Procedures for getting married
Marriage is called "Kon-in".
According to Japanese law, you submit a "marriage notification" to the local municipal office to get married.
[When a foreigner marries a Japanese]
Submit a "marriage notification" to the municipal office of the town where one of you live, or to the municipal office where Japanese person’s legal domicile.
Required documents for the procedure
- Marriage notification form (available at the municipal office)
- A legal document that shows your nationality, such as a passport
- “Affidavit of marriageability” issued by your home country’s embassy or consulate accompanied with Japanese translation
- A certified copy of a Japanese person's family registry (if the person's legal domicile is not registered at the municipal office where the marriage will be registered)
You will receive a "certificate of acceptance of marriage notification " after the municipal office accepts the marriage notification.
Bring the “certificate of acceptance of marriage notification” and the necessary documents to the embassy or consulate of your country to complete the marriage procedures.
The procedures differ depending on the country, so please ask the embassy or consulate first.
[Marriage between foreigners]
Even though both parties are foreigners, they can submit a marriage notification to the local municipal office.
However, even if you submit a marriage notification to the municipal office in Japan, there are cases where the husband or wife's country does not recognize that "the two of you got married."
Please ask the embassy or consulate if there are any necessary procedures.
If both parties are from the same country, they get married at their country’s embassy or consulate.
Marriage procedures can be done in the manner of their county.
[Residency status after marriage]
Those who marry a Japanese national can change their residency status to "Spouse or Child of Japanese National".
There are some cases that those who marry between foreigners can change the residency status.
Please consult with the Immigration Bureau (Nyukan).
[The partnership oath system]
In Japan, same-sex marriage is not legal.
However, in Tokyo, there is a system that recognizes same-sex partnership as if they were married. If you submit a document pledging to become a life partner, you can receive a certificate that you are the same as a married couple.
There are also similar systems in the 22 wards and cities of Tokyo. (As of October 2023)
If you have a certificate of the partnership oath system, it will be easier for you to be recognized as a family when renting a house.
Procedures for getting divorce
Under Japanese law:
[When a foreigner divorces a Japanese]
If either the husband or wife is Japanese and both agreed to divorce, they submit a "divorce notification" to the municipal office where they live or the municipal office where the Japanese person’s legal domicile is.
Divorce notification forms are available at the municipal office.
Required documents for the procedure
- Divorce notification (available at the municipal office)
- Passport and Resident Card
- Family registry of a Japanese person (if the person's legal domicile is not at the municipal office where the divorce notification is filed)
Even if you submit a divorce notification to the Japanese municipal office, it is not certain that your country will recognize as "two people were divorced".
Please ask the embassy or consulate if there are any necessary procedures.
If either husband or wife does not agree to divorce, they will consult with the family court or file a case to the court.
If you are worried that your Japanese husband or wife will submit a divorce notification without your consent, you can submit a "request for non-acceptance of divorce notification (a document requesting not to receive a divorce notification)" to the municipal office where you live or to the municipal office where the Japanese person’s legal domicile is.
[Divorce between foreigners]
Please ask your embassy or consulate as the procedures differ depending on the country.
[Residency status after divorce]
If your residency status is “Spouse or Child of Japanese National,” “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident,” or “Dependent”, you must notify the Immigration Bureau (Nyukan) within 14 days after the divorce.
If you stay in Japan after divorce, you will need to change your residency status.
If you stay in Japan for more than 6 months without changing your residency status, you may not be able to stay in Japan, so please be careful.
Procedures when a child is born
When a child is born in Japan, a birth notification must be submitted within 14 days from the date of birth.
Father or mother of the child submits a birth notification to the municipal office of the birthplace or of where they live.
Submit a birth notification together with the “birth certificate”.
A birth certificate is written by a doctor or midwife.
Birth notification and birth certificate are on a piece of paper together.
[If either of parents of newborn is Japanese]
Children can acquire Japanese nationality.
If you like to acquire not only Japanese nationality but also foreign nationality, please notify the embassy or consulate.
[Both parents of newborn are foreign nationals]
Even if a child is born in Japan, he or she cannot have Japanese nationality.
Report the birth of the child to the embassy or consulate of the country where the father or mother has nationality.
You need to go through procedures at the Immigration Bureau (Nyukan) to receive your child’s resident card within 30 days after the birth.
Notification of death
When a family member or a person who lived with you dies, you must submit a notification of death within 7 days from the day you are aware of their death.
A death notification is required in Japan even if the deceased person is a foreigner.
A notification of death should be submitted to the municipal office of the place where the person died or of the person who reports the death.
Submit a death notification along with the “certificate of death”.
A certificate of death is written by the doctor who confirmed that the person died.
The notification of death and certificate of death are on one piece of paper.
