Getting divorced abroad
 

Hello,
I got married to a Japanese man in Japan. I deposited a certified and translated copy of my Japanese marriage certificate to the General Register Office of England and Wales so my marriage is legal in the UK and I have a copy of this right in front of me.
I am now getting divorced, we are doing it in Japan as it's super easy and free. I have called the General Office of England and Wales and asked if I have to deposit with them a copy of my divorce papers.
She said no and that they don't hold divorce documents. I am quite confused. Wouldn't I still be legally married in the UK then? She said I have to talk to a lawyer, I don't have such money.
Do I have to legally divorce also in the UK? It's a minimum of £550 as far as I know and I would rather avoid spending all of that money since it's free in Japan.
I would gladly listen(read) all of your suggestions. Thank you very much.
Vivien

Re: Getting divorced abroad
 

A deposited copy is just that. You married in Japan, not the UK. Your divorce, whether in Japan or the UK, is valid in both countries.

Re: Getting divorced abroad
 

You are aware that your husband will lose his visa status as a spouse and will, in all probability, have to return to Japan?

I only mention this as you went through a lot to get the initial visa and only asked about the FLR(M) a couple of months ago.

Re: Getting divorced abroad
 

Generally you get divorced where you live irrespective of where you got married, so I would question whether the Japanese courts have jurisdiction to divorce you and your husband if you are both living in the UK. .... If your husband has already returned to Japan then divorce in Japan shouldn't be a problem.

Otherwise I concur with BiP's advice. A divorce granted in Japan would be effective globally, and I would add that registering your Japanese marriage in the UK wasn't necessary for you to be recognized as married in the UK.

Re: Getting divorced abroad
 

Hello everybody, I am thankful for all of your answers and I am sorry if I forgot to mention the most important detail: my husband went back to Japan a month ago.
SanDiegogirl, you have good memory, thank you.
Unfortunately things didn't work out, I would say for the last 4.5 years to be honest.
My husband already went to get the divorce papers in Japan and he sent me the documents to sign. There are no problems there for the divorce, it takes 2 days and it's free so I would rather do it there. It is actually so easy to get a divorce in Japan, you can do it alone or you can even send a third person to do the divorce for you (your father, mother, friend etc). There have been complaints about the Japanese spouse falsifying the foreign spouse's signature and if there are children involved you can basically forget about ever seeing them again. There are no rights for a non-Japanese person getting a divorce in Japan. Luckily this is not our case as we don't have children and we don't hate each other.
Thank you all.