A bit tricky marriage Certificate vs. Marriage License situation

[BackWhereIBelong 2]

My wife and I got married in Japan 10 years ago at the equivalent of a Justice of the Peace (at a kuyakusho, a local ward office). The US embassy provided an affidavit and I was told that this official marriage in Japan is recognized in the US. We have the official Japan paperwork for that.

the name of the document translates to Marriage Registration, a legal and binding document.

A couple years later we got married in a church. From that we have a marriage certificate from the church.

As it was hectic, because we were living overseas at the time, we traveled to the US for our wedding, were only there a short time, etc. we did not file our wedding with the county. Either we forgot or thought we didn't need to. So we do not seem to have a US marriage license.

Our Town Clerk's office said our particular church knows the process very well and would not have married us unless the prior paperwork was in place, that being the Japan Marriage Registration. The Town Clerk's office has no record of our marriage.

In order to submit the CR1 papers, we have the church's marriage certificate, a photocopy of the Japan Marriage Registration, and an English translation of the Marriage Registration.

Question 1:

Do we need a US Marriage license?

Question 2:

If what the US Embassy in Japan, who are quite good, was correct in saying that Japan marriage is recognized in the US, what is the mechanism for that?

Edited September 28, 2016 by BackWhereIBelong

[SophieParker1130 3]

hI

1) The US recognizes legal marriages performed abroad. So there's no need for the church license. As long as it's legal, you're good to go. That's what my husband and I researched when we registered our marriage in Kuala Lumpur. VJ'ers please correct me if I'm wrong

** We DID get the license certified at the Ministry of Foreign affairs just to be safe though

Good luck!

Edited September 28, 2016 by SophieParker1130

[EM_Vandaveer 2,417]

You cannot get married in the US (legally, anyway) as you are already married.

Your marriage (the ceremony conducted in Japan) is recognized by the US.

Leave the church marriage out of the equation.

Use the Japanese Marriage Registration and its English translation in your dealings with US immigration.

There is no way to "register" the marriage conducted in Japan in the US.

You are still married, though, in the eyes of the US Government.

Edited September 28, 2016 by EM_Vandaveer

[BackWhereIBelong 2]

thank you both