UK marriage certificate when married in Japan

Hi guys.  Hope someone here can help.  I'm American, fiance is British, we live in Japan.  We hope to get married here in Japan, before he returns to the UK and we start the spouse visa process.

Tonight, he e-mailed the UK embassy in Tokyo with a question (unrelated to this post,) and received an automated response saying they'd get back to him soon.  Tacked onto the auto response was some info, including this:


   " I registered my marriage in Japan. Can I register my marriage in the UK? Can I obtain a British marriage certificate?

**Once your marriage has been registered in Japan, there is no system to register your marriage in the UK. The British embassy and the British consulate-general in Japan do not register any marriages.
Once your marriage has been registered in Japan, a British marriage certificate cannot be issued. If you need advice about whether a marriage conducted in Japan is legally valid in the UK we recommend that you contact a lawyer in the UK. If you are asked to obtain a British marriage certificate to apply for a Japanese spouse visa, please explain to the immigration officer that the UK authorities do not issue marriage certificates when marriages are conducted in Japan. If the immigration officer is unsatisfied with that explanation we are happy to speak to them directly if they contact the consular section at the British Embassy Tokyo (for Eastern Japan) or the British Consulate-General Osaka (for Western Japan).** "

As I'm not Japanese, the latter half doesn't apply to us.  But we are worried about not being able to get a British marriage certificate.  I'm wondering if our Japanese marriage certificate would be sufficient for my spouse visa? 

I know it says to contact a lawyer, but that's easier said than done.  Hoping someone here may have some insight? Thanks in advance!

Your Japanese certificate will be fine, but you will need to have it professionally translated.

Your Japanese certificate will be fine, but you will need to have it professionally translated.

Thank you so much!  Do you mind me asking how you know?  (If I can find that in print/on the internet to show my fiance, he'll sleep much easier, ha ha.) 

Thank you so much!  Do you mind me asking how you know?  (If I can find that in print/on the internet to show my fiance, he'll sleep much easier, ha ha.) 

Britain recognises weddings held legally in other countries. The UK does not recognise weddings where one person is already married. The only real grey area is weddings held over the phone - this is legal in India but not completely recognised in the UK in all circumstances (because sometimes the people being married have not met). But I digress...

My computer has a weird time with links to pdfs (yay windows 8 ). https://www.google.co.uk/#safe=active&q=marriages+recognised+in+the+uk
Top link

Britain recognises weddings held legally in other countries. The UK does not recognise weddings where one person is already married. The only real grey area is weddings held over the phone - this is legal in India but not completely recognised in the UK in all circumstances (because sometimes the people being married have not met). But I digress...

My computer has a weird time with links to pdfs (yay windows 8 ). https://www.google.co.uk/#safe=active&q=marriages+recognised+in+the+uk
Top link

Thank youuuuuuu!