The Affidavit of Competency to Marry
The affidavit of competency to marry is the document a foreign national submits at a Japanese municipal office to prove they are legally free to marry under their own country's law.1 Without an accepted affidavit or an accepted substitute, the office cannot finish its legal-capacity review, and the marriage registration cannot be accepted no matter how complete the rest of the paperwork is.
Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Ministry of Justice (法務省) family register guidance and your own embassy or consulate in Japan. This article is general information, not legal, tax, or immigration advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed immigration lawyer or gyoseishoshi (行政書士, administrative scrivener), especially where affidavit unavailability or ward-level refusal affects marriage timing or a linked status-of-residence filing.
Overview
The 婚姻要件具備証明書 (konin yōken gubi shōmeisho, "certificate of legal capacity to marry") is commonly called the affidavit of competency to marry or certificate of legal capacity to marry.1 Every foreign party to a Japan-side marriage registration files one, whether marrying a Japanese national or another foreign national.1
The document certifies capacity under the applicant's national law, not under Japanese law. That is why there is no single form, fee, or timeline: each nationality's government decides what it issues, and each Japanese municipality decides what it accepts at the counter.
What the Affidavit Certifies
The affidavit attests that the marriage satisfies the applicant's home-country formation requirements, such as having reached marriageable age and being currently unmarried.1 It is issued by a person with authority under that country's law, such as its ambassador, minister, or consul.1
On the Japan side, both partners must be at least 18 years old under Civil Code Articles 731 through 737.23 A foreign applicant must additionally satisfy the eligibility rules of their own home jurisdiction, so a higher marriageable age at home binds them even when filing in Japan.3
Who issues it and why Japan requires it
Japanese municipal offices cannot verify a foreigner's home-country marital status themselves. They review the Japanese party through the family register transcript and the foreign party through the affidavit, then accept the notification only when both reviews pass.1
A Japan-side marriage takes legal effect the moment the office accepts the notification after this review.1 Where both parties are foreign nationals, no family register entry is created; the notification itself is archived for 50 years.1
How Issuance Works by Country
Issuance source, format, fee, and turnaround differ sharply by nationality, so identify your own country's path before assuming anything about the process.1345 The three documented examples below show the full spread, from no certificate at all through same-cycle embassy issuance to a home-documents-first route.
The choice of path follows nationality alone:
United States: embassy statement instead of an affidavit
The United States has no document equivalent to a family register, and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo provides no certificate proving eligibility to marry.3 Effective September 1, 2025, the Embassy and consulates stopped notarizing affidavits of competency to marry altogether.3
Instead, the Embassy publishes a downloadable PDF statement confirming that no such U.S. document exists, for presentation to the local city or ward office.3 The older description of this path, roughly $50 for same-day embassy notarization with appointment (as of 2025-09-01; confirm current figures with the U.S. Embassy Tokyo), no longer describes the current process.3
A ward office unfamiliar with the post-September-2025 practice may still ask for a notarized document instead of the PDF. The Embassy points applicants toward remote online notarization services offered by certain U.S. states as a fallback, and advises confirming acceptance with the specific office in advance (as of 2026-02-02).3
A U.S. citizen does not report the Japan-registered marriage to the Embassy afterward. Marriages validly performed abroad are valid in the United States, and the Japanese-language Certificate of Acceptance of Notification of Marriage is the only proof of marriage.3
United Kingdom: embassy affirmation booked in advance
British nationals need a marital status affirmation or affidavit proving they are free to marry. The two documents have identical contents and differ only in the form of oath: an affirmation is a non-religious oath sworn on the applicant's name, while an affidavit is a religious oath sworn on a religious book.4
Applicants apply and pay online, then book an appointment at the British Embassy in Tokyo, attend with the originals of every uploaded document, declare, sign, and receive the document at the end of the appointment.4 The fee is £50, paid at the time of online application (as of 2024-05-09).4
The appointment must fall at least 7 days after the application date so staff can pre-check documents, and appointments run only on Tuesdays or Wednesdays (as of 2024-05-09).4 Required uploads are a UK passport, a full birth certificate including parents' details, proof of permanent address, proof any prior marriage or civil partnership ended, plus card payment (as of 2024-05-09).4 Originals must be brought to the appointment, since missing originals can mean no issuance and a rescheduled visit (as of 2024-05-09).4
Mistakes cannot be corrected once the affirmation is issued. A single error means reapplying and paying the £50 fee again, so the check at the appointment desk is the last chance to catch one (as of 2024-05-09).4
Note that the GOV.UK guidance page for this process is scoped to opposite-sex couples getting married in Japan.4 Where both partners are British, each makes a separate application; a partner who is neither British nor Japanese contacts their own embassy for their country's documentation.4
Philippines and other home-agency-only nationalities
A Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (LCCM) is issued only to Filipinos presently residing in Japan who wish to marry a foreign national.5 The Philippine path runs through home-government civil-registry documents first, and the Embassy certifies the result, rather than notarizing a self-attested statement on the spot.
