Can Foreigners Get Married in Japan? Documents, Filing, Visa

Yes, getting married in Japan as a foreigner is legal and fairly straightforward, whether your partner is Japanese or another foreign national. Japan treats marriage as a paperwork matter, not a ceremony: you are married the moment a municipal office accepts your completed marriage registration form. The work is in gathering the right documents beforehand, and one of those documents recently changed for U.S. citizens.

Who Qualifies to Marry

Japan’s Civil Code sets the same eligibility rules for everyone marrying in the country, regardless of nationality. Both people must be at least 18 years old, and both must be legally single, meaning unmarried, divorced, or widowed.¹ Anyone still legally married elsewhere cannot register a new marriage in Japan.

Marriage between close blood relatives is prohibited. That covers direct ancestors and descendants, relatives within the third degree of kinship (siblings, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews), and in-laws in a direct line.¹

Japan previously required women to wait 100 days after a divorce before remarrying. That rule was abolished effective April 1, 2024, so divorced individuals of any gender can now remarry immediately.

One important limit: Japan does not recognize same-sex marriage at the national level. The Civil Code and Family Registration Act define marriage as between a man and a woman, and no municipal office will accept a marriage registration from a same-sex couple, regardless of whether same-sex marriage is legal in either partner’s home country. Local partnership certificates exist in many municipalities, but they do not carry the legal weight of marriage and do not create inheritance rights, tax benefits, or immigration eligibility.

Documents You Need

The exact paperwork depends on your nationality, but the core set is consistent. Gather everything before you visit the municipal office. Showing up short a document means coming back another day.

Affidavit of Competency to Marry

The key document is an Affidavit of Competency to Marry, sometimes called a Certificate of No Impediment or a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage. It is a sworn statement that you are legally free to marry under your home country’s laws, and your embassy or consulate in Japan typically issues it.²

Embassies handle this differently. Some issue the certificate directly, some notarize a self-drafted affidavit, and some do not provide one at all. As of September 1, 2025, the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Japan no longer notarize Affidavits of Competency to Marry. U.S. citizens can instead download a statement from the Embassy’s website explaining that the U.S. government does not issue such certificates, and present that statement to the municipal office.² Contact your own embassy well before your planned marriage date to find out what they provide and how long it takes.

Translations

Every document in a foreign language must be accompanied by a Japanese translation. Japan does not require a professional or certified translator. Anyone can do the translation, including you or your partner.³ The translation should include the translator’s name and signature. Practices vary between offices, so ask your specific municipal office whether they require any additional notarization.

How the Marriage Registration Works

Japanese law is unusually clear on this point: a marriage takes effect the moment the municipal office accepts your notification.¹ No waiting period, no judge, no officiant. The paperwork is the marriage.

Filing the Kon-in Todoke

The central document is the Marriage Registration Form, or Kon-in Todoke. You can pick one up at any city hall or ward office. It must be filled out entirely in Japanese.⁴ If you do not read or write Japanese, you will need help from your partner, a friend, or a translator.

Two witnesses must sign the Kon-in Todoke. They can be of any nationality and must be at least 18 years old.² Witnesses do not need to be present when you submit the form; they just need to have signed it beforehand. Non-Japanese witnesses should make sure their signatures match their passports exactly.⁴

No Ceremony Required

A wedding ceremony, religious or otherwise, has no legal effect in Japan. Many couples still hold ceremonies, but the law recognizes only the civil registration. Religious and other special ceremonies do not constitute a legal marriage.⁴ If you want a ceremony, hold it whenever suits you, before or after filing.

When You Are Officially Married

The date the municipal office accepts your Kon-in Todoke and supporting documents becomes your official marriage date. If everything is in order, most offices process the registration the same day. If something is missing, the office will tell you what to bring back, and the marriage will not be registered until you return with the correct paperwork.

Getting Your Marriage Certificate

Once the registration is accepted, request official proof from the same municipal office. The primary document is the Certificate of Acceptance of Notification of Marriage (Kon-in Todoke Juri Shomeisho), your legal evidence that the marriage was registered under Japanese law.²

Two versions are available: a standard A4-size certificate for around 350 yen, and a larger decorative version for around 1,400 yen. Both carry the same legal weight.² Get several copies of the standard version. You will likely need them for visa applications, embassy reporting, and other administrative processes.

If one spouse is a Japanese national, a new Family Register (Koseki) is created, or the existing one is updated to reflect the marriage.³

Surname Rules for International Couples

Japanese law requires married Japanese couples to share a single surname, but the rule applies differently to international marriages. When a Japanese national marries a foreigner, the Japanese spouse keeps their original surname by default, because Japan’s family register system does not automatically apply to foreign nationals. The foreign spouse’s name is unchanged under Japanese law for the same reason.

If the Japanese spouse wants to adopt the foreign partner’s surname, they can file a separate request at the municipal office within six months of the marriage. After six months, the change requires a family court petition. The foreign spouse’s name in their home country is governed by that country’s laws, so any change to a foreign passport goes through the foreign spouse’s own government.

Making the Marriage Count Back Home

A marriage legally performed in Japan is generally recognized in the United States and most other countries, provided it met all of Japan’s legal requirements at the time of registration. U.S. citizens also need to meet the eligibility requirements of their state of residence.²

You are not required to report your marriage to the U.S. Embassy or consulate. The U.S. government does not issue its own marriage certificate for marriages performed overseas, so your Japanese Certificate of Acceptance is your only proof of marriage.² To use the certificate in the U.S., for updating Social Security records or filing joint tax returns, you may need to have it translated and possibly apostilled.

For citizens of other countries, the process varies. Contact your embassy or consulate in Japan after the marriage to find out whether you need to register it and what documents they require. Some countries impose strict deadlines for reporting foreign marriages, so do not put this off.⁵

What Marriage Means for Your Visa

Marrying a Japanese national does not automatically change your visa status, but it opens the door to a Spouse or Child of Japanese National visa. This category is one of the more flexible residency statuses in Japan: it allows unrestricted employment in any field without a separate work permit, and it is not tied to a specific employer.

The visa is granted for periods of six months, one year, three years, or five years. To apply, you typically need a Certificate of Eligibility issued by a regional immigration authority in Japan, along with your passport, a visa application form, and a photograph. The Certificate of Eligibility confirms that you meet the conditions for the visa status.⁶

If you are already in Japan on a different visa, you will file for a Change of Status of Residence with immigration. Be ready: the review focuses heavily on whether the marriage is genuine. Immigration will want to see the family register showing the marriage, proof that you and your spouse live together, evidence of combined finances, photos of your relationship over time, and communication records. Couples in long-distance relationships or with a significant age gap should expect to provide more documentation. After roughly three years of continuous residence on a spouse visa, you become eligible to apply for permanent residency.

One boundary to keep in mind: if both spouses are foreign nationals, marrying in Japan creates no new visa rights. Neither partner gains a spousal visa through the marriage, and both must maintain their existing visa statuses independently.

1
Japanese Law Translation. Civil Code
2
U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan. Marriage in Japan
3
Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles. Marriage Registration (Kon-in Todoke)
4
U.S. Army Japan. Marriage in Japan
5
U.S. Department of State. Marriage
6
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Specified Visa: Spouse or Child of Japanese National