# Getting married in Japan as a foreigner: registration, documents and surnames

URL: https://japanhow.com/life/family/international-marriage-japan/
Author: JapanHow editors
Updated: Oct 24, 2026

## Summary

In Japan, a marriage is legal once the city office accepts a marriage notification (婚姻届) signed by both partners and two adult witnesses. As of October 2026, a foreign partner usually adds a certificate of legal capacity to marry (婚姻要件具備証明書) from their embassy, plus translations. Both partners must be 18 or older, and women no longer have a waiting period after divorce. A Japanese spouse can take the foreign surname within 6 months without court permission.

## Key facts

- Minimum age: 18 for everyone (since April 2022)
- Key foreign document: 婚姻要件具備証明書 from your embassy
- Surname change: Within 6 months, no court
- Certificate of acceptance: ¥350 a copy (Yokohama)

Marriage registration in Japan for foreigners happens at a city or ward office: you file a **marriage notification (婚姻届)**, and the marriage is legal from the day it is accepted. As of October 2026, the foreign partner usually adds a **certificate of legal capacity to marry (婚姻要件具備証明書)** from their embassy, with a Japanese translation. Both partners must be **18 or older**. The same process works for a foreigner marrying a Japanese national and for two foreigners.

**The document to arrange first:** 婚姻要件具備証明書 from your embassy (Some countries don't issue one, and it can take a long time. Ask your embassy before you pick a wedding date.)

## Can foreigners get married in Japan?

Yes. Under Japanese law, a marriage takes effect when it is notified under the Family Register Act (戸籍法). The notice must be signed by both partners and at least two adult witnesses (Civil Code, Art. 739).

When one partner is foreign, two laws apply. The conditions for marriage (age, being single and so on) are judged for each partner by **their own country's law**. The form of the marriage follows the law of the place where it happens (Act on General Rules for Application of Laws, Art. 24). If you marry in Japan and one of you is Japanese, you must use the Japanese form: the 婚姻届.

This is why the city office asks the foreign partner to prove they are free to marry under their home country's law. This guide is general information, not legal advice. If your case is unusual, ask the city's family register section (戸籍係) or a licensed administrative specialist (行政書士).

## How do you register a marriage in Japan, step by step?

You can file at the ward office for either partner's address or the Japanese partner's registered domicile (本籍地), according to Yokohama City. Call ahead. Yokohama says its family register staff only handle questions in Japanese and a notice may not be accepted on the spot. Chuo City says its marriage desk has an English-only interpreter in another department and that emails in Japanese get answered faster.

## What documents does the foreign partner need?

Chuo City in Tokyo gives this representative list for a marriage in the Japanese form:

| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Marriage notification (婚姻届) | Signed by both of you and two adult witnesses |
| Certificate of legal capacity to marry (婚姻要件具備証明書) | Usually from your embassy or consulate in Japan, with translation |
| Birth certificate | With translation |
| Nationality certificate | With translation. A valid passport can replace it |
| Photo ID of the person filing | Residence card, passport, My Number card or driver's license |

Bring originals. Chuo City says one of each is enough and the documents are generally not returned. Since 1 March 2024, the Japanese partner generally no longer attaches a copy of their family register (戸籍), according to Chuo, Kawasaki and Suginami.

Since 1 September 2021, a seal (hanko) on the form is optional, Suginami City says. Kawasaki's page still mentions a seal for the Japanese spouse and the witnesses, so check with your city if you want to be sure. See [hanko for foreigners](/life/admin/hanko-for-foreigners/).

On the form, write the foreign partner's name and country in katakana, outside the signature box, according to Tsuruoka City. People from countries that use kanji, such as China or Korea, use the Japanese kanji that match their name. Simplified Chinese and hangul are not accepted.

## What is the certificate of legal capacity to marry?

The 婚姻要件具備証明書 is a document from your home country's authorities saying nothing in your country's law stops you from marrying. In English it is often called a certificate of legal capacity to marry. The Philippines calls its version the LCCM.

How you get it depends on your country. For example, the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo issues the LCCM only to Filipinos living in Japan who plan to marry a foreign national. As of October 2026 it asks a never-married applicant for a passport, residence card, an apostilled PSA birth certificate and an apostilled certificate of no marriage (CENOMAR). It also asks for parental consent at ages 18 to 20 and parental advice at 21 to 25. The fee is ¥3,750 and normal processing takes 10 working days.

