Revenue Stamps

Sometimes you will need a revenue stamp to pay for administrative procedures in Japan. However, there are different stamps depending on the procedure. Their names are very similar so please confirm before buying!

Stamp	Japanese name	What you may need it for	Where you can buy them?
National revenue stamp	収入印紙, shuunyuu inshi	To pay for certain kinds of taxes Immigration bureau matters	Post offices
Prefectural revenue stamp	（岩手県）収入証紙, （Iwate-ken） shuunyuu shoushi	To pay fees for various prefectural procedures （such as getting a driver’s license）	Iwate Bank, government offices. To view a list of sellers, go here （JPN only）
Municipal revenue stamp	（市町村）収入証紙, （Name of municipality） shuunyuu shoushi	To pay fees for various municipal procedures	Municipal offices

You can get stamps in a number of different denominations.

What to do if you bought the wrong kind of stamp

Unfortunately, if you bought a national revenue stamp （収入印紙, shuunyuu inshi） on accident, you will not be able to get a refund. However, prefectural stamps can be refunded.

Refunds for prefectural revenue stamps （収入証紙, shuunyuu shoushi）

You will have to fill out a form （JPN only） and hand it in to one of Iwate’s regional development bureaus. A few days later, the money will be refunded into your designated bank account.

• Iwate Prefectural Revenue Stamp Refund Application（JPN only） （PDF 132.2KB）
• More details here （JPN only）

List of Iwate’s regional development bureaus

Morioka Regional Development Bureau

Department of Management and Planning
Phone: 019-629-6667

Southern Regional Development Bureau

• Main bureau （Oshu） - Department of General Affairs
  Phone: 0197-22-2851
• Hanamaki General Affairs Center
  Phone: 0198-22-4911
• Ichinoseki General Affairs Center
  Phone: 0191-26-1411
• Kitakami Public Works Center
  Phone: 0197-65-2738
• Tono Public Works Center
  Phone: 0198-62-9938
• Senmaya Public Works Center （Ichinoseki）
  Phone: 0191-52-4971

Coastal Regional Development Bureau

• Main Bureau （Kamaishi） - Department of Management and Planning
  Phone: 0193-25-2717
• Ofunato Regional Promotions Center
  Phone: 0192-27-9916
• Miyako Regional Promotions Center
  Phone: 0193-64-2211

Northern Regional Development Bureau

• Main Bureau （Kuji） - Department of Management and Planning
  Phone: 0194-53-4981
• Ninohe Regional Promotions Center
  Phone: 0195-23-9201