A single Filipino applicant's core requirements are the accomplished application form, a valid passport, residence card or other visa evidence, a DFA-apostilled PSA-issued birth certificate, and a DFA-apostilled PSA-issued Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR), plus photos and a ¥600 Letterpack (as of 2026-09-08).5 The CENOMAR is valid only six months from issuance, and its details must match the birth certificate (as of 2026-09-08).5
Single applicants aged 18 to 20 need a parental-consent affidavit, and those aged 21 to 25 need a parental-advice affidavit with parent ID (as of 2026-09-08).5 Philippines-executed affidavits need a Filipino notary plus DFA apostille, while Japan-resident parents may execute the affidavit at the Embassy (as of 2026-09-08).5
Both parties must personally appear for in-person applications booked by appointment (as of 2026-09-08).5 Mail applications are possible but require both parties' forms to be notarized by a Japanese notary public after an email pre-evaluation of scanned documents (as of 2026-09-08).5
Regular processing runs 10 working days from receipt of complete documents plus fees, and express processing runs 5 working days (as of 2026-09-08).5 Fees are ¥3,750 for the LCCM, ¥3,750 for the Affidavit of Civil Status, ¥3,750 each for Japanese-document verification/translation or parental advice/consent where needed, plus ¥1,500 per document for express processing (as of 2026-09-08).5
A foreign fiance who is neither Filipino nor Japanese must supply a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage or its equivalent from their own embassy in English (as of 2026-09-08).5 U.S. military personnel supply a commander's authorization to marry instead (as of 2026-09-08).5
Other nationalities and EU embassy cases
Where the home country has no affidavit-issuing system at all, Ministry of Justice practice accepts substitutes in a fixed order.1 First, a sworn statement made before that country's resident consul in Japan, with Japanese translation, may be accepted in place of the affidavit.1
Failing that, the applicant proves home-law capacity with a copy of the home country's marriage law plus official identity or registry documents, such as a passport, nationality certificate, civil-registry extract, or birth certificate, each with a Japanese translation.1 If your country is not documented above, contact your own embassy in Japan first, since issuance source, fee, and turnaround vary too much for a general assumption to be reliable.
Fees and Timelines
The three documented paths span from no embassy certificate at all through a one-week-plus appointment cycle to a multi-week home-documents-first cycle.345 No single fee or timeline figure describes the affidavit; the table below compares the confirmed numbers, current as of the dates shown.
| Path | Item | Fee or turnaround | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Embassy affidavit | No certificate issued; PDF statement provided, no fee | 2025-09-01 | 3 |
| United Kingdom | Marital status affirmation or affidavit | £50, paid online | 2024-05-09 | 4 |
| United Kingdom | Online application to earliest appointment | 7+ days booking lag; issued same day as appointment | 2024-05-09 | 4 |
| Philippines | LCCM | ¥3,750 | 2026-09-08 | 5 |
| Philippines | Affidavit of Civil Status | ¥3,750 | 2026-09-08 | 5 |
| Philippines | Express processing | +¥1,500 per document; 5 working days instead of 10 | 2026-09-08 | 5 |
| Philippines | CENOMAR validity | 6 months from issuance | 2026-09-08 | 5 |
All fees and processing windows above can change on administrative schedules, so treat every figure as dated and confirm your own country's current numbers directly with your embassy or consulate (as of 2026-09-08).345 The Philippine path's total calendar time runs materially longer than the embassy-processing window alone, because DFA-apostilled PSA documents must be procured before the 10-working-day embassy clock starts.5
Translation and Ward-Office Filing
Every foreign-language document submitted with the filing, including the affidavit itself, needs a full Japanese translation with the translator's name recorded.1 The applicant may translate the document themselves; a professional translator is not required.1
Yokohama City requires the affidavit plus a nationality-proving document or passport, with a translator-identified Japanese translation for any foreign-language original.6 The same page warns that nationality, location, and filing place can add requirements such as a birth certificate or written statement, and directs applicants to confirm with the specific ward office where they plan to file.6
Funabashi City requires the affidavit, a birth certificate showing parents' names, a nationality certificate or valid passport, and a Japanese translation of each certificate with the translator's name, address, and phone number recorded, plus identification.7 Certificates must be under 3 months old, and foreign-procured certificates sometimes need home foreign-ministry or resident-embassy authentication.7
The pattern is municipal discretion, not national uniformity. The UK guidance confirms the same point from the other side: most municipal offices accept the affirmation only within a certain number of months of issuance, with the window varying by office.4
Good to know
Start the affidavit before booking anything date-sensitive
The Philippine LCCM needs 10 working days after complete submission, plus advance procurement of DFA-apostilled PSA documents that may have to come from the Philippines first (as of 2026-09-08).5 Budget weeks for that path, not days, and start the CENOMAR request early since it expires six months after issuance (as of 2026-09-08).5
The UK path is shorter but still gated: at least 7 days must pass between the online application and the Tuesday or Wednesday appointment, and the whole application lapses with a refund if no appointment is attended within 4 months (as of 2024-05-09).4
Confirm translation and validity rules with your specific ward office
Yokohama asks for translator identification on translations and flags possible extra documents by nationality, while Funabashi additionally requires the translator's address and phone number and imposes a 3-month certificate validity window.67 These two municipalities are illustrative examples only, not an exhaustive survey.
Confirm the specific requirements and validity windows directly with the office where you plan to file. A translation format accepted in one ward can be sent back for corrections in another.
A missing affidavit path does not mean a missing requirement
U.S. nationals receive an Embassy PDF statement rather than an affidavit, but a ward office unfamiliar with the post-September-2025 practice may still ask for a notarized document.3 Confirm acceptance in advance and keep the Embassy's remote-notarization fallback in reserve.3
Where neither the affidavit nor a consular substitute exists, the requirement does not disappear. The applicant must still prove home-law capacity with a home-law copy plus official identity or registry documents, all translated.1
See also
- Marriage to a Japanese National
- Marriage Between Two Foreigners in Japan
- Spouse Visa Application After Marriage Registration
- Choosing Surnames in International Marriages
- Koseki: Japan's Family Register Explained
- Notary Public (Koshonin) in Japan