If you are a US citizen, US service member, or a SOFA Status Personnel married to another US citizen, US service member, or SOFA Status Personnel, you will need to get divorced at the Okinawa Family Court, located in Okinawa City.
If you are a US citizen married to a Japanese citizen, your divorce will take place at the same location where you were married, which is the City Office where your marriage was registered.
US citizens married to another US citizen, even if the marriage took place at a City Office in Okinawa, cannot divorce at the same City Office. This is because City Offices do not have the legal jurisdiction to dissolve a marriage between two US citizens. Instead, these divorces must be completed at the Okinawa Family Court.
City Offices are not equipped to handle the legal requirements for divorcing US citizens, such as reviewing US State Laws for each individual and creating the necessary legal documentation for issues like child custody, alimony, or property division. As a result, all divorces involving two US citizens are directed to the Okinawa Family Court.
At the Okinawa Family Court, the divorce case is reviewed according to the state laws applicable to each party. An official judge oversees the case, and an in-person hearing is conducted where both parties confirm their mutual agreement on all aspects of the divorce, including consent, child custody, visitation schedules, alimony, and child support.
If you would like to be legally divorced in Okinawa, please contact our office at davehigginsoffice@gmail.com