Some cities want a recent certificate. Tsuruoka City's guide asks for one issued within the last 3 months.

### What if my country doesn't issue one?

Some countries have no system to issue the certificate, and some won't issue it in certain cases, Suginami City says. Yokohama City says that, depending on your nationality and situation, other documents may be needed, such as a birth certificate or a statement (申述書), a written declaration that you meet your country's conditions. Which alternative a city accepts depends on your nationality, so agree it with the family register section before you file.

Chuo City asks you to contact it in advance if you have no status of residence in Japan, or if you can't get the certificate because you are remarrying.

## How do translations work?

Every foreign-language document needs a Japanese translation. Chuo City says **anyone can translate**, including you, as long as the translator signs it. Suginami City says the same for the documents of a marriage made abroad. Tsuruoka City also wants the translator's address and name. Chuo gives this closing line for the translation:

> 上記は原文の正訳に相違ありません。訳者の住所・氏名

It means "The above is a correct translation of the original," followed by the translator's address and name.

## What is the minimum age to marry in Japan?

**18, for men and women.** Before 1 April 2022, women could marry at 16. The Ministry of Justice (法務省) says the reform raised women's age to 18 so both sexes are the same (Civil Code, Art. 731). Your own country's minimum age also applies to you, because your marriage conditions follow your home law.

## Is there still a waiting period for women after divorce?

No, not under Japanese law. The Ministry of Justice says the women's remarriage waiting period was **abolished**, with the reform taking effect on 1 April 2024. The old rule no longer appears in the Civil Code: Article 733 now reads "deleted" (削除).

Your home country's law still applies to your own conditions, so ask your embassy if your country has a waiting period. If you were divorced, see also [divorce in Japan for foreigners](/life/family/divorce-japan-foreigners/).

## What happens to our surnames in an international marriage?

The Japanese spouse **keeps their surname**. It does not change automatically, Chuo City says.

If the Japanese spouse wants the foreign spouse's surname, they file a surname change notice (氏の変更届) **within 6 months** of the marriage. No family court permission is needed in that window (Family Register Act, Art. 107(2)). After 6 months, they need permission from the family court (家庭裁判所).

If the marriage ends by divorce or death, they can go back to their old surname within 3 months without court permission (Art. 107(3)). How the foreign spouse's own surname works depends on their home country. Ask your embassy.

**Two foreigners marrying in Japan:** It works, but it can be slow. Chuo City says a marriage of two foreigners who don't live in the ward takes **about 4 months** even in simple cases, and about 6 months when there is no earlier case to follow. The ward may refer the file to the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau (東京法務局). Chuo also warns that tourists may leave Japan before a decision is made. Foreigners have no family register (戸籍), so the **certificate of acceptance (受理証明書)** is your Japanese proof of the marriage.

## How do I prove the marriage and register it in my home country?

Japan has no system that tells your country about the marriage, Chuo City says. You report it yourself to your embassy or consulate, and some countries require this, according to Tsuruoka City.

Ask the ward office for:

- a **certificate of acceptance (受理証明書)**: ¥350 a copy in Yokohama, or ¥1,400 on high-quality B4 paper, which takes several days
- an **official copy of the marriage notification (婚姻届記載事項証明書)**, if your embassy asks for it

Yokohama says only the person who filed, or someone with a power of attorney, can request it, at the ward where the notice was filed.

Example: the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo says a Filipino's marriage in its area must be reported **within 1 year**. It asks for the 婚姻届記載事項証明書, plus the Japanese spouse's family register, or the 受理証明書 if the spouse isn't Japanese. The report fee is ¥3,750, and a report made 1 year or more after the marriage needs an extra affidavit.

## What if we already married abroad?

If you married in another country's form, the Japanese spouse reports it in Japan **within 3 months**, at a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad or at a city office, Kawasaki City says. Only the Japanese spouse files, and no witnesses are needed. You attach the foreign marriage certificate with a Japanese translation.

