①A notification must be submitted in the locality of the registered domicile of any of the parties to the event under notification or in the locality of any of the notifying persons' addresses.

②A notification involving a foreign national must be submitted in the locality of any of the notifying persons' addresses.

If a notification has been submitted with regard to a person whose registered domicile is unclear or who has no registered domicile, and subsequently their registered domicile is clarified or they come to have a registered domicile, the notifying person or the party to the event under notification must make the event under notification clear and file a new notification to that effect with the mayor of a municipality who accepted the first notification, within ten days from the day on which they came to know that fact.

A notification may be submitted in writing or orally.

①If a notification of an acknowledgment of parentage, adoption, dissolution of an adoptive relationship, marriage, or divorce (referred to below as a "notification of adoption or other prescribed actions" in this Article) that will become effective upon notification is submitted by a person who has appeared at a city office or town or village office, the mayor of a municipality is to require the person who has appeared to present their driver's license or any other documentation showing their name and other particulars specified by Ministry of Justice Order that are necessary for identifying them, or may require the relevant person to explain these particulars, in order to confirm whether or not the person who has appeared is one of the parties to the event under notification (for an acknowledgment of parentage, the person acknowledging parentage; for an adoption as prescribed in Article 797, paragraph (1) of the Civil Code, the person who will become the adoptive parent and the legal representative of the person who will be adopted; and for the dissolution of an adoptive relationship as prescribed in Article 811, paragraph (2) of the relevant Code, an adoptive parent and the person who is to become the legal representative of the adopted child; the same applies in the following paragraph and paragraph (3)), as provided for by Ministry of Justice Order.

②If a notification of adoption or other prescribed action has been submitted, and the mayor of a municipality is unable to confirm, by taking the measures under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, that one of the parties to the event under notification has appeared at the city office or town or village office and submitted the notification, the mayor must notify the relevant party without delay after accepting the notification and by a method specified by Ministry of Justice Order that the mayor has accepted the notification of the adoption or other prescribed action.

③Any person may make a request to the mayor of a municipality in the locality of their registered domicile, in advance and by a method specified by Ministry of Justice Order, that even if a notification of adoption or other prescribed action has been submitted with regard to an event under notification to which they are a party, that the mayor of a municipality not accept the relevant notification if it is not possible to confirm through the measures under paragraph (1) that they themselves have appeared at the city office or town or village office to submit the notification.

④If a notification of adoption or other prescribed action related to a request under the preceding paragraph has been submitted, and the mayor of a municipality is unable to confirm, by taking the measures under paragraph (1), that the person making the request has appeared at the city office or town or village office to submit the notification, the mayor may not accept the notification.

⑤If the mayor of a municipality is not permitted to accept a notification of adoption or other prescribed actions pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the mayor, without delay and by a method specified by Ministry of Justice Order, must notify the person who made a request under paragraph (3) that the notification of the adoption or other prescribed actions has been submitted.

If the mayor of a municipality finds that the circumstances fall under any of the following items, regarding the notifying person, parties to the event under notification, or other relevant persons, the mayor may ask them questions or request that they submit necessary documents.

①The Minister of Justice may specify the forms for notifications by type of event.

②In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, a notification for each type of event is submitted using the relevant forms; provided, however, that this does not apply if there are any unavoidable grounds for the failure to conform with those forms.

The following particulars must be stated in a written notification, and the notifying person must affix their signature to it:

①As a result of an event under notification, if the name of the notifying person or of the party to the event under notification should be entered in another family register, information identifying the first family register must be entered in the written notification; if the name of the notifying person or the party should be removed from their previous family register, information identifying the previous family register must be entered in the written notification; and if a new family register should be created for the notifying person or the party, the reason for the creation of a new family register and the new registered domicile must be entered in the written notification.

②As a result of an event under notification, if a person other than the notifying person or the party to the event under notification should be entered in another family register or if a new family register should be created for the person in question, in addition to their name, date of birth, and address of the person being entered in the written notification, the particulars listed in the preceding paragraph must be entered in it, depending on whether the person in question is being entered into another family register or a new family register is being created for the person in question.

③If a new family register should be created for a person other than the notifying person, the same location as the person's previously registered domicile is deemed to have been designated as their new registered domicile.

①If the person who is required to submit a notification is a minor or adult ward, a person with parental authority over the relevant person or the relevant person's guardian is the one who has the duty to submit the notification; provided, however, that this does not preclude a minor or adult ward from submitting the notification themselves.

②If a person with parental authority or a guardian submits a notification, they must enter the following particulars in the written notification:

With regard to any act that a minor or adult ward may perform without obtaining the consent of their statutory agent, the minor or adult ward is to submit a notification themselves.

If a witness is needed for a written notification of an event to be submitted, the witness must state their date of birth, address, and registered domicile in the written notification, and affix their signature to it.

①If there are any particulars which should be entered in a written notification but which do not exist or which are not known, the fact must be entered in it.

②The mayor of a municipality may not accept a written notification that does not include particulars that the mayor finds to be particularly important.

In addition to the particulars provided for in this Act and other laws and regulations, anything that is necessary for clarifying the particulars that should be entered in a family register is entered in a written notification.

①If an entry in a family register should be made at two or more city offices or town or village offices, written notifications must be submitted in the same number as that of the city office or town or village offices concerned.

②If a notification is submitted in a location other than the locality of the registered domicile, another written notification must be submitted in addition to those to be submitted pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

③In the cases referred to in the preceding two paragraphs, the mayor of municipality must make a certified copy of a written notification and substitute it for the written notification, if they find it appropriate to do so.

①In order to submit a notification orally, the notifying person must appear at the city office or town or village office and make an oral statement of the particulars that should be entered in a written notification.

②The mayor of municipality must write down the notifying person's oral statement, state the date of the notification in the document, and read this aloud to the notifying person, and also have the notifying person affix their signature to it.

③If a notifying person is unable to appear due to illness or for any other reasons, the notifying person may have their agent make the notification; provided, however, that this does not apply to the notifications referred to in Article 60, Article 61, Article 66, Article 68, Articles 70 through 72, Article 74, and Article 76.

①If the parents or any other persons need to give their consent or approval in relation to an event under notification, a written notification must be accompanied by a document proving the consent or approval; provided, however, that it is sufficient to have the person who gives the consent or approval add a supplementary note to that effect in the written notification, and have that person affix their signature to it.

②If a judicial decision needs to be rendered or a government agency needs to give its permission in relation to an event under notification, a written notification must be accompanied by a transcript of the judicial decision or a transcript of the permit.

The provisions concerning a written notification apply mutatis mutandis to the documents set forth in Article 37, paragraph (2) and in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article.

A Japanese national who lives in a foreign country may submit a notification to the Japanese ambassador, minister, or consul stationed in that country, in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

①When a Japanese national who lives in a foreign country has a certificate made in accordance with the formalities of that country in relation to an event under notification, they must submit a copy of the relevant certificate to the Japanese ambassador, minister, or consul stationed in that country within three months.

②Where there is no ambassador, minister or consul stationed in that country, the Japanese national must send a copy of the certificate to the mayor of a municipality in the locality of their registered domicile within three months.

When an ambassador, minister, or consul has received a document pursuant to the provisions of the preceding two Articles, they must send it to the mayor of a municipality in the locality of the relevant person's registered domicile via the Minister of Foreign Affairs without delay.

①The period for submitting a notification commences from the day on which an event under notification takes place.

②If the period is required to be calculated from the day on which a judicial decision becomes final and binding, but the judicial decision becomes final and binding before it is served or delivered, the period commences from the day of the service or issuance.