“I want to marry my Japanese partner, but I don’t know where to start.”
“There’s no clear information online!”
“The process of international marriage seems so complicated!”
These were exactly my thoughts when my partner and I started preparing for marriage.
The process of registering a marriage in Japan can indeed be complex—especially for international couples. But don’t worry. If you follow the steps carefully, you’ll be just fine.
When it comes to international marriage, you usually need to register your marriage in both your country and your partner’s. In our case, we were living in Japan, so we got married here first and later reported it to Portugal.
In this blog, I’ll guide you through how to marry your Japanese partner in Japan, based on our own experience.
Clarifying the Key Terms: In this post,
- City hall = a Japanese municipal office
- Embassy = the embassy of the foreign partner’s country
- Throughout this guide, the Japanese partner is referred to as [Japanese], and the foreign partner as [Foreigner].
Difference Between a Japanese Couple and an International Couple
Knowing the difference can help you better prepare.
Full Marriage Process
| Japanese Couple | International Couple | |
| 0. Gather information | – | get clear details from both city hall and embassy |
| 1. Prepare documents | -Husband’s Family Register (戸籍謄本 / koseki tohon) -Wife’s Family Register -Marriage Registration Form (婚姻届) | -[Foreigner]’s equivalent of a Family Register -[Japanese partner]’s Family Register -Marriage Registration Form |
| 2. Submit documents to city hall | that’s it! | Get a Certificate of Acceptance of Marriage Report |
| 3. Report the marriage to the embassy of the foreigner’s country | – | Done! |
Important: All documents must be translated and apostilled.
- Translation: Documents submitted to Japan must be in Japanese; documents submitted to the foreign embassy must be in your native language.
- Apostille: This verifies the authenticity of documents for international use.
Process
Step 0: Gather Information
Before anything else, get clear details from:
0-1: Your Local City Hall
Ask:
- What documents are required for marriage registration?
- Who can translate them?
- Request at least three marriage registration forms (in case of mistakes)
In our case, we needed:
- [Foreigner]’s birth certificate + translation
- [Foreigner]’s certificate of legal capacity to marry + translation
- Copy of [Foreigner]’s passport + translation
- [Foreigner]’s actual passport
- [Japanese]’s full family register
- Marriage registration form
Anyone can translate documents, but the translator must include the date, name, address, and signature.
0-2: Your Embassy
Ask:
- What documents do you need to obtain from Japan?
- What procedures do you need to follow?
- Who can translate documents?
- What documents are required when reporting the marriage?
In our case, in order to get husband’s documents, we needed to provide:
- [Japanese]’s family register + apostille
- [Japanese]’s certificate of legal capacity to marry + apostille
- [Japanese]’s passport and a copy
- Name spellings of [Japanese]’s parents and grandparents
- [Foreigner]’s ID card
Fees included: approx. 15,000 yen for translations, 5,000 yen for document processing
We also needed an appointment to submit documents (in Portugal, couples must declare intent to marry before doing so).
For Step 3(Report the marriage), we needed:
- Certificate of acceptance of marriage report + apostille
- Approx. 5,000 yen in a registered envelope (現金書留 / genkin kakitome)
These documents can be sent by mail.
Step 1: Prepare the Documents
1-1: Obtain [Japanese]’s documents
This includes preparation for embassy submission, obtaining the certificate of legal capacity to marry from the Legal Affairs Bureau, along with identification(of both) and [Japanese]’s family register.
Also get the document apostilled!
1-2: Obtain [Foreigner]’s Equivalent of a Family Register
Go to the embassy and submit the documents. In our case, the embassy sent us the necessary documents (birth certificate, legal capacity certificate) about one month after we applied. We also had to declare how we manage our assets.
After getting the documents, they needed to be translated.
1-3: Fill Out the Marriage Registration Form (婚姻届)
If you’re unsure about any part, leave it blank and ask the city hall staff.
Step 2: Submit Documents to City Hall
Allow enough time – it took us about two hours.
If you have a specific wedding date in mind, visit city hall beforehand to check that everything is in order.
The Japanese spouse can change their last name.
I chose a double-barrel surname, so I didn’t change mine at this stage.
After submitting, you’ll receive a Certificate of Acceptance of Marriage Report, which is needed for Step 3 and also for applying for a spouse visa. We requested two copies.
Step 3: Report the Marriage to the Embassy
After getting the apostille on your Certificate of Acceptance, send it with the required fee to your embassy.
We received our official marriage certificate (needed for the spouse visa) about a month later by mail.
Now everything is finally DONE! Congratulations!
Final Thoughts
International marriage procedures are definitely more complicated than those for Japanese couples—but fundamentally, they follow the same steps. Take it one step at a time, and you’ll get through it.
And remember, it’s a blessing to have found someone you truly want to be with—even if the paperwork is a bit of a hurdle.
Thank you for reading. I hope this guide helps you!
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