Getting married overseas

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Lynsie Nichols
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Living overseas can bring many opportunities like the chance to experience new cultures and learn new things about your host country.

Many airmen hope to find their soul mates and get married while overseas, but many don't realize all of the paperwork and steps they have to go through to reach their happiness.

There are different steps to go through depending on who you marry. If you are stationed here at Yokota Air Base for example, and you meet the love of your life and decide to marry him or her, there is a multi-step process to go through.

First, you need to make an appointment with the Legal Office by calling 225-8069 for a pre-marital briefing that you and your fiancée need to attend.

At this briefing, you will receive important information about your responsibilities as a military member with dependents. This briefing usually lasts 30 minutes.

After the briefing, you will need to visit the TriCare Office to create a social security number in the hospital system for your fiancée. For more information on the documents you will need to supply at this appointment, call 225-6478.

When you are finished at the TriCare Office, you will need to go to Public Health to fill out a questionnaire, get a medical statement and order blood tests for your fiancée. For more information, call 225-5311.

After completing blood tests, visit the Immunizations Office to complete a Tuberculosis skin test for you and your fiancée.

Those are just some of the steps you will need to take when marrying a Foreign National. Once you have completed all of those tasks, you will need to make sure that you have your United States Passport or Birth Certificate readily available; your fiancée will need their passport as well.

You will also need to make sure you have copies of any Divorce Decrees, if applicable, and the PACAF Form 80 Application for Authorization to Marry.

If you are marrying a Japanese National, they will need to make sure they have a copy of their Family Register and their Current Address Register.

If you are marrying a Filipino National, you will need a No Objection of Marriage Form. Contact the Philippine Embassy to check for any other necessary documents.

Now that you have completed all of those steps you are ready to go to the Fussa City Hall and get married. The marriage is simple, turn in the paperwork and wait for the employee to verify that all of the information is correct. As soon as everything is verified, you will be able to purchase a Certificate of Acceptance for 400 yen or a Certificate of Acceptance of Marriage for 1,400 yen.

Congratulations! You are married, but there are still a few steps you have to take to update your new status.

Upon returning to Yokota Air Base, you will need to have your Japanese certificate translated into English and notarized. Once your marriage certificate is translated, you must go to MPS to change your information in DEERS and get your spouse a DOD ID.

If you are female and plan on changing your last name, you will need to go to the American Embassy in Tokyo and fill out a request for a name change on your social, or go to the social security website and download a form that you will need to mail.

After putting in the request for a name change on your social, you will need to contact your bank and change the name on all of your accounts and have new cards sent to you. You will also need to go to the post office and update your mailbox information.

If you are a military member and you plan on marrying someone from the United States, you will need to get a command sponsorship letter in order to bring them back overseas.
You will still need all of the documents like your Birth Certificate or Passport and any applicable Divorce Decrees, but you won't need to translate your marriage certificate unless you plan on having your fiancée fly to Japan to marry you.

There is also the occasion where a military member stationed at Yokota falls in love with another military member stationed here and wants to get married.

The steps are basically the same. You will both need copies of Birth Certificates or Passports, any applicable Divorce Decrees translated into Japanese. The Legal Office and the Passport Office both have lists of available translators on the base. Contact MPF at 225-9913 for a complete list of any forms or documents you will need.

Since you are both military members, changing your information in the system will take less time, but make sure you have all of your documents ready.

Marriage is a big commitment and can bring a lifetime of joy. Every step towards getting married and starting a new life together is worth it.