How to Legally Register a Marriage in Japan as a Foreigner (2026): The Kon'in Todoke, Step by Step

Getting married in Japan is, on paper, almost shockingly simple: there is no ceremony, no officiant, and no waiting period. You fill in one A3 form — the marriage registration (婚姻届, kon'in todoke) — hand it in at a city office, and once it is accepted you are legally married from that day.

The simplicity is also the trap. The form itself is easy; the documents you have to attach as a foreigner, and the question of whether your home country also recognizes the marriage, are where things actually go wrong. People show up at the counter missing one paper and get sent home, sometimes after their partner has already taken the day off work for a meaningful date.

This guide walks the whole process in order: the one certificate almost every foreigner needs, the documents for each partner, how the kon'in todoke is filled in and submitted, the two-country problem, and the steps that come after the marriage is registered — including why marrying does not automatically give you a spouse visa.

The big picture: marriage registration is a family registry act, not an immigration act

The single most important thing to understand up front is that there are two completely separate systems, run by two different parts of the government, and people constantly confuse them:

1. The marriage itself is registered with your city/ward office under Japan's family-registry (戸籍, koseki) law. This is what makes you legally husband and wife. It is free and usually same-day.
2. The spouse visa (officially the "Spouse or Child of Japanese National" or "Spouse of Permanent Resident" status of residence) is a separate application to the Immigration Services Agency (ISA / 出入国在留管理庁). It is not automatic, it is not guaranteed, and it has its own evidence requirements.

You can be legally married and still not have the right to live in Japan on that basis. Registering the marriage is step one; the visa is a later, independent process (covered in our dedicated spouse-visa guide). Keep the two separate in your head and the whole thing becomes much clearer.

Step 1 — The certificate almost everyone needs: the Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry

For a marriage in Japan to be valid, each person must be legally free and able to marry under the law of their own country. Japan cannot check the marital status or marriage rules of every nation, so it shifts that proof onto you. The document that provides it is the Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry — in Japanese, 婚姻要件具備証明書 (kon'in yōken gubi shōmeisho), often shortened to 具備証明書. In English it is variously called an "Affidavit of Competency to Marry," "Certificate of No Impediment (CNI)," or "Single Status Certificate," depending on your country.

Where you get it depends entirely on your nationality:

• Many countries issue it through their embassy or consulate in Japan. You often have to appear in person and sometimes swear an affidavit in front of a consular officer.
• Some countries (for example, the United States and several others) do not issue a true capacity certificate. Instead their embassy issues a sworn affidavit of eligibility/single status, and the city office accepts that in its place. The exact substitute, and whether anything extra is needed, varies.
• A few countries require you to obtain documents back home (such as a birth certificate plus a single-status certificate) and have them legalized.

Translation and certification

Any foreign-language document you submit — the capacity certificate, your birth certificate, your passport details — generally needs a Japanese translation. City offices usually accept a translation done by anyone, including you or your partner, as long as the translator's name is written on it. You do not normally need a sworn or professional translator, but confirm with your specific office, as practice varies.

Step 2 — Gather each partner's documents

Exactly what you bring depends on the pairing. Below is the typical baseline; your office's list is the one that counts, so call ahead.

The foreign partner usually brings:

• Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry (or your embassy's accepted substitute), with a Japanese translation.
• Passport (and often a copy).
• Residence card (在留カード) if you live in Japan, or other ID/proof of identity.
• Depending on nationality, a birth certificate and/or other civil-status documents, translated.

The Japanese partner usually brings:

• A copy of their family register (戸籍謄本 / 戸籍抄本, koseki tōhon/shōhon) — required if you are registering at an office other than the one that holds their koseki. If you register at their honseki office, it is often not needed. (Note: a 2024 reform has been progressively reducing when a koseki copy must be attached, so ask your office whether you still need it.)
• Photo ID (such as a driver's license or My Number card).

Both partners bring:

• The completed marriage registration form (婚姻届).
• Personal seals (印鑑/hanko) are no longer legally required on the kon'in todoke (the seal requirement was abolished), but bringing one does no harm; the Japanese partner may still find theirs useful for other steps.

Step 3 — Fill in and submit the kon'in todoke

The form is a single large sheet, available free at any city/ward office (and downloadable from many municipal websites). It asks for both partners' names, addresses, dates of birth, your parents' names, the new household details, and the witness section.

A few practical points that trip foreigners up:

• Write your name as it appears in your official documents. For your name in Japanese script, offices will tell you how they want it rendered (often katakana); be consistent with how it appears elsewhere.
• There is no appointment and, for the marriage itself, no fee.
• You can submit on any day, including weekends and holidays, because city offices have an after-hours window for life-event filings. However, if a document needs to be checked (very common for foreigner marriages), staff may only be able to verify it during normal weekday hours — so a holiday "submission" can end up provisionally accepted and finalized the next business day. If a specific date matters to you, go on a weekday and confirm it will be accepted that day.
• Once the office accepts the form, you are married as of the date of acceptance (受理日). Acceptance — not the ceremony or any party — is the legal moment.

