Changing Last Name

I am from the US and will soon be moving to Japan to get married to my Japanese fiance. I want to change my last name to his. Can we do this right when we get married at the city hall? Will there be any extra paper work I have to fill out?

Also, I am coming on a tourist visa, and want to get my spouse visa quickly so I can start working. I know I am supposed to get a new US passport to reflect my name change, but would this mean I cannot get my spouse visa until after I get my new passport? Or could I get the spouse visa first, and then apply for a new passport?

One last question is that if I'm coming on a tourist visa, do I need proof that I have some sort of outbound flight leaving Japan? I'd rather just buy a one-way ticket as I am going to move in with my fiance. I was just in Japan a month ago, but I really can't remember if they actually check to see if you have a flight leaving the country or not.

In marriages between Japanese and non-Japanese (if you get married under Japanes law), the non-Japanese spouse's name will remain as it is, when you go to the city hall and report your marriage.

Your Japanese husband's "koseki" will show the fact of his marriage to you - under your maiden name of course, because that's who he gets married to.

I believe that the Japanese government does not have any authority for changing the names of non-Japanese. So the Japanese laws provide rules and procedures for when the Japanese spouse wants to change his/her name to the non-Japanese's family name, but not much for the opposite case, because it does not directly involve its nationals themselves. :(

Changing your family name, I believe, will involve you reporting your marriage after the fact to the US Embassy in Japan, and there get your name changed on your passport (or you will probably have his family name added behind yours, making that the family name), and that may be all.

On Alien Registration, your name will appear as it appears on your passport, and you can update this as you change your name on the passport. You can also write your first name + your husband's family name as "alias."

It is normal that the name on "koseki" (your maiden name) and your passport & Alien Registration differ if you change your family name, so it should be no problem that they are different. So I think you can (1) get married, (2) apply for Spouse visa with the current passport with the current visa, then (3) think about the name changeas a separate issue.

you can (1) get married, (2) apply for Spouse visa with the current passport with the current visa, then (3) think about the name change as a separate issue.

Sorry - I meant to say under (2), "apply for Spouse visa with the current passport with your current name..."

Well, I don't know if it varies by prefecture, but I recently got married to a Japanese national, and first we had to go make the marriage paper at the town office (easy part, doesn't take long). At the same time, I was able to turn in my application for gaijin card. I go back to pick up my card about 3 weeks later. In the meantime, we had to go to the Japanese embassy, and submit the application for spouse visa (you have to outline your whole relationship in writing, how/when you met, everything you have been doing in between, when living together, when each other met families, visited home countries etc. you will also need to attach photographs (required) of you together during the course of your relationship. Your husband has to get from the town office his tax record to prove he has a job and can support you also.) Once you turn this in to the embassy, you get a stamp in your passport that states you are awaiting visa, and your tourist visa expiration date no longer applies.
The visa can take 1-3 months to get response as to if it is approved or not, so don't plan on getting a job as soon as you are married (on the spouse visa anyway).
If you want to change your name, you also have to submit paper work WITHIN 6 MONTHS of your marriage, or your name will PERMANENTLY remain your maiden name, and cannot be changed.
Once you have the name change paperwork, you will have to go to your embassy, have your passport name changed, and also go back to the town office where you live to have your name changed on your gaijin card.
Hope this helps. Good luck, and congrats!

The 6-month limit for the name change is only for Japanese nationals who want to change their family name to that of their foreign spouse- they have to decide within 6 months.

For non-Japanese there is no such time limit- you can change your family name whenever you want to, but as above it has to be done through the channels of your home country, whether the embassy or through your country's version of the registry office.

I'm not sure what nationality you are, but I'd be really careful about admitting to anyone who is not your spouse-to-be that you're anxious to find work as soon as you get married. The immigration office is very wary about who they grant spouse visas to, and has been known to be extremely tough on other Asians in particular because of incidents of convenience marriages.

Do not give anyone at the immigration office any hint that you're looking to immediately start working or you may end up having them scrutinize you more closely than necessary, which may threaten your chances at getting your visa extended.

Getting married to a Japanese does not guarantee that you'll get a spouse visa once your tourist visa is up. I went through this myself a few years back. We were asked to show all kinds of proof by way of photos, letters, emails and other documents about how we met, why we decided to get married and what I planned to do here once I was married. Even after all that, I was only given 1 year to start with, though when I went to renew the next time, I was granted the usual 3. I don't think it's as easy anymore as some stories you may have heard told about marriages in the past. Immigrants and refugees sneak into Japan frequently, and this is one way they are seeking to try to control the influx.

Good luck, though. MAKE SURE you have all of your paperwork sent in well before the due dates for the best outcome! :)

I know you're from the U.S. What I meant by nationality was of what descent. People are often judged by appearances first, and that can (though not always with everyone) make life difficult for anyone not Japanese in Japan! Good luck! :)

When I bought my final flight here, I was advised by JTB to book a round trip and just not board the return flight. The reason they gave is because I could possibly have ended up detained and questioned by immigration about why I wasn't planning to return to my country of origin. Stuck in an airport on the other end of a terribly long flight from the States is the last place you'd probably want to be once you arrive, right? Then you'd have to call up your spouse-to-be and drag him in there with you to try to sort it out. Worst case scenario, they might try to deport you right then and there if they for whatever reason don't believe your intentions, and you don't need that!

Having that trip back could serve a good purpose by helping you get back to the U.S. should for some reason your spouse visa be denied. Some people go to Korea, Taiwan or Guam for a few days and back to renew their tourist visa until it gets approved, but why spend the extra money? Just set the trip back for the day before your tourist visa expires and you'll have that extra peace of mind just in case.

It all should be avoided if you get your paperwork done in good time, though. Good luck again! :)

In my experience, round trips are usually cheaper than one way anyway, especially if you shop for deals. Also, the airline will definitely question you when you try to check in with only a one way ticket and going on a 90 day tourist visa.