Correction of a Family Register
QUESTION
I was acknowledged by my Japanese father and was registered in his koseki-tohon. The problem arised when we noticed that there’s a typographical error in my Philippine birth certificate about my birth year. My real birthday is Nov. 10, 2000 but what is typed in my NSO birth certificate is Nov. 10, 1999. That was what the NSO birth certificate my father submitted to Japan Embassy here in the Philippines. Because of this, we went to Regional Trial Court and made a petition for the correction of my birth certificate. And, the court granted this petition. Now I have a new birth certificate with my birthday Nov. 10, 2000. What shall we do to change the birth certificate my father submitted first to Japan Embassy? How should my birth year in my father’s koseki-tohon be corrected? Because, if it will not be changed, it gives me problem traveling to Japan.
– Sachiko, Butuan City
ANSWER
As you know, the error of the birth date difference for one year is not absolutely and incredibly accepted in Japan. However, I am not surprised since so many cases as your cases are generated in the Philippines. For your information, your case is impossible to carry out by the Japanese Embassy/Consulate in the Philippines. However, you have to get the official document from the Family Court in Japan. This document is titled the “Permission about the Correction of Family Register” and will certainly be issued from the Court after the trial.
The procedure of this “Correction of Family Register” is as follows:
- Your Japanese father must prepare the following documents.
- Written petition (As per attached documents)
- Other documents of the standard case.
(1) Family register (or Removal-Family Register,Revised Original Family Register) which the correction should be carried out.
(2) Your birth certificate issued from NSO & the Japanese translation
(3) The determination of RTC about the correction & the Japanese translation
* It will be often requested for the presentation of additional documents for trial.
- Your father must appear in the Family Court and state the family register’s correction by submitting the above-mentioned documents.
- The Family Court will issue the official document of determination called “Referee Decision” to him after the trial would have been conducted at the Court.
- He submits the “Referee Decision” issued from the court to his permanent domicile public office.
- His permanent domicile public office will correct the year of your date of birth on his Family Register from “1999” to “2000” based on the “Referee Decision”
Office name: Miyoshi International Legal Counsel Office
Telephone/Fax (Japanese/English): 042-339-8013(office), 090-14360-4107(Mobile phone)
E-mail: miyoshi@ipcworld.co.jp or joshua-galasha@mvg.biglobe.ne.jp (Japanese/English) OR p-digest@ipcworld.co.jp(English/Tagalog)
Website: www.phildigest.jp
Nearest station: Keio Nagayama by Keio line or Odakyu Nagayama by Odakyu line in Tama-city, Tokyo
Working hour/day: 09:00-18:00/Monday-Saturday (except holidays)