Ordinary cars need 車庫証明 before registration. Kei cars in designated cities need 届出, often after plates. Own land uses 自認書 — not a free pass past the police.
15 min read · Category: paperwork
Back to Guides | Paperwork · 12 min read · Updated August 2026
Ordinary cars need a police parking certificate (shako-shōmei / 車庫証明) before registration. Kei cars in designated cities need a kei parking filing (shako todokede / 車庫の届出), often after plates. If you own the land, an own-land statement (jininsho / 自認書) replaces landlord consent — not the police step itself.
By Tre Mckee · Sapporo
Japan wants to know where your car will sleep before it lets most cars onto the road. People often call all of this “shako-shoumei.” That is useful shorthand, but it can hide an important difference.
An ordinary car needs a police parking certificate (shako-shōmei) before registration. A kei in a designated city needs a kei parking filing (shako todokede), often after plates are issued. A kei outside those cities has no kei police filing.
If you rent your parking space, you will usually need a landlord or management-company form. If you own the land, you use own-land statement (jininsho) instead. Either way, the police step still applies when your vehicle and city require it.
| Ordinary car (普通車) | Kei in designated cities | Kei outside those cities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process | parking certificate (shako-shōmei / 車庫証明) | kei parking filing (shako todokede / 車庫の届出) | No kei police filing |
| Usual timing | Before registration | Often after plates (~15 days) | — |
| Parking permission | Landlord consent or jininsho | Same | Keep landlord permission clear |
| Where to check | Local police | Zenkeijikyo (全軽自協) list | Outside that list |
For the wider purchase paperwork, see foreigner document checklist.
Yes. An ordinary car normally needs parking certificate (shako-shōmei) before it can be registered.
A parking certificate (shako-shōmei) is a parking certificate issued by the police responsible for the place where the car will be kept. It shows that you have a legal, accessible parking space for that vehicle.
The official fees are usually a few thousand yen. Dealers may offer to handle the process for ¥10,000 to ¥30,000. That can be worth it if they are genuinely taking the trips and paperwork off your plate, but it is still useful to understand what is being done in your name.
Once the car and parking place are confirmed, the usual flow looks like this:
The police office is based on where the car will be parked, not necessarily where you work or where the dealer is located.
Usually, no. You can get ready early, but the application works best once the car is real.
A landlord's form, a rough layout, and a conversation with your property manager can all happen before the final choice. The actual police filing needs the vehicle's size and details to match the space you are claiming.
This is why “we can close this week” can become stressful for an ordinary-car buyer. A good dealer understands that parking paperwork has its own clock. Before you pay a deposit with strict terms, ask how they will handle the parking certificate (shako-shōmei) window.
It depends on the city where the kei will be parked.
A kei in a designated city needs kei parking filing. A kei outside the designated list has no kei police filing. The official reference is the National Federation of Light Motor Vehicle Associations kei parking list.
The key point is that kei parking filing (todokede) is not the same process as an ordinary-car parking certificate (shako-shōmei).
In a designated city, file the kei notification promptly after the plates are issued or the new owner is registered.
The association language for a new purchase is tadachi ni (直ちに), meaning promptly. In practical terms, we treat around 15 days from plates or new-owner registration as the window you should not let drift.
You may still need two police trips: one to file and one to collect the completed paperwork. It is easy to forget because the car may already be sitting in your parking space by then.
Outside the list, there is no kei police filing.
That does not mean parking stops mattering. If you rent the space, get clear permission from the landlord or management company. You still need a place where the car can legally stay, and it is better to settle that conversation before delivery day.
If you rent your parking space, you will usually need a parking consent form.
This is the landlord consent form. Your landlord or property manager confirms that you have permission to use the space. The basic name is national, though individual prefectures use their own version of the form.
Most property managers have seen it before. Ask what they need from you and whether they charge an administration fee. Some are quick, while others need several business days. That small delay can shape the whole registration calendar.
