Obtaining a secondhand-goods dealer permit: what the premises need

In short: to buy, sell or exchange secondhand goods, or to sell used cars and the like as a business, you need a permit (a secondhand-goods dealer permit) from the prefectural public safety commission with jurisdiction over the location of your main premises, under Article 3, paragraph 1 of the Secondhand Goods Business Act. The counter is the community safety division of the police station with jurisdiction; the fee is 19,000 yen and the standard processing period is about 40 days excluding weekends and holidays. You appoint one manager for each premises (Article 13, paragraph 1), and for a leased property you are asked for a copy of the lease and the owner's or management company's consent to use. If you trade via a website, you notify the URL and documents showing your right to use the domain (Article 5, paragraph 1, item 6). This article is general information organising the premises requirements, the documents for a leased property, the manager, the URL notification and the division of roles; it does not judge the outcome of any individual permit.

What property is recognised as premises for a secondhand-goods dealer permit?

Secondhand goods means an article once used, an article not used but traded for use, or one of these with some maintenance applied (Article 2 of the Secondhand Goods Business Act). A permit is required to buy, sell or exchange these as a business.

The premises must be a base where you can actually conduct the trading and management of secondhand goods, keep the ledger, and have the manager supervise. Because it is the subject of the permit from the prefectural public safety commission with jurisdiction over the location, actual use is a prerequisite.

Type of property	Treatment as premises
Self-owned building or office	Readily recognised (a document showing ownership is often enough)
Leased tenant space or office	A copy of the lease and, as needed, a consent-to-use form are required
A room in your rented home used for residence	Because the purpose of use is residential, the owner's or management company's consent to use is often required
A virtual office or PO box only	Hard to recognise unless you can show the reality of trading and management

Within the scope of administrative-scrivener work, Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office supports confirming the premises requirements, preparing the application documents and acting as agent for the filing. The individual outcome is a matter for the prefectural public safety commission's examination.

What consent and documents are needed for a leased property?

To make a leased property your premises, first prepare a copy of the lease. If the lease's purpose of use is "office" or "shop," it can often be used as premises as is; but if it is "residence" or "residential use," a consent-to-use form from the owner or management company for using it in a secondhand-goods business is generally required.

Situation	Approximate documents to prepare
Lease whose purpose is office or shop	A copy of the lease
Lease whose purpose is residential	A copy of the lease plus the owner's or management company's consent to use
Subleased (received a sublease)	Documents showing consent under the original lease and that subletting is permitted
Using a relative's property free of charge	Documents showing consent for the loan for use

Obtaining consent may require negotiating with the lessor. Checking and adjusting the property's terms of use and the lease are handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate broker), a separate business from Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office, under a separate contract as an independent business. Our office receives no referral fee.

What are the requirements for people and procedures, such as the manager and the URL notification?

The secondhand-goods dealer permit has several requirements on the side of people and procedures.

• Appointment of a manager (Article 13, paragraph 1): for each premises, you appoint one manager as the person responsible for properly conducting the business. If you have multiple premises, each needs a manager.
• Not falling under a disqualification (Article 4): you cannot obtain a permit if you fall under, for example, a person who has received a decision to commence bankruptcy proceedings and has not been restored to rights (item 1); a person sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier penalty, or fined for a certain offence, for whom five years have not passed (item 2); a person with no fixed residence (item 5); a person who, due to a mental or physical disorder, cannot properly conduct the business (item 8); or a person with reasonable grounds to be found unable to appoint a manager (item 10). The 2022 revision of the Penal Code unified imprisonment with and without labour into "imprisonment (kokin-kei)," in force from 1 June 2025.
• URL notification for website trading (Article 5, paragraph 1, item 6): if you buy and sell secondhand goods on the internet, you notify the URL of the website you use (the code identifying the transmission source). You also prepare documents showing the domain's registrant and that you, the applicant, have the right to use it (such as a domain assignment notice issued by a provider).

Having met these, you pay the fee of 19,000 yen; the standard processing period is about 40 days (excluding weekends and holidays).

Who handles the permit application, the property contract and the company registration?

Opening a secondhand-goods business spans several fields. The roles are as follows.

• Confirming requirements, preparing documents and acting as agent for the secondhand-goods dealer permit → Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener)
• The lease of the property to be used as premises, obtaining consent to use, and checking the terms of use → Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate broker)
• Registration such as company incorporation and change of officers when opening as a company → a judicial scrivener

Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office and Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. are separate businesses. Each field is on the premise that you contract separately with each qualified professional as an independent business, and our office receives no referral fee. For the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; for fees, see Fee Schedule; and for the whole picture of our services, see Permits and Applications. Other opening permits are also covered in Serving alcohol after midnight: what notification do you need? and How do you obtain an industrial waste collection and transport permit?.

FAQ

Q. Can I make my home the premises?
A. You may be able to make your home the premises. If you own it, a document showing ownership is often enough; but if you rent and the purpose of use is residential, consent from the owner or management company to use it in a secondhand-goods business is generally required. It presupposes that you can show the reality of trading and management at the premises. The individual outcome is judged by the prefectural public safety commission.

Q. Do I need a permit even for online sales only?
A. If you buy, sell or exchange secondhand goods as a business, a permit is required whether in person or online. If you trade via a website, you notify its URL (Article 5, paragraph 1, item 6) and prepare documents showing your right to use the domain. Continuous secondhand trading on flea-market apps or online shops can also be covered.

Q. How much are the cost and the period?
A. The permit application fee is 19,000 yen. The standard processing period differs by prefecture but is generally about 40 days excluding weekends and holidays. In addition, there are costs for obtaining the required documents such as a residence certificate and a certificate of no disqualification. Because deficiencies in documents can extend the examination, checking in advance is important.

Q. I have a past criminal penalty. Can I still obtain a permit?
A. It depends on whether you fall under a disqualification (Article 4). If you were sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier penalty, or fined for a certain offence such as a violation of the Secondhand Goods Business Act, and five years have not passed since the sentence was served, you may fall under a disqualification. Whether you fall under it and the individual decision are made by the prefectural public safety commission, so we recommend checking before applying.

Sources (Primary Information)

• e-Gov Law Search, "Secondhand Goods Business Act" (Act No. 108 of 1949), Article 2, Article 3, paragraph 1, Article 4, Article 5, paragraph 1, and Article 13, paragraph 1 (accessed 2026-08-26)
• Metropolitan Police Department, guidance on the "secondhand-goods dealer permit application" (fee, standard processing period, required documents, URL notification) (accessed 2026-08-26)
• Each prefectural police's "Guide to the secondhand-goods dealer permit application" (explaining the premises requirements, consent to use and the manager) (accessed 2026-08-26)

This article is general information and does not guarantee the outcome of any individual permit, the applicability of a disqualification, the fulfilment of the premises requirements, the required documents or the examination period. The permit outcome and examination are matters for the prefectural public safety commission (police station with jurisdiction). Confirm the forms, attachments and examination standards of each prefecture on the relevant police's official page. Obtaining the lease and consent to use for the property to be used as premises is handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate broker), and registration such as company incorporation and change of officers by a judicial scrivener, each as an independent business under a separate contract. Our office receives no referral fee. Individual judgements are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.