Getting Married in Japan as a Foreigner: Legal Guide

Getting married in Japan as a foreigner is administratively cleaner than most couples expect. Japan does not have a religious or ceremonial requirement for legal marriage — your marriage becomes valid the moment a city or ward office accepts your konin todoke (婚姻届), the marriage registration form. That single piece of paper is the entire legal event. Everything else — Shinto ceremony, Western chapel, photoshoot in shiromuku — is optional cultural layering on top of a civil registration. This guide walks through how the process actually works for a foreign couple, what documents you will need, and how to think about the optional ceremony separately from the legal filing. Note that this article covers the marriage paperwork itself, not the tourist or spouse visa process — for visa logistics around a photoshoot or short visit, see our visa requirements guide.

Two Scenarios: Marrying a Japanese Citizen vs. Two Foreigners

Before you start collecting documents, identify which of the two paths applies to you. The required paperwork differs meaningfully.

Scenario A — One partner is a Japanese national. This is the most common case. The Japanese partner provides their koseki tohon (戸籍謄本, family register copy), and the foreign partner provides their passport, an Affidavit of Competency to Marry issued by their embassy or consulate in Japan, and translations of any source documents the embassy requires. After registration, a new family register is created with the Japanese partner as the head, and the foreign spouse is recorded as a non-family-register spouse (foreigners are not entered into the koseki itself but appear in the remarks).

Scenario B — Both partners are foreigners marrying in Japan. Less common but fully permitted. Both partners must provide passports, both must provide their own embassy-issued Affidavit of Competency to Marry, and both must satisfy the legal requirements of their home country in addition to Japan's. Some embassies will not issue an affidavit unless both partners hold valid status of residence in Japan, so check with your embassy early. Japan does not require either of you to be a resident to marry, but the practical workflow at city hall and the embassy is much smoother if at least one of you is.

A third edge case — same-sex couples — cannot legally marry under Japanese national law as of 2026, though several municipalities issue partnership certificates with no legal weight. Couples in this situation typically marry in a third country and conduct a symbolic ceremony or photoshoot in Japan.

Required Documents for Getting Married in Japan

City halls across Japan follow the same basic checklist, but minor variations exist by ward office. The core documents for getting married in Japan as a foreigner are:

• Konin todoke (婚姻届) — the marriage registration form itself. Free at any city or ward office and downloadable from many municipal websites. It must be completed in Japanese, signed (or hanko-stamped if you have one), and witnessed by two adults who also sign.
• Passport — original, with valid entry stamp or residence card.
• Affidavit of Competency to Marry (独身証明書 / 婚姻要件具備証明書, konin yoken gubi shomeisho) — issued by the foreign partner's embassy or consulate in Japan, confirming you are legally free to marry under your home country's law. This is the document that varies most by nationality.
• Birth certificate — often required as a supporting document for the affidavit, particularly for US, UK, Australian and EU citizens. Should generally be apostilled or otherwise authenticated.
• Japanese translation of all foreign-language documents. The translation does not need to be by a sworn translator in most wards — you can translate yourself and sign the translation, with your name and date — but check with the specific city hall.
• Koseki tohon — only if marrying a Japanese national; provided by the Japanese partner from their household register.
• Two witnesses aged 18 or older. They do not need to be Japanese, do not need to be present at the filing, and do not need to be related to either of you. They simply sign the konin todoke form in advance.

One legal note worth confirming: as of the 2022 民法改正 (Civil Code amendment), the marriage age in Japan is 18 for both genders. Parental consent is no longer required for adult marriage, since the age of majority and the age of marriage are now aligned.

Obtaining the Affidavit from Your Embassy in Japan

The Affidavit of Competency to Marry is the document most foreign couples find unfamiliar, because most countries do not issue an equivalent for domestic marriages. In Japan, it is mandatory. Each embassy issues it differently:

• United States citizens swear an affidavit before a consular officer at the US Embassy in Tokyo or a consulate. There is a fee per affidavit. You bring your passport and complete a short form; the embassy notarizes your sworn statement that you are not currently married. The US Embassy does not verify your single status — you swear to it.
• United Kingdom citizens require a Certificate of No Impediment, obtained from a UK register office (not the Tokyo embassy) and then often legalized via apostille. The British Embassy in Tokyo can advise but does not issue the CNI itself.
• Australian citizens swear a statutory declaration before the Australian Embassy or a notary public, declaring single status and competency to marry.
• EU citizens vary widely. Germany, France, Italy and others may require a certificate of capacity to marry (Ehefähigkeitszeugnis / certificat de capacité à mariage) issued in the home country, then apostilled and translated.
• Singapore citizens can typically obtain a Certificate of Singular Status from the Singapore embassy with an appointment.