After acceptance you can request proof of the marriage:

• Acceptance Certificate (受理証明書, juri shōmeisho) — issued on the spot for a small fee; useful immediately (for example, for your embassy or for the visa application) while the registry updates.
• Updated family register (戸籍謄本) — the marriage is recorded on the Japanese spouse's koseki a few days to about a week later. Foreign spouses are not given their own koseki (only Japanese nationals have one); instead, the foreign spouse is noted in the remarks of the Japanese spouse's register. This is normal and expected.

The two-country trap: is your marriage valid back home?

This is the part that quiet, busy weekday counters will not warn you about, and it is the most consequential.

A marriage validly registered in Japan is legally a marriage in Japan. Whether your home country also recognizes it is a separate question governed by your home country's law. Many countries recognize a foreign marriage automatically; others require you to report or register the Japanese marriage with your own authorities — often by submitting the Japanese marriage certificate, translated and sometimes apostilled or legalized, to your embassy or to a registry back home.

If you skip this, you can end up married in Japan but still single on paper at home — which causes real problems later for inheritance, taxes, your partner's immigration to your country, pensions, and any future divorce.

The apostille, briefly

Japan is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. If your home country also is, your Japanese marriage documents can be authenticated with a single apostille issued by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rather than going through full consular legalization. If your country is not a Hague member, you will likely need the longer legalization route through both the Japanese MOFA and your embassy. Your embassy can tell you which path applies to you.

After the marriage: what changes (and what doesn't)

Registering the marriage triggers a short to-do list:

• Your residence record updates. If you live with your spouse, you may need to update your address/household (住民票, jūminhyō) at the city office and report a change in household composition. If you change your surname, you must update your residence card, bank, employer, insurance, and pension records.
• Your visa does not change automatically. This is critical. Marrying a Japanese national does not grant you the right to stay. If you want to live in Japan as a spouse, you apply separately to Immigration to either change your current status of residence to "Spouse or Child of Japanese National," or, if you are abroad, obtain a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) first. That application has its own evidence (proof the relationship is genuine, income, etc.) and can be refused. See our spouse-visa guide for the full process.
• If you are not switching to a spouse visa, your existing status of residence simply continues under its own rules. Being married does not, by itself, change what work you are allowed to do.

Quick checklist

Before you go to the city office:

• Called your embassy and confirmed whether you get a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry or a substitute affidavit
• Obtained that certificate plus a Japanese translation (translator's name written on it)
• Passport, residence card (if resident), and any required birth/civil-status documents (translated)
• Japanese partner's koseki copy (if registering away from their honseki office) and photo ID
• Two witnesses aged 18+ have signed the form (they need not attend)
• Decided whether a specific acceptance date matters → if so, go on a weekday
• Planned how you will report the marriage to your home country afterward
• Understood that the spouse visa is a separate application

Frequently asked questions

Do we need a ceremony or wedding to be legally married in Japan? No. Japan has no legal ceremony or officiant. You are legally married the moment the city office accepts your kon'in todoke. Any wedding ceremony is purely personal and has no legal effect.

Can two foreigners get married in Japan? Often yes — you can usually register at a Japanese city office, but both of you typically need a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry from your respective countries, and you must confirm your home countries will recognize the marriage. Call the city office in advance, as not every counter routinely handles foreigner-to-foreigner marriages.

Do I need a Japanese visa or residence card to get married here? The marriage registration and the visa are separate. Many offices will register a marriage even for someone in Japan short-term, as long as the capacity documents are in order. But marrying does not grant you a visa — that is a separate application to Immigration.

Do I get my own family register (koseki) after marrying a Japanese citizen? No. Only Japanese nationals have a koseki. As a foreign spouse you are recorded in the remarks of your Japanese spouse's register. This is normal and is enough to prove the marriage.

Do I have to take my spouse's surname? No. Foreign spouses are not required to change their surname, and Japanese law currently requires a Japanese couple to share one surname but treats foreign spouses differently. If you do want to adopt or hyphenate a name, there is a separate notification procedure with its own deadline — ask the city office.

How long does the whole thing take? The kon'in todoke itself is usually accepted the same day. Gathering the capacity certificate beforehand is what takes time — anywhere from a same-day embassy visit to several weeks if you must request documents from your home country. Plan the document-gathering, not the counter visit.

---

This guide is general information for foreign residents and is not legal advice. Marriage and document requirements depend on your nationality and can change; always confirm the current rules with your city/ward office, your home country's embassy or consulate in Japan, and — for the visa — the Immigration Services Agency or a licensed professional.