## Does marriage change my visa?

No. Marriage alone does not change your status of residence. Chuo City points you to the Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) for that. To live in Japan as the spouse of a Japanese national, see the [spouse visa guide](/visa/visas/spouse-visa-japan/) for the status and the documents. If your spouse is a foreign worker, see the [dependent visa](/visa/visas/dependent-visa-japan/). Spouses of Japanese nationals have separate rules for [naturalization](/visa/naturalization/naturalization-japan-process/).

More guides: [a baby born in Japan to foreign parents](/life/family/baby-born-japan-foreign-parents/), [your juminhyo (住民票)](/life/admin/juminhyo-certificate-of-residence/), [divorce in Japan for foreigners](/life/family/divorce-japan-foreigners/).

## Questions people ask

### Can foreigners get married in Japan?

Yes. A foreigner can marry a Japanese national or another foreigner by filing a marriage notification (婚姻届) at a Japanese city or ward office. Each partner must meet the marriage conditions of their own country's law, which is why the city asks for a certificate of legal capacity to marry.

### What is a certificate of legal capacity to marry in Japan?

It is the 婚姻要件具備証明書: a document from your own country's authorities saying nothing in your country's law stops you from marrying. Most people get it from their embassy or consulate in Japan. Some countries don't issue one, so the city may ask for other documents, such as a birth certificate or a statement (申述書).

### Does the Japanese spouse's surname change in an international marriage?

No, not automatically. The Japanese spouse keeps their surname unless they file a surname change notice within 6 months of the marriage to take the foreign spouse's surname. After 6 months, they need family court permission.

### Do two foreigners need to live in Japan to marry there?

Not always, but it takes time. Chuo City in Tokyo says a marriage of two foreigners who don't live in the ward takes about 4 months even in simple cases, and tourists may leave Japan before a decision is made.

### Does getting married change my visa?

No. Marriage does not change your status of residence by itself. To live in Japan as a spouse, you apply to immigration for the matching status, such as Spouse or Child of Japanese National.

## Sources

- [民法 (第731条, 第733条, 第739条)](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/129AC0000000089), e-Gov 法令検索 (Digital Agency) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [戸籍法 (第107条)](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/322AC0000000224), e-Gov 法令検索 (Digital Agency) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [法の適用に関する通則法 (第24条)](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/418AC0000000078), e-Gov 法令検索 (Digital Agency) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [民法の一部を改正する法律（成年年齢関係）について](https://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/minji07_00218.html), Ministry of Justice (法務省) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [民法等の一部を改正する法律（令和4年法律第102号）について](https://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/minji07_00315.html), Ministry of Justice (法務省) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [外国籍の方の婚姻について](https://www.city.chuo.lg.jp/a0012/kurashi/touroku/koseki/gaikokujinkonninn.html), Chuo City (中央区) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [婚姻届](https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kurashi/koseki-zei-hoken/todokede/koseki-juminhyo/todokede-touroku/koseki/konin.html), Yokohama City (横浜市) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [Marriage and divorce](https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/lang/residents/living-guide/notification/kekkon-rikon.html), Yokohama City (横浜市) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [受理証明書（窓口）](https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kurashi/koseki-zei-hoken/todokede/koseki-juminhyo/shoumei/jurisyoumei/mado.html), Yokohama City (横浜市) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [外国人と婚姻するときの手続きは？](https://www.city.kawasaki.jp/templates/faq/250/0000012342.html), Kawasaki City (川崎市) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [外国人との婚姻届を出したいのですが。](https://www.city.suginami.tokyo.jp/documents/10726/situmonn_konninn3_1.pdf), Suginami City (杉並区) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [外国人の方との婚姻届の出し方について](https://www.city.tsuruoka.lg.jp/kurashi/kekkon/konin/shimin01konin.files/k_gaikoku.pdf), Tsuruoka City (鶴岡市) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage / Certification (LCCM)](https://tokyo.philembassy.net/consular-section/services/civil-registration/legal-capacity-to-contract-marriage-certification/), Embassy of the Philippines, Tokyo (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- [Report of Marriage (ROM)](https://tokyo.philembassy.net/consular-section/services/civil-registration/report-of-marriage-rom/), Embassy of the Philippines, Tokyo (accessed Oct 24, 2026)