Embassy appointment slots fill up weeks ahead, particularly in spring (peak wedding season). Book early. Most embassies require you to bring your passport, a birth certificate, and — depending on country — proof of dissolution of any prior marriage (final divorce decree or death certificate of former spouse).

Apostille and Document Authentication

Japan is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, which simplifies document authentication for most Western countries. If your home country is also a signatory (US, UK, Australia, most EU states, Singapore, etc.), foreign public documents — birth certificates, divorce decrees, certificates of no impediment — should be apostilled by the issuing country before being presented in Japan.

An apostille is a single-page certificate attached to the original document, confirming the signature and seal are genuine. In the US it is issued by the Secretary of State of the state that issued the underlying document. In the UK it is issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Processing times range from a few days (in person) to several weeks (by mail), so arrange this before you leave home.

Once in Japan, the apostilled document plus a Japanese translation is generally sufficient for city hall to accept it. Some wards still ask for additional legalization through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, particularly for non-Hague-Convention countries. Confirm with your destination ward office (or have a planner confirm) before you fly.

Filing the Marriage Registration (Konin Todoke) at City Hall

The actual filing is the simplest step. Once your documents are assembled, you go to any city, ward or town office in Japan — you do not need to file in a specific jurisdiction unless one of you is a resident, in which case your local ward office is the natural choice. Some couples file in a symbolically meaningful place: a ward in Kyoto, a town in Hokkaido, the bride's family's hometown.

City halls accept konin todoke 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including weekends and holidays, via a night-and-holiday counter (時間外窓口). The official marriage date is the date the form is accepted, so couples often file on a meaningful date such as a Japanese auspicious day (taian, 大安) or a date that translates into a memorable number.

However: only during regular weekday hours (typically 8:30–17:00) will a clerk actually review the form for completeness. If you file out of hours and there is an error, the office will contact you on the next business day to correct it, and the marriage date may shift to the corrected filing date. Most couples planning a meaningful date file in person during weekday hours so the registration goes through cleanly the same day.

The clerk will check the form, verify the affidavit and passports, and accept the filing. There is no fee. You can request a konin todoke juri shomeisho (婚姻届受理証明書, "certificate of acceptance of marriage registration") on the spot for a small fee — this is the closest Japan has to a "japanese marriage certificate" in the Western sense, and it is the document you will use to register the marriage with your home country embassy afterward.

After Marriage: Spouse Visa, Name Changes, and the Koseki

The konin todoke is the end of the legal marriage process, but several administrative tails follow:

Family register (koseki) update. If one partner is Japanese, a new koseki is created within roughly 7–10 days, listing the Japanese partner as the head of household and noting the foreign spouse in the remarks (備考欄). The koseki tohon issued after this point reflects the new household and is the document needed for many subsequent processes.

Spouse visa (Status of Residence: Spouse or Child of Japanese National). Marriage does not automatically grant the foreign spouse residency. You apply separately at the Immigration Services Agency, typically after the marriage is registered. The application requires the new koseki, the konin todoke juri shomeisho, financial documents, photographs of the couple together, and an explanation of how you met. Processing takes 1–3 months. If the foreign spouse is not in Japan, you apply for a Certificate of Eligibility from outside the country.

Reporting to your home country. Your marriage is automatically recognized in most countries that have diplomatic relations with Japan, but you should report it to your home embassy and, in some countries (Germany, for example), register the marriage at home for it to appear in your home country's civil records. Bring the konin todoke juri shomeisho and an apostilled copy for this step.

Name changes. Japan requires married couples to share a single family surname under current law. A Japanese partner may take the foreign spouse's surname or vice versa, but this is a separate administrative process. For foreign-foreign couples, name change is governed by your home country's law, not Japan's.

