Points to know when HANKO a corporate seal

HANKO that must be made for registration

The first thing a corporation must do to register a HANKO is to create a HANKO for registration. Even if you want to register something, you don't have to spend a lot of money to make it, and it is possible to register even a cheap HANKO.

There are fewer opportunities to affix physical seals on paper than in the past, and the reason why the quality of the HANKO used for work has become less important is largely related to the digitization of various business operations. Many companies used to register their HANKO using high-quality materials, but recently more and more companies are making HANKO without worrying about the material.

Representative seal (corporate seal/office seal)

Sizes and shapes of HANKO that can be registered

There are several things you need to be aware of when creating a HANKO for corporate HANKO registration.
What you need to be especially careful about is the size of the HANKO you are making. Not all sizes can be registered, so if you produce a product that does not meet the regulations, it will not be able to be registered. In this case, you will have to request the shop that manufactures the HANKO to make it again.
This is a very tedious method as it costs not only money but also time. In order to prevent such mistakes in advance, it is very important to know the size of HANKO that can be registered.

The size of the HANKO that must be submitted to the registry office must fit within a square with one side length between 1cm and 3cm.
This is stipulated in Article 9, Paragraph 3 of the Commercial Registration Regulations. Article 9, Paragraph 4 of the Commercial Registration Regulations also stipulates that the HANKO must be suitable for verification.
For this reason, those who are going to make company HANKO should keep these regulations in mind before ordering products from the shop that makes the HANKO.

It is especially easy to make mistakes in the length of one side, and you need to be careful not to make larger ones such as 4cm or 5cm by mistake.
Another thing to be careful about is the shape of HANKO; if you make it in a shape that extends even slightly from the 3cm square, it will not be able to be registered.

Legal affairs bureau where you can register HANKO

If a corporation wishes to register a HANKO, it must notify the relevant administrative agency. Corporations must register HANKO at the Legal Affairs Bureau located at the location of their head office. For this reason, companies that have offices in locations other than their main office need to be careful when registering HANKO. You cannot register with the Legal Affairs Bureau where your branch office is located, and you cannot register with the Legal Affairs Bureau where your business office is located.

If you really want to register HANKO in a specific location, you will first need to move the location of your head office. For example, if your company has a branch office in Tokyo and its head office is in Osaka, and you want to register HANKO in Tokyo, you will need to move your company's head office to Tokyo. Once you move your head office to Tokyo, you will be able to register HANKO in Tokyo. This method is recommended for companies that are particular about where they register HANKO.

HANKO delivered to the Legal Affairs Bureau in this way are called ``Representative Seals.'' This representative seal will be used as the company's registered seal. These representative seals can also be used as the company's official seal when entering into important contracts with other companies. In Article 20 of the Commercial Registration Act,

It is stipulated that the person who is to affix their seal on the registration application form must submit that HANKO to the registry office in advance. In the case of a general company, the representative director, etc. falls under the category of people who should affix their seal. For other corporations, this applies to directors, etc.

Issuance of a HANKO certificate after registration

If a corporation has registered HANKO, a HANKO certificate can be issued. HANKO certificates are required in various situations for corporations to carry out their business activities.
A HANKO certificate may also be required when a corporation conducts transactions with financial institutions such as banks. A HANKO certificate is required when a corporation opens a corporate account at a financial institution. If you are unable to submit a HANKO impression certificate, you will not be able to open a corporate account at a financial institution, so before opening an account, it is necessary to register your HANKO so that a certificate can be issued. there is.

A HANKO certificate is also required when a corporation signs a real estate contract. Obtaining a HANKO certificate is important not only when you want to sell real estate owned by a corporation, but also when you want to buy real estate from another company. These documents are also required if you want to purchase a building to use as a company office.

If you want to purchase land to build a building on, you will also need a certificate. For this reason, corporations planning to transact land should register HANKO with the Legal Affairs Bureau as early as possible. A HANKO certificate is also required when registering to transfer ownership. In order for the transfer of ownership to be effective against others, it must be registered in advance, and if you forget to register, you may not be able to act against others. Therefore, early registration is important in such cases as well.

Legal affairs bureau where you can get a HANKO certificate issued

If you wish to obtain a HANKO certificate for a HANKO registered by a corporation, you must request the Legal Affairs Bureau to issue one. Recently, it has become possible to make a claim online without having to go to the government office in person. If the Legal Affairs Bureau is located close to your company or if you have the time to go to the government office, it will be faster to go directly to the Legal Affairs Bureau and have it issued. However, if there is no legal affairs bureau near your company, or if there is one but you don't have enough time to go to the office, it is better to use the Internet to file a claim.

If you would like to visit the Legal Affairs Bureau in person to have a HANKO certificate issued, you can go through the procedures at any Legal Affairs Bureau nationwide. Previously, the legal affairs bureau that could register a HANKO was limited to the legal affairs bureau in the location of the corporation's head office, but if you just want to have a HANKO certificate issued, you can do the procedure at any other legal affairs bureau.

It is only relatively recently that it has become possible to obtain a HANKO certificate in this way. Until recently, HANKO certificates could only be issued at designated legal affairs bureaus.

However, the system has been changed to make it easier for users to obtain certificates. The best way for corporations to easily obtain HANKO certificates is to use electronic certificates. If a corporation has electronically certified in advance, a HANKO certificate can be obtained at any time over the Internet.

Fees required for issuing a HANKO certificate

To obtain a certificate of a HANKO registered by a corporation at the Legal Affairs Bureau, a fee must be paid. The cost required to have a HANKO certificate issued varies depending on the procedure used. If you go directly to a legal affairs bureau and obtain a certificate, the costs required for issuance will be higher. However, you can obtain the necessary documents quickly, so if you want to have a HANKO certificate issued in the shortest possible time, it is best to go to the Legal Affairs Bureau yourself and have it issued.

If you go through the procedures at the Legal Affairs Bureau and have a HANKO certificate issued, the cost is 450 yen. This is the issuance fee per certificate; if you wish to have multiple certificates issued, you will need to pay the fee according to the number of certificates. If you receive 2 tickets, the total cost will be 900 yen, and if you receive 5 tickets, the fee will be 2250 yen.

Please note that these fees can only be paid in cash. For this reason, people who usually only use credit cards need to have cash available for payment.

You can obtain a HANKO certificate at a cheaper rate by requesting it online. The cheapest way is to request it online and pick it up at the Legal Affairs Bureau counter. If you use this method, you can receive it for 390 yen per ticket. The cost to have it sent is 410 yen.

summary

In order for a corporation to register a HANKO, it must first request a shop to produce a HANKO. When making a HANKO, you must pay attention to the size and shape of the HANKO. You need to make a HANKO that fits within a 1cm to 3cm square. When registering a HANKO, registration is required at the Legal Affairs Bureau located at the location of the corporation's head office. If you register HANKO, your corporation will be able to issue you with a HANKO certificate. Requests for issuance can also be made online. Charges will be cheaper if you request online.