Hello Everyone! My fiance and I recently got married here in Japan, and while there is information out there, I also wanted to add to the knowledge pool! It's important to note a few things before we begin because the process of getting married will depend on a lot of variables!

NATIONALITY

The first is your, and your husband's, nationality. The process of an American (non-military) getting married in Japan will differ from, say, an Australian. The process of an American getting married to another American in Japan will differ from, say, an American citizen getting married to a Japanese citizen in Japan.

In this case, I am an American female (non-military) with American citizenship. My husband is a Japanese male with Japanese citizenship.


AGE

In Japan, the male must be over the age 18, and the female must be over the Age of 16. But, if either is younger than 20 years of age, they need parental consent. As an American, however, you must also be of legal marrying age in your home state. The legal age of marriage in your home state trumps the Japanese marriage law. If you aren't sure what is the legal age of marriage in your state, please check this website out!

PAST MARRIAGES

Another thing to consider is whether you have been married before. You need to make sure and obtain proof that you are legally allowed to re-marry if you've been married before.

In this case, both my husband and I have never been married before.


MUNICIPAL OFFICE

Please call and ask the municipal office that you intend to get married at, beforehand, because procedures and documents needed differ between offices.

So, now that you've taken these things into account, let's begin the process of getting married into Japan between an unmarried American and unmarried Japanese!



SWORN AFFIDAVIT OF COMPETENCY TO MARRY

This document is the most expensive and time consuming document that you will need to obtain. It is a requirement of the Japanese government, not the U.S. government.

You can start by downloading and printing out the document from the US embassy website! HERE.

Please fill out the English form in accordance to your passport/residence card/birth certificate. Ideally, these three should have identical information. However, in my case, there is a teeny-tiny discrepancy between my name on my birth certificate (My name on my birth certificate has an "é", but my passport/resident card has an "e" (Trust me. In Japan, these little things matter). In that case, I filled out the form in accordance to my passport because the municipal office we got married at said they'd only ask for my birth certificate if the other ID's don't match up.

After you've filled out the English form, you will need to fill out the Japanese form. Fortunately, the US embassy does not require that the translation be done by a certified translator. You, your husband, or someone you know that can read/write Japanese can fill it out!

Once both forms are filled out, you will need to make an appointment at the U.S. Embassy for Notarial Service. The U.S. Embassy will only notarize the English form (The translation doesn't need it).

So, on the day of your appointment, bring your confirmation page, 5,000YEN or 50 USD, your forms, and your passport. Your spouse-to-be does not need to come with you.

Once at the embassy, they will review your documents, you will pay the fee, and then you will take a sworn oath that everything on the document is true, and then you are finished! The US Embassy website said that it would be sealed, but mines was not. It was not a problem at the municipal office.

This document is only valid for THREE MONTHS! So, plan accordingly.


FORMS OF ID

Next, make sure to gather all of your relevant forms of ID. Call the municipal office in advance for clarification because each office has a different procedure. These are the forms of ID that I needed.

• Valid passport
• Residence card
• Birth Certificate (only used if other forms of ID didn't match up with the forms)
• Hanko/Inkan (for your marriage application)

FAMILY REGISTRY | 戸籍謄本

You will need to obtain a copy of your family registry if you intend to get married outside of your permanent domicile (本籍地). If you do not have the time or ability to obtain your family registry in person, as in the case of my husband, you can often request a copy to be sent to you through mail. This document is only valid for THREE MONTHS.

MARRIAGE REGISTRATION FORM | 婚姻届


This is the main form that will be turned into the government office. You can usually obtain the form for free, and since this document is standard throughout the country, you can obtain the form at government offices around the country, online, or even use a decorative or customized (paid) template offered by wedding services and magazines because people like to keep a record as a commemorative item! If you use a customized or decorative form, make sure it complies with the government's standards (paper size, information to be entered, etc.)

standard form

example of designed forms

Once you have the document, you will need to fill it out in Japanese. Your partner will also need to fill in their information (if they can) and sign and hanko it. It is not recommended to use correction tape/fluid, so make sure to fill it out completely and correctly. Since the form is usually free, I recommend having multiples on hand! Also, do not use a "シャチハタ" stamp, as it may cause your form to be rejected. If you don't know, "Shachihata" is a company, and their stamps are factory made and completely identical, so it is necessary to use a handmade/personal stamp for identification purposes in this case.

TWO WITNESSES

You will also need two witnesses. Witnesses must be over the age of 20, but other than that, anyone who approves of your marriage can be a witness.

Most Japanese people get their parents to be their witnesses, the only catch is that the two witnesses cannot use the same hanko. So, they must prepare different stamps.

Foreigners can also be witnesses! This is the format and they must try to write it themselves.


Even though there is no advantage/disadvantage to being a witness, most municipal offices and the US embassy state that their staff cannot help you prepare the marriage registration form or be your witnesses.  Therefore, if you absolutely cannot find a witness, there are witness services in Japan ( 人代行業者) with signatures costing between 8,000 to 10,000 yen per signature.

PHOTO IDENTIFICATION  | 写真付きの身分証

You will need to provide photo identification that will be used to verify the information on the marriage registration form. Driver's licenses and passports are acceptable forms of identification.




TURN IN YOUR DOCUMENTS

Once you have everything compiled and completed, it is now time to turn in your documents to your municipal office's family registration counter (「市民課」「戸籍課」「住民課」) and get officially married! So, which municipal offices can you submit them at?

• Husband's domicile (本籍地)
• Current address of husband
• Wife's domicile (本籍地)
• Wife's current address
• Temporary location (short-term business trip, resort marriage, etc.)
• Desired new domicile

example of fancy marriage certificates offered by Ise city in Mie prefecture

This is the plain paper type marriage certificate and is A4 size. This version cost about 350YEN, and is used more for official purposes.



AMERICAN MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE

As stated on the U.S. embassy website, the american government does not issue marriage certificates for marriages performed overseas. Therefore, the Japanese certificate will be your only proof of your marriage.

TRANSLATION OF MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE

It's often beneficial to have an English translation of your marriage certificate, especially if you will be headed to the states and need it to change your name on your driver's license, etc. You can have your husband, or someone who knows Japanese, translate your marriage certificate.

Once it has been translated, make an appointment for a notary service at the US embassy and bring the fee and the person who translated the certificate to the appointment.

Please note, the embassy personnel will attach the translation to the marriage certificate.

• TRANSLATION TEMPLATE FOR B4 MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE
• TRANSLATION TEMPLATE FOR A4 MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE