Registering an international marriage

An international marriage is only fully recognised once registered in both Korea and your own country.

The broad flow

1. The marriage is established in one country — the order depends on where you hold the ceremony and register.
2. Register in Korea at your local community service centre.
3. Register in your own country through your embassy or home authorities.
4. If needed, apply for F-6 (marriage migrant) status. See f6-visa-basics.

Registering in Korea (typically)

• Marriage registration form
• Certificate of eligibility to marry for the foreign spouse — issued at home, with translation plus apostille or consular certification.
• Passport and Alien Registration Card
• Translations of home-country identity documents
• Witness signatures are sometimes required.

Requirements differ by country. Always confirm with both the community centre and your embassy in advance.

Preparing the documents

• Many documents need an apostille or consular certification. Obtaining them at home beforehand is best.
• Translations may have specific requirements. Check with the community centre.
• Some documents have validity periods. Don't obtain them too early.

Where to go

• Your local community service centre
• Your embassy — see embassy-contacts
• 1345 Immigration Contact Centre (residence status)
• 1577-1366 Danuri Helpline (interpretation and advice)
• Your nearest family centre

Questions people ask

Can't I just register in Korea? You must register in the other country too. Otherwise you remain unmarried there, causing problems with inheritance and children's nationality.

The paperwork is overwhelming. Ask a family centre for help — they handle international marriage documents regularly. Use 1577-1366 interpretation alongside.

Does registering the marriage grant a visa? No. Marriage registration and the F-6 visa or status change are separate procedures. Check with 1345.

We used a marriage brokerage. Only registered agencies may broker international marriages. If there was false information or excessive fees, report it to 1372 (consumer advice) or your local government.

Take care

Don't delay the marriage registration. If a child is born while the marriage is unregistered, the child's nationality and birth registration become far more complicated. See child-birth-registration.

Related

f6-visa-basics · marriage-visa-interview · child-birth-registration · marriage-immigrant-support

Source

Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Gov24 www.gov.kr / As of 2026-08