Marriage question where to begin?

Hello I am seeking some advice that would be greatly appreciated. Okay so my fiance and I are planning to get married very soon. He is Japanese and I am from the states. Anyway he feels that I should apply for an ARC as soon as I get there, though part of me thinks its probably better to get married first then go apply for the ARC. I understand that the ARC is necessary to obtain my spouse visa, but do I need it in order to get married as well? It just seems redundant to apply for it and then have to go and make changes to it after the marriage. Any advice would be extremely helpful

Soon,

Yes, you should apply for the ARC as soon as you have a fixed address in Japan. Without it, registering your marriage in Japan will be a lot more difficult.

Thanks so much Dave. My mind is now at ease. I will do that asap.

Being you are in Japan and I am in the US, things might be a little different. My Japanese girlfriend (Now wife) applied for a Fiance Vise before we married. It was very easy and only took a few months. Once approved,we had to married within three months. Again, since you are in Japan, it may differ from the paper work in the US.

Ron,

as you suspected, the Japanese system is different from the US one, and there are no fiance visa's in Japan.

Soon To Be Wife,

I was recently in a similar situation to you as I just recently got married in Japan. I am American and my wife is Japanese. Anyway, here is a list of what you will need to complete the marriage paperwork:

1. Alien Registration Card - (any changes you need to make to it after the marriage can be done immediately after you are married, as both marriage and ARC issues are handled by the your city hall)

2. Birth Certificate - I called up the city hall to see if I needed it. They said no, but I got one anyway. Turns out I did need it, so I'd bring one just in case.

3. Translation of Birth Certificate - Your fiance can do it, it doesn't have to be official.

4. Hanko - there was discussion on whether or not I needed this or if my signature would be ok. I had one anyway, so it wasn't a problem.

5. Notarized Affidavit of Competency to Marry - obtainable from the US Embassy and found online here:

http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/pdfs/wwwf7114.pdf

I think that's all. You can find out more information on marriage in Japan here:

http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7114a.html

Thanks so much I will inform my fiance about this especially the hanko. I didn't even think about that one. Thanks again.

you will not need a hanko

Cool I didn't think so about the hanko thanks for the clarification.

Is it difficult to obtain the arc on a 90 day stay? I have read on some boards that it is and some other sources say it is not.

soon to be wife,

Unlike the situation with applying for visas, obtaining an ARC is just a formality and there is no approval process. It just takes a couple of weeks for the card to be made. Provided you have a fixed address, there should be no problem. Besides, as everyone staying in Japan for more than 90 days must register, presumably most people applying will be on a 90-day visa anyway.

Thanks again Dave you are a very big help. I really appreciate it. Thank you everyone for your replies.