If you have lost the Japanese Export Certificate for your car and want another copy it’s important to first understand how Japanese export documents are produced.
Before a vehicle can be exported from Japan, it needs to be de-registered through the Japanese Transport Authority (MLIT – Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism).
Only the true owner of the vehicle can do this as the current registration paperwork must be presented at the local MLIT office.
The owner advises the MLIT that the vehicle will be exported, it is then de-registered and an Export Certificate document is produced. Usually this will show the application date for the Export Certificate and the intended date of export from Japan.
The Export Certificate is then provided to Japanese Customs at the time of shipping, allowing the vehicle to be legally exported from Japan.
This process is in place to ensure genuine ownership and prevent the export of stolen vehicles from Japan.
Since 2004, a change to the Japanese law has also required the last two registration inspections to be recorded on the registration paperwork, which is carried onto the Japanese Export Certificate.
This makes it very difficult for odometer tampering to occur in Japan, as the new owner would immediately see the difference between the kms on the paperwork compared to the car itself. So always ask to see the Export Certificate first when you are buying a vehicle imported from Japan – it is a major red flag if the seller is reluctant to provide the Export Certificate or claims they do not have a copy.
Japanese vehicles for private use are inspected 3 years from new then every 2 years. So the Japanese Export Certificate may show dates and odometer (km) readings going back as far as 7 years (if the vehicle is coming up for re-registration or the Japanese registration has expired at the time it is exported).
Note that this process can still be rorted by those who understand how the system works. For example, a car could have the odometer wound back then re-registered twice in quick succession to “wipe out” previous km records on the Japanese Export Certificate. So it’s important to look for the normal 2 to 3 year gap (for private use vehicles) between the dates on this document.
Also worth noting is that cars that were exported from Japan while still within their first 3 year period of registration (or just after this has run out and prior to re-registration) will not have any km readings at all shown on the Export Certificate. Some sellers may use this to avoid being caught when falsifying the km on near new cars, so be extra careful with cars that were exported when less than 3 years old.
Following shipment, it is standard practice for the Japanese exporter to post the original Export Certificate copy together with any additional items that came with the car such as spare keys and books.
Unfortunately sometimes this does not happen as it should, or the Export Certificate may be lost. The registration authority in your country will ask for the Export Certificate before registration, leaving you trying to work out how to get a replacement Export Certificate from Japan.
HOWEVER, most people do not realize that the Export Certificate is only produced ONE TIME. So once lost it cannot be replaced – the MLIT will not produce another Export Certificate.
The only official replacement document that the MLIT will provide is called the Registration Certificate. This has all the same information as the Export Certificate, shows the official date of export and can be used to register the vehicle in other countries*.
*Note that most staff at registration offices in other countries DO NOT UNDERSTAND how the document system works in Japan. They will ask for the Export Certificate as they have been trained to do, so you will need to explain the above situation when you provide the Registration Certificate instead. While this works fine with the proper explanation in almost all cases, obviously you may encounter issues with certain staff members. Whether a PDF copy is sufficient or the original document is required will also vary from place to place.
We cannot control what your registration authority asks for ! Please make sufficient enquiries with your local registration office BEFORE ordering the Registration Certificate to ensure this meets your needs, and whether you will need the original document posted.
In contrast, the MLIT records we access to compile our reports enable us to provide our Intermediate and Full reports containing the same km data (and other general registration data) within 1 to 2 business days.
Timeframe is often critical when conducting pre-purchase checks. We appreciate this fact and provide all reports with the fastest possible turnaround.
If you are buying a Japanese import that is already in your country, it is worth bearing in mind that the Japanese Export Certificate can be easily faked or altered by a dishonest seller, so you should only trust the original watermarked document.
It is also important to be aware that for newer cars that were only registered once (when new with zero kms) then exported from Japan before re-registration (not yet three years old), the Export Certificate will not provide any km data. This allows dishonest sellers to falsify the kms to any figure they wish and still supply you the original Export Certificate without fear of getting caught.
In one recent case of a 3 year old vehicle checked for a client in Sydney, Australia, the dealer had it advertised showing just 9,200 km on the odometer, and with a sticker price of $80,000 AUD.
Auction records showed the vehicle had been auctioned in Japan 8 months prior with 56,000 km. Based on the real Japanese auction price, it would have cost approx. $55,000 AUD to import.
Clearly, without obtaining the auction records independently, the potential buyer would never have known this information.
In some countries like Australia, the original Japanese Export Certificate must be held on file by the compliance workshop that issued the import approval. The details of this company can be found on the official compliance plate affixed to the car.
If the compliance company is the same as the company selling the car, you should consider that they:
1) Have a vested interest in ensuring the vehicle is sold for a profit, and
2) Are also responsible for inspecting the car for rust and accident repairs on arrival and deciding whether it meets the import criteria allowing it to come into the country.
In cases like this it is well worth undertaking your own investigation and obtaining INDEPENDENT history checks to confirm the accuracy of the Japanese Export Certificate or any other paperwork such as Japanese auction reports supplied with the car, with regard to condition and kms.
Some clever sellers may adjust the odometer down to a number just above the most recent reading on the Japanese Export Certificate (or to whatever they want for newer cars like the case above), which is why checking the past auction sheet/s together with the all available registration history from the Japanese Transport Authority is always a very good idea.