Optional Ceremony: Shinto, Civil, or Photo-Only

Once the legal marriage is registered, the ceremony question is entirely yours. Many international couples choose to keep the legal filing minimal and invest the budget in a meaningful cultural experience. Three common paths:

Shinto ceremony (神前式, shinzen-shiki). Conducted at a Shinto shrine, this involves the formal procession, purification, san-san-kudo (three-cups, nine-sips sake ritual), and tamagushi offering. The bride wears shiromuku (white silk overcoat) with a tsunokakushi or wataboshi headpiece; the groom wears montsuki haori hakama. The ceremony is short (20–40 minutes) and intensely beautiful. Some shrines accept foreign couples directly; others work only through introduced wedding planners. See our Shinto ceremony guide for the ritual sequence in detail.

Civil or Western-style ceremony. A hotel chapel or independent venue can host a Western ceremony with an officiant. This has no legal weight in Japan (the konin todoke already did the legal work) but provides the visual and emotional structure many couples want.

Photo-only (フォトウェディング, photo wedding). Increasingly common among international couples: skip the ceremony entirely, file the konin todoke quietly, and spend the budget on a kimono photoshoot at a shrine, garden, or studio. This is the format Wasou Wedding Japan specializes in — see the photographer directory for studios across Tokyo, Kyoto, Kamakura, Kanazawa, Okinawa and beyond. The prewedding vs ceremony guide compares the formats in detail.

Timeline and Realistic Process

From "we want to get married in Japan" to "we are legally married" generally takes 8–12 weeks of preparation if you are organized, longer if your home country's apostille process is slow. A realistic timeline:

The single most common delay is the apostille step at the home country end. Start there. Once you have the apostilled birth certificate in hand, the Japan-side workflow moves quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be a resident of Japan to get married here?

No. Neither partner needs to be a Japanese resident. You can enter on a tourist visa, file the konin todoke, and leave. However, some embassies will only issue the Affidavit of Competency to Marry to residents, so check with your embassy first.

Is the konin todoke juri shomeisho the same as a marriage certificate?

It is the closest Japanese equivalent. A "japanese marriage certificate" in the Western sense does not exist — Japan does not issue a standalone marriage certificate. Instead, the konin todoke juri shomeisho ("certificate of acceptance of marriage registration") confirms the filing was accepted. For foreign-foreign couples, this is the document you present to your home country embassy to register the marriage at home.

Do we need a religious ceremony for the marriage to be legal?

No. Marriage in Japan is a purely administrative act. A Shinto, Christian, or any other ceremony has no legal effect. The konin todoke is the entire legal event.

Can we get married in Japan if we are both foreigners and not residents?

Yes, in principle, if both embassies will issue you an Affidavit of Competency to Marry. Some embassies (UK in particular) require you to obtain documents from home rather than at the embassy in Japan. Plan 8–12 weeks ahead.

How long does the spouse visa take after we marry?

Typically 1–3 months from application at the Immigration Services Agency. The marriage itself is recognized immediately; the spouse visa is a separate process tied to japanese culture marriage residency rules.

Will my Japanese spouse's family name change automatically?

Japanese law requires married couples to share a family name. For an international marriage, the Japanese partner can keep their surname, take the foreign spouse's surname, or use a different combination via a separate name-change application within six months. The foreign spouse's home country governs their own legal name.

Can we file the konin todoke on a Sunday or holiday?

Yes. Ward offices have a 24/7 night-and-holiday counter that accepts the form. The marriage date is the date of acceptance. However, clerk review only happens during weekday hours, so any errors will delay confirmation. For a meaningful date, file in person on a weekday morning to avoid risk.

Plan Your Wedding Photos in Japan

Once the legal paperwork is on its way, the next question is usually: what will the wedding actually look like? For couples who want to keep the legal side minimal and invest the experience in cultural depth, a kimono photoshoot at a shrine, garden, or historic district delivers the imagery and the memory without the logistics of a full ceremony. Browse the curated photographer directory to compare studios across Japan, or read our Japanese wedding photography guide for an overview of formats and pricing. If you are still deciding between marriage in japan as a civil filing only versus a full Shinto ceremony, our marriage in Japan culture guide sets the cultural and legal context side by side.