Getting married in Japan
To get married in Japan, please contact your city office for information and advice on local requirements and necessary documentation. Before a foreign national may marry, Japanese authorities require a certificate issued by the Australian Government stating that those authorities do not know of any impediment to the marriage. This certificate is known as a Certificate of No Impediment (CNI). Refer to our Notarial Services page for details.
Recognition of Japanese marriages
We do not register marriages.
A foreign marriage certificate is prima facie evidence in Australia of the occurrence and validity of the marriage. You can download further information on marriage recognition below. Australians applying for a Japanese spousal visa may wish to include this with their application.
Download Marriage Recognition information English (PDF) | Japanese (PDF)
Divorce in Japan
For information on divorce proceedings in Japan please contact either your local city office, or the Family Court of Japan. If you require further advice, you could consider seeking private, independent legal advice. Please refer to the list of lawyers (bottom of page) whom practice in Japanese divorce proceedings and family law matters.
To find out if your Japanese divorce is recognised in Australia, please contact the Family Court of Australia directly.
To find out more information on Family Law in Japan, please see the Family Law page on our website.
Marriage in Australia
Please consult with your Marriage Celebrant or your State's Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages or visit the website of Australia's Attorney General for information on marriage in Australia.
Notices of Intended Marriage can be witnessed at your nearest Australian mission. Fees apply.
Divorce in Australia
To apply for a divorce in Australia, please contact the Family Court of Australia. For more information on getting divorced in Australia, visit australia.gov.au - Getting Divorced page. If you require your signature witnessed or certified copies of original documents as part of the divorce application, please contact your nearest Australian mission. For more information, see Notarial services.