We have put together a list of frequently asked questions to help you through the process of international marriage.

Q. What happens to my family name when I marry a foreigner?

Unlike Japanese marriages, if you marry a foreigner, there is no change to your surname (family name) if you do not go through any special procedures.

If you wish to change your surname to that of your foreign spouse, you can do so within six months of the date of your marriage by applying for a change of surname at the municipal office of your place of residence. (It is also possible to change your name at the same time as you register your marriage.

(You can also change your name at the same time as your marriage registration.

Q. My foreign spouse has a stepchild who is also a foreign national. Can the child live with us in Japan if we get married?

A. No. Just as a foreign spouse cannot live in Japan without going through the necessary procedures at the Immigration Bureau, a stepchild also needs to go through certain procedures.

If the foreign parent has “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” status, and the stepchild meets all of the following requirements, the stepchild will be able to obtain “Permanent Resident” status.

  1. be the biological child of the foreign parent
  2. the child must be a minor
  3. You are unmarried.
  4. You have been living under the support of the foreign parent.

Q. If I have a child with a foreign spouse, what will be the nationality of the child?

If the husband or wife is Japanese, the child will be granted Japanese nationality, but it is possible to choose a foreign nationality, but the requirements vary from country to country, so it is best to check with the embassy or consulate of the foreign spouse’s country.

Dual nationality is not permitted in Japan, but you can have dual nationality up to the age of 22, at which point you must choose one of the two nationalities, and if you acquire foreign nationality after the age of 20 and become a dual national, you must choose one of the nationalities within two years of that time.

If you do not choose your nationality within this period, the Minister of Justice can give you a written notice to choose your nationality, and if you do not choose your nationality within one month of receiving the notice, you will automatically lose your Japanese nationality.

Q. What is the nationality of a child born out of wedlock?

If the mother is Japanese, the child will basically acquire Japanese nationality regardless of whether she is married or not. Whether or not the child can acquire the foreign nationality of the father depends on the laws of the individual foreign country.

On the other hand, if the mother is a foreigner, then the mother’s nationality is automatically conferred on the child, and if the father wants to confer Japanese nationality on the child, he must legally acknowledge that the child is his.

If the recognition is done while the child is still in the mother’s womb, the child can acquire Japanese nationality after birth, but if the recognition is done after birth, the child cannot acquire Japanese nationality until they are officially married and go through the “quasi-permanent” procedure.

However, if the following requirements are met, the child can acquire Japanese nationality even if the father later divorces or dies.

  • The child must not have ever been a Japanese citizen.
  • The child must be under 20 years of age.
  • The father must have been a Japanese citizen at the time of birth, at the time of death, or at the time of death.

If the child acquires Japanese nationality by quasi-adoption, the child will be registered in the father’s family register and will take the father’s name.

Q. What happens to the child’s nationality if he or she is born overseas?

If the child is born in a country that has adopted the nationality of the place of birth, such as the United States, the child will automatically acquire the nationality of the country where the child was born, which may result in dual nationality.

In this case, you must apply to the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country of residence within three months of the date of birth to “reserve your nationality”.

If you fail to do so, your child will not be able to acquire Japanese nationality, even if you are a Japanese couple.

However, until the age of 20, the child can reacquire Japanese nationality by returning to Japan and establishing an address.