and foreign languages and signed by the purchaser to avoid potential problems. Previous reference cases available.
Foreigners Selling Japanese Real Properties
Many minor points, including seller identification and affidavits, may take more time than buying, so please take care in advance.
Moreover, it is necessary to pay attention to the delivery of the price and taxes after the sale, compared to regular sales between Japanese citizens.
Please feel free to consult with us.
When a Foreigner Residing in Japan is the Seller
Particular attention is required when a foreigner residing in Japan has moved after purchasing the real property.
Due to a legal amendment, a Certificate of Residence (Jyumin-hyo) will be issued to foreign nationals residing in Japan as of July 9, 2012. Local governments will no longer issue Certificates of Registered Matters. However, due to the legal amendment, a Certificate of Residence could not prove any transfer of address before July 8, 2012. So that if you have not registered a change of address that happened before July 8, 2012, you must submit your alien registration card to the Japanese Legal Affairs Bureau.
Note: If you only moved to a new address on or after July 9, 2012, your Certificate of Residence is enough.
However, since the local governments are no longer possible to issue Certificates of Registered Matters as before, you must request the Ministry of Justice for disclosure of your Alien Registration Card (Gaikokujin-touroku-genpyo) on your own, and it usually takes about a month or more.
Please be aware that recently, multiple cases where the handover date of real properties has been postponed due to the inability to receive the Alien Registration Card in time.