If the paperwork feels like a blur, use foreigner document checklist as your wider timeline. It helps keep parking documents separate from City Hall documents.
If you own the land where the car will be parked, you use own-land statement (jininsho) instead of a landlord consent form.
The formal name is own-land statement, formally hokan basho shiyō ken-gen somei shomen (保管場所使用権原疎明書面), but you will usually hear it called own-land statement (jininsho). It is your statement that the parking space belongs to you or is under your legal control.
This does not waive the police requirement. It simply replaces the landlord's permission attachment.
Shared family land, employer parking, or a company-owned lot can be more complicated. Bring up the real ownership arrangement early. It is much easier to sort out before the dealer is waiting for final documents.
Start the conversation early, but do the final filing once the car is chosen.
For an ordinary car, the parking certificate sits before registration. For a kei in a designated city, the notification often comes after plates. That is the part people mix up.
Once you choose the car, confirm the dealer's document schedule, get the landlord form or own-land statement (jininsho) moving, and apply at the police station when the vehicle details are ready.
Do not assume a fast dealer sale means the police certificate can appear overnight. The certificate commonly takes a few days, and that is before other registration work is completed.
A kei can feel simpler because the filing often follows plates. It is still a legal task with a real deadline.
Put a reminder in your calendar when the plates are issued. Treat the notification as part of the purchase, not a loose end for later.
Your parking paperwork is only one part of the file. The jūminhyō and, for ordinary cars, the inkan registration certificate have separate validity windows.
That is why I recommend collecting those City Hall documents late, once the dealer's pack is ready. The jūminhyō and inkan guide explains what to collect and when.
After you choose the car, about one month is a realistic fast end for paperwork and handover.
Sometimes it moves quicker. But planning around a guaranteed two-week path is how people end up frustrated. Police timing, City Hall trips, landlord forms, dealer administration, insurance, and delivery all sit on the same calendar.
The goal is not to make the process sound heavier than it is. It is manageable. You just want to know where the waiting points are before you promise yourself a delivery date.
We coordinate the dealer paperwork, prepare Japanese forms where we can, and clearly mark where you need to stamp or sign.
You still go to City Hall and the police station for the personal steps that require your wet-ink signature or stamp. Co-Pilot gives you preparation and guidance. Chauffeur adds live phone support on City Hall and police days when we can schedule it.
You can see how that fits into the wider deal process on How it works. We do not pretend there is a magic shortcut around a counter that needs you in person. We make sure you arrive knowing what the counter is asking for.
Parking paperwork is not hard because the forms are impossible. It is hard because it sits between a dealer, a landlord, a police office, City Hall, your schedule, and a car that may be moving faster than the paperwork.
Kurumagic keeps the right version of the process in front of you. We separate ordinary parking certificate (shako-shōmei) from kei parking filing, check whether own-land own-land statement (jininsho) applies, speak with dealers in Japanese, and help prepare the pack before you are standing at a counter wondering what a form means.
If you would rather spend your time choosing the right car than learning parking administration from scratch, see if we're a fit.
No. They are related parking processes, but an ordinary car needs a parking certificate (shako-shōmei) certificate before registration. A kei in a designated city needs a kei parking filing notification, often after plates.
If your car and city require a police step, yes. An own-land statement (jininsho) replaces landlord consent only. It does not replace parking certificate (shako-shōmei) for an ordinary car or kei parking filing in a designated city.
No. Only keis parked in designated cities need kei parking filing. Check the official zenkeijikyo list for your parking location.
We prepare and support the process, but we do not replace your legal presence where the police or City Hall requires your personal wet-ink step.
The police certificate often takes roughly two or three days after application, depending on the prefecture and police station. The full registration and handover process takes longer, so plan around about one month after the car is chosen.
We're an independent buyer's agent for foreigners in Japan — bilingual, local, and not owned by a dealer. We handle the searching, the negotiating, the paperwork, and the awkward Japanese phone calls. You end up with a car you'd have picked yourself, without the six weeks of learning first.