How to Read and Check a “Real Estate Brokerage License” When Choosing a Real Estate Company in Osaka

When choosing a company to consult about buying, selling, or leasing real estate, the first thing to check is its “license for real estate brokerage business (宅地建物取引業（宅建業）の免許).” In this article, based on public information such as the Real Estate Brokerage Act (宅地建物取引業法), we summarize how to read a license number and the checkpoints when selecting a company to consult.

This article is intended to provide general information and is not legal advice for any individual transaction (as of October 16, 2026).

Real Estate Brokerage Licenses: “Governor’s License” and “Minister’s License”

Under Article 3 of the Real Estate Brokerage Act, a person who intends to conduct real estate brokerage business must obtain a license from the governor of the relevant prefecture if the person establishes offices only within the area of one prefecture, or from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通大臣) if the person establishes offices in two or more prefectures.

If the license is issued by the “Osaka Prefectural Governor,” it means that the offices for the real estate brokerage business are located only within Osaka Prefecture.

How to Read a License Number and the Valid Period

A license number is displayed as “大阪府知事（1）第65181号” (Osaka Prefectural Governor License (1) No. 65181). The number in parentheses is (1) for a new license and increases by 1 each time the license is renewed (see the item description in the e-Gov Data Portal).

The valid period of a license is 5 years (Article 3, paragraph (2) of the same Act). To continue business, an application for renewal must be filed between 90 and 30 days before the expiration date of the valid period (Article 3 of the Regulation for Enforcement of the Real Estate Brokerage Act (宅地建物取引業法施行規則)).

Check Using the Public Search System

Using the “Construction Business Operators, Real Estate Brokers, etc. Enterprise Information Search System” (建設業者・宅建業者等企業情報検索システム) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省), you can check information on real estate brokers by trade name or license number. It is reassuring to compare it with the license number shown in advertisements or on business cards.

What You Can Check at the Office

• Posting of a sign: A real estate broker must post, at each office, etc., a sign prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in a place easily visible to the public (Article 50, paragraph (1) of the same Act).
• Full-time real estate transaction specialist: At each office, etc., it is necessary to have the number of adult, full-time real estate transaction specialists (宅地建物取引士) prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Article 31-3 of the same Act). That number is prescribed as 1 or more for every 5 persons engaged in the business at each office (Article 15-5-3 of the Regulation for Enforcement of the Real Estate Brokerage Act).

Explanation of Important Matters (重要事項説明) Before Contract

A real estate broker must, before a contract is concluded, cause a real estate transaction specialist to deliver a document stating the important matters and explain it (Article 35, paragraph (1) of the same Act). During the explanation, the real estate transaction specialist must present their real estate transaction specialist certificate (paragraph (4) of the same Article). In addition, with the consent of the counterparty, the statement of important matters may be provided by electromagnetic means instead of in paper form (paragraph (8) of the same Article).

Business Security Deposit and Guaranty Association

A real estate broker must deposit a business security deposit with the deposit office nearest to its principal office (Article 25 of the same Act). However, members of a Real Estate Brokerage Guarantee Association (宅地建物取引業保証協会) are not required to deposit a business security deposit (Article 64-13 of the same Act). In addition, a real estate broker must, before a contract is concluded, ensure that matters concerning the deposit office, etc. are explained (Article 35-2 of the same Act).

Checklist

• Whether the license number (licensing authority, number in parentheses, and number) is displayed in advertisements or on business cards
• Whether license information can be confirmed using the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s search system
• Whether the real estate broker’s sign is posted at the office
• Whether the real estate transaction specialist certificate is presented during the explanation of important matters
• Whether there is an explanation of membership in a guaranty association, or of the deposit office for the business security deposit

License Information of Gemini Co., Ltd.

Our company has received a real estate brokerage business license, 大阪府知事（1）第65181号 (Osaka Prefectural Governor License (1) No. 65181) (valid period: May 10, 2024–May 9, 2029). We belong to the Public Interest Incorporated Association National Real Estate Transaction Guaranty Association (公益社団法人 全国宅地建物取引業保証協会) and the General Incorporated Association Osaka Prefecture Real Estate Transaction Association (一般社団法人 大阪府宅地建物取引業協会), and the deposit office for the security deposit for reimbursement services is the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau (東京法務局). For details, please see the “Real Estate Broker Information” page.