Marrying a foreign national in Japan: documents and Japanese translations

Sources checked: 26 October 2026

When a Japanese national and a foreign national marry under Japanese law, they file a marriage registration (婚姻届) at the family register counter of a city, ward or town office. Every document the foreign partner submits in a foreign language needs a Japanese translation.

Main documents

According to the Ministry of Justice Q&A, the foreign partner needs a certificate of legal capacity to marry (婚姻要件具備証明書), showing they meet their home country's requirements for marriage, with a Japanese translation. City offices also list documents such as:

The certificate of legal capacity to marry, with a Japanese translation
Proof of nationality (a nationality certificate or passport), with a Japanese translation
A birth certificate, with a Japanese translation (some offices ask for this)

The documents required depend on the partner's nationality and the office. Some offices ask you to contact the family register counter in advance with the partner's country. Some also require documents issued abroad to carry an apostille or embassy authentication.

If the home country doesn't issue a certificate of capacity

The Ministry of Justice Q&A says that a sworn statement signed by the home country's consul (with a Japanese translation) may be accepted instead. If that isn't possible either, the requirements are checked using a copy of the home country's law (citing its source, with a Japanese translation) and documents such as a passport, nationality certificate or birth certificate (each with a Japanese translation).

Rules for the Japanese translation

届書に添付する書類その他市町村長に提出する書類で外国語によつて作成されたものについては、翻訳者を明らかにした訳文を添付しなければならない。

Family Register Act Enforcement Regulations, Art. 63 (documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a translation that identifies the translator)

The Ministry of Justice says every foreign-language document needs a Japanese translation stating who translated it, and that the translator may be the applicant (「翻訳者は本人でもかまいません」). City offices describe the format differently, for example:

Office (examples)	What it says about translations
Chuo City, Tokyo	Anyone may translate, including the applicant, but the translator must sign at the end (example wording: 「上記は原文の正訳に相違ありません。訳者の住所・氏名」)
Ota City, Tokyo	Anyone may translate. Translate what the document certifies, and state the translator's address and name
Kagoshima City	The translation needs the translator's address and signature

These are the offices' website instructions on the date checked. Check your own office's current guidance before filing.

If you married abroad (reporting the marriage)

If the marriage took place under another country's law, you submit a copy of the marriage certificate to the Japanese embassy or consulate in that country within three months (Family Register Act, Art. 41). You can also report it at a city office in Japan, which also needs the marriage certificate and a Japanese translation.

Ota City, for example, asks for a translation of what the certificate states, with the translator's address and name. If the marriage certificate doesn't show the name, date of birth, nationality and sex, it also asks for supporting documents (such as a passport or birth certificate) with translations.

Questions

Can I translate the documents myself?

The Ministry of Justice says the translator may be the applicant. Some offices require the translator's signature or address at the end of the translation.

Can I use a translation made by a company?

The regulation requires a translation that identifies the translator and sets no qualification for the translator. Whether a translation is accepted is up to the office, and some ask for an individual's signature, so check with them first.

Can you help me fill in the marriage registration form?

Please ask the office about the form itself. We only translate documents; we don't prepare registration forms.

This page is general information. The documents required and the format of translations differ by country and office, and can change. Check the current guidance of the office you are submitting to before you file.