Hi, I’m Dave, and I’m going to explain how two US citizens in mutual agreement can get divorced in Okinawa, Japan.
Three Mandatory Items for a Successful Divorce in Okinawa:
- Both parties must be physically present for the divorce hearing in Okinawa.
- Both parties must be in mutual agreement to divorce.
- Both parties must be US citizens. Note that the Okinawa Family Court does not handle divorces between a US citizen and a citizen of another nationality, such as the Philippines, Brazil, or Thailand.
I have been helping US citizens get divorced in Okinawa since 2012. With over 10 years of experience, I have assisted thousands of clients in obtaining legally recognized and enforceable divorces in the USA, as the Japanese Family Court follows US State Law during the hearing.
Steps to Get Divorced:
- Contact Us: Explain whether you have children with your current spouse or not. Based on this information, I will send you the appropriate documents to complete and a list of documents to send us, such as passports and your marriage certificate.
- Submit Documents: Once we receive the required information and documents, we will handle the translations. The Petitioner (one spouse) will need to sign the application at our office. We will then complete and submit your application to the family court on your behalf. Neither the Petitioner nor the Respondent (the other spouse) needs to be physically present for this submission.
- Court Process: After the Okinawa Family Court accepts your case, we will arrange for court-appointed English interpreters, who will be present on the hearing date.
- Hearing Date: The Family Court will set a date for the divorce hearing. Both the Petitioner and the Respondent must be physically present for this hearing, and everything must be mutually agreed upon beforehand.
Key Points to Remember:
- Both parties must be physically present at the hearing.
- Both parties must be in mutual agreement.
The time from contacting our office to receiving your hearing date is usually around one month. To ensure a smooth process, we advise that both parties be in Okinawa for at least three months. While we can’t speed up the process, based on our experience, the timeline is typically about one and a half months from initial contact to receiving your divorce decree.
After the 30-minute hearing, both parties are free to leave Okinawa. The divorce decrees will be mailed to our office, translated into English, and can either be picked up in person or mailed to you in Okinawa or the United States.
If you have any further questions about getting legally divorced in Okinawa, please visit our website, davehigginsoffice.com, for more information on our prices and contact details.
If you’re ready to get started, send me an email or a message, and I will send you the documentation to begin the process.