About Juri Ukagai (Preliminary Inquiry)

Who This Article Is For

This article is for international couples (a Japanese national and a foreign national) who are planning to marry, as well as couples whose marriage registration has already been placed under a preliminary inquiry.

What Is Juri Ukagai?

In the case of international marriages, the local municipal office may be unable to determine whether to accept the marriage registration. When this happens, the documents are forwarded to the Legal Affairs Bureau for review.

This process is called "Juri Ukagai" (受理伺い), or a preliminary inquiry on acceptance.

When Does a Preliminary Inquiry Occur?

It depends on the municipal office and the staff handling your case, but generally a preliminary inquiry is more likely in the following situations:

• When the foreign spouse is from a country where marriages with Japanese nationals are uncommon (In 2016, marriages between Myanmar nationals and Japanese nationals were quite rare, and our case was subject to a preliminary inquiry.)
• When an overstay is identified from the residence card
• When there are deficiencies or questions about the submitted documents

What Happens During a Preliminary Inquiry?

You will be required to appear at the Legal Affairs Bureau for an interview lasting approximately one hour with a bureau official.

During the interview, you will be asked questions about how you met and the circumstances leading to your marriage, in order to confirm that it is not a fraudulent marriage.

In the author's case, both spouses attended the interview together. The day after the interview, the author's wife was hospitalized for a threatened premature birth, so the timing was extremely close.

How Long Does It Take for the Marriage to Be Finalized?

Generally, it takes one month to several months.

In the author's case, by explaining that the due date was approaching, the process was expedited and the marriage was finalized in less than one month. If you have urgent circumstances, be sure to communicate them clearly.

What You Should Do During a Preliminary Inquiry

When your marriage registration is under preliminary inquiry, you are in an awkward situation where you have submitted the registration but the marriage is not yet officially established.

One important thing to check during this period is the "Marriage Registration Receipt Certificate" (婚姻届受領証明書).

With this certificate, you may be able to add your spouse as a dependent even before the marriage registration is officially accepted.

In the author's case, the municipal office staff did not inform him about this certificate, resulting in unnecessary extra steps for health insurance enrollment. Make sure to ask the municipal office about this certificate if your registration is under preliminary inquiry.

What Is the Wedding Anniversary Date?

Normally, the date you submit the marriage registration is the acceptance date and the date the marriage is established. However, with a preliminary inquiry, the submission date and acceptance date differ, raising the question of when the marriage is officially established.

The answer is that even in the case of a preliminary inquiry, the submission date becomes the marriage establishment date.

This has been confirmed with the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau. This is particularly important when a child is expected soon, as the marriage establishment date can affect the child's nationality acquisition method.

Summary

• Juri Ukagai is when the municipal office refers the marriage registration to the Legal Affairs Bureau for review
• An interview at the Legal Affairs Bureau (approximately 1 hour) is required
• It may take 1 month to several months for the marriage to be finalized
• Always ask about the "Marriage Registration Receipt Certificate"
• The submission date becomes the marriage establishment date (even with a preliminary inquiry)