International marriage 's how to ①

Contents

 Introduction

　In Japan, when you submit the paper (Yes just one single paper !! How easy and amazing is it !? ) of your marriage registration to the city hall... YEAH ! Conglatulations !! You're a married couple!

　However, we both know this is not the case with international marriage. If you don't collect various types of documents and pass the examination, you can't even reach the place where you get the One paper, so-called marriage registration form ... And my croissant and I are still on this path...haha...

　Even before I returned to Japan, I scrutinized the marriage procedure, but there was a pitfall. I think our case is a bit unusual and special one (but I will share it with you in my next article!)  For this one, I  will write about the general flow and necessary documents for procedures of international marriage.

The point to notice

　In Switzerland, the authority of canton is strong and each canton is quite independent. So the contents of various procedures and required documents can be different depending on each canton. They even have different  holidays so it might be easier to just think each canton is acutually a different country.

   Additionaly, things may change depending on your situatuion and the time of year ( For example, our marriage procedure is sluggish right now due to the Covid-19 ... and I am in a really difficult situation due to my personal situation ...), so the conclusion is, there is no simple solution such as "Just do this then it will absolutely be okay!"  Of course I will try my best and hope this blog will help you a lot but it's better to consider this blog as a reference only!

Please contact each institution by yourself to get all the information straight before actually starting the procedure, so that you don't get stuck half way.

   However, the inquiry is the difficult thing again! !! Well, international marriage is hard! Really hard ! I can only say that !haha

   Inquiries cannot be completed in one place or once, and after all, the answer you are looking for may not be found. It's like fighting on not noly two, but four fronts! But don't worry, even if you fall into such a situation. Because all the obstacles you may experience, definitely I'm hitting them all , so I'll show them to you one by one before they hit you. And if you alreday got stuck in this swamp I will show you how to deal with it.

   As I said at the beginning, today I will introduce the case of a smooth marriage procedure.

Flow of the international marriage

① Decide the country where you will go through the marriage procedure

(Marriage in Switzerland / Marriage in Japan / Marriage in a third country)

   We chose "marriage in Switzerland", so the following is the flow in that case.

② Collect documents and apply at the Swiss Embassy in Japan

   Apply for a "stay permit to prepare for marriage" and a "long-term visa (D-type)".

Please note that you must apply at the Swiss Embassy in Japan! If you live in Switzerland, you can submit the documents at the family register office of your place of residence. But if you do not, you can only proceed to prepare for marriage by traveling and staying with a "resident permit for marriage preparation". .. Even if you have other valid residence permits (such as Schengen) or all the necessary documents.

③ After being examined by each institution, a residence permit will be issued to prepare for marriage.

   Permission is usually given in 2 to 3 months. However, in our case, it is said that it may take 5 to 7 months when inquiring by phone in December 2020, because the marriage procedure seems to be a low priority because it is a corona whirlpool and it corresponds to time saving + home + corona correspondence. I was married.

④ Travel to Switzerland → Procedures and weddings at the city hall

   In Switzerland,  when you submit your marriage registration to the city hall, well... they actually don't have such a thing called "marriage registration" so what will happen is you will be allotted a date and time for your marriage ceremony and  after that you are finally recognized as a married couple. Weddings are not something you can do right away, so you need to go to the city hall and make a reservation first.

The documents you need 

   You can check the website of the embassy of Switzerland in Japan for the information as well !

www.eda.admin.ch

For Swiss partner

• Passport
• Civil status certificate

(Croissant ordered it from the canton online and it arrived in 1-2 weeks. I was really surprised that Switzerland can easily complete the procedure online without going to the place!)

• Resident's card

(Required only if you live in Japan. If your name does not have katakana notation, you will be charged a fee, but you can issue a nationality and embassy registration certificate at the Swiss Embassy in Japan and substitute it. )

For Japanese spouse

• Family register
• Resident's card
• Civil status certificate
• Passport

All the documents have to be original and issued within 6 months.

   In addition to the above documents, for those who are widowed or divorced from their ex-husband / wife, you need the family register or a certificate of acceptance of the divorce report stating the confirmed date of the divorce/ the family register stating the death of the spouse or the death report.
   In addition, all documents must be accompanied by proof of apostille when submitting them.

What is "Apostille" ?

   For details, please take a look at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website → 

What is an Authentication (of official seals) / Apostille? | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

   The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a description, but roughly speaking, it means the Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifies "Yes, your documents are collect." That's it! Was it too simple? But that's really it. haha

   I grew up in a safe and secure Japan, and for me, people are trustworthy. So you know a special piece of paper that makes a "copy" stand out just by copying it, with the name of a great person and a direct signature, and a public seal is already offentic enough. How do you forge such a document? !! How can I doubt that this document is not genuine! !! However, since it is a necessary procedure, there is no choice but to obediently follow the rule.

   Luckily, unlike the notary system (details will be introduced in another article!), you don't have to go there in person and you also won't be charged! And the procedure is easy, so don't sweat it!  

Download Application Form / Power of Attorney | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

← Print the application form from here, fill it out according to the sample, and then assemble these documents.

• Official document requiring proof (original within 3 months from the date of issue)
• Application form (official seal confirmation or apostille)
• Identification card (driver's license, Juki card, passport, residence card)
• Return envelopes such as letter packs (return address required)

   If you mail it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Service Center Certification Team, it will be returned in about 3 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays! Please note that the Tokyo Headquarters only accepts documents via mail as a measure against corona! If you are in a hurry, the Osaka branch office can also handle it at the counter, so please contact them for more details. (Informations are as of March 15, 2021)

www.mofa.go.jp

At the end 

   It's best if you can go to the Swiss Embassy in Japan with your partner together, but there are some situations when one of you can't enter the country, like us !! In this situation with Covid, I have to go through the procedure by myself. In this case the required documents for the Swiss partner are not the original, but a copy.

   However, please make sure to be able to write about some additional informations about your partner in advance !  For example, the place of birth, current address, and maternal maiden name. You will be asked to fill out the documents at the Swiss Embassy in Japan! It is said that it will take about an hour, so please enter the embassy with plenty of time.

Well then, the basics are covered ... Good luck ! We can do it !!