How to Register Your Marriage in Korea (혼인신고): A Step-by-Step Guide

The wedding ceremony is optional in Korea and has no legal weight. The marriage report (혼인신고) filed at a district office (구청) is the only step that makes a marriage legally valid. This guide walks through exactly how to complete that filing.

For the full overview of Korea's three marriage paths, visa implications, and costs, see the getting married in Korea guide.

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Which office to use: district office (구청) or city office (시청)?

File the marriage report at either:

• The district office (구청) or city office (시청) covering the address where either spouse is registered as a resident in Korea
• Any community service center (주민센터) in Korea

You do not have to file at the office closest to your home. Any district office or community service center across Korea will accept the filing. The practical reason to use your local office is convenience. Staff at local offices are also more likely to have handled international marriage filings before.

If neither spouse has a Korean registered address (for example, in a two-foreigner marriage where both hold foreign addresses), the general rule is to file at the office covering your current location (현재지). Call the Danuri helpline at 1577-1366 or any 구청 family registration desk before going to confirm the correct office for your situation.

If you go to the wrong office, they will redirect you. The cost of getting it wrong is a wasted trip, not a penalty.

The family registration section inside the office handles these filings. When you arrive, look for the 가족관계등록 or 민원 (civil affairs) section.

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What to bring: the full document checklist

Documents split between the two sides of the marriage. Have originals plus at least one photocopy of each document.

Foreign spouse side

• Passport (original): brings proof of identity and nationality. Take a photocopy of the photo page.
• Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증): bring your current ARC if you have one.
• Certificate of No Impediment (혼인성립요건구비증명서): the document from your home country confirming you are legally free to marry. Known by different names depending on your nationality:
  • United States: Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry (from the US Embassy in Seoul, notarial fee approximately USD 50; verify current fee at kr.usembassy.gov)
  • Philippines: Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (LCCM), issued by the Philippine Embassy in Seoul
  • Vietnam: Certificate of Marital Status, from the Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul
  • China: 미혼증명서 (unmarried-status certificate) from a household registration authority (公证处), apostilled by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Russia: single-status certificate (справка о семейном положении) from a local civil registry office (ЗАГС), apostilled
• Certified Korean translation of all foreign-language documents: required for every document not in Korean. The translator must sign the translation and state it is accurate. No government-certified translator is required by law, but the translation must be complete and signed.
• Passport-style photos: most offices require one or two recent photos. Check with the specific office.

Most district offices require the CNI to have been issued within 3 months of the registration date. Some offices accept documents up to 6 months old. Call the specific office to confirm before ordering your document, especially if your registration date has shifted.

For the country-by-country process of obtaining your home-country document, embassy contact details, and apostille requirements, see the marriage documents from your home country guide.

Korean spouse side

• National ID card (주민등록증) or passport: for identity verification.
• Family relationship certificate (가족관계증명서): may be waived if the registrar can retrieve it directly from the national database, but bring a copy to be safe.
• Basic certificate (기본증명서): similarly, may be retrievable on-system but bring a copy.
• Marriage relations certificate (혼인관계증명서): confirms the Korean spouse has no prior unregistered marriage. Also may be waived if retrievable.

Both parties

• Completed marriage report form (혼인신고서): signed by both parties before submission. See the next section.
• Two witnesses' information: their names and ID numbers recorded on the form. The witnesses do not appear in person.

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The marriage report form (혼인신고서): field by field

The form is Form 별지 제10호 서식 (혼인신고서). Pick it up at the district office counter, download it from 정부24 (gov.kr), or access it through the Supreme Court e-family registry (efamily.scourt.go.kr). You can also fill it out at the office on the day.

Here is what each section asks for, and where foreign residents most often make mistakes.

Section 1: Names and registration numbers of both parties

Write the full legal name as it appears on each party's identification document. For the foreign spouse, use the romanized name exactly as it appears on the passport and Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증). A mismatch between documents is the most common rejection trigger. If your passport spells your name one way and your ARC spells it another, resolve the ARC at the immigration office before coming here.

The Korean spouse records their resident registration number (주민등록번호). The foreign spouse records their alien registration number from the ARC.

Section 2: Nationality and address

Record each party's nationality and current registered address. For the foreign spouse, use the address printed on the ARC.

Section 3: Date and location of the marriage

If you are registering a ceremony that has already occurred, record the date and location of that ceremony. If this is a registration-only filing with no ceremony, the district office staff will guide you on how to complete this field. The date you write here is for reference only. The legal effective date is the date the registration is accepted.

Section 4: Witness information

Two witnesses, each recorded with their full name and ID number. Korean witnesses use their resident registration number (주민등록번호). Foreign witnesses use their alien registration number. The witnesses sign this section of the form. Their physical presence at the office is not required.

Section 5: Signatures of both parties

Both the Korean spouse and the foreign spouse must sign. If one party cannot appear at the office in person, they must sign the form in advance and the attending party submits it. The staff will verify the signatures.

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Two witnesses: who qualifies

Two witnesses are required under Korean family registration law. Here is what you need to know.

Age requirement: Each witness must be an adult, defined in Korean law as 19 years or older (만 19세 이상).

Nationality: Witnesses can be Korean nationals or foreign nationals. There is no citizenship requirement.

Relationship: Witnesses can be family members of either spouse. There is no rule requiring witnesses to be unrelated to the couple.

Presence: Witnesses do not need to appear at the district office in person. Their information goes on the form, and they sign the form wherever they are.

What they sign: The witness section of the 혼인신고서. They confirm they are aware of and attest to the marriage. No formal oath or notarization is required.

In practice, most couples ask two Korean or foreign friends or family members to fill in their information and sign the form before the office visit. This can be done on the same day, remotely by photo or message if needed, as long as the form arrives at the office with both signatures.

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Same-day processing: what to expect

Bring complete documents and same-day acceptance is realistic. Here is the honest picture.

정부24 lists the official processing window as up to 5 working days. That is the SLA the office is held to, not a description of typical reality. When everything is in order, district office staff review and accept the registration at the counter during the same visit.

What causes it to take longer:

• A document is missing or untranslated
• The name romanization on the foreign spouse's documents is inconsistent
• Staff need to verify an unfamiliar country's CNI document type
• The office is understaffed that day or the family registration section is busy

You will know at the counter whether the submission is accepted. If accepted, the marriage is entered into the Korean family registry that day or within the 5-day window. The legal effective date of the marriage is the date it is accepted and entered, not the date of any ceremony and not the date you submitted the form.

If the office cannot accept the documents as presented, they will tell you what is missing and you come back. There is no fee for returning.

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Getting your marriage certificate (혼인관계증명서) afterward

Once the registration is accepted, you can obtain the marriage relationship certificate (혼인관계증명서). This is the document you will need for:

• F-6 spousal visa applications
• National Health Insurance (건강보험) dependent enrollment
• Home country marriage registration
• Any other process that requires proof of marriage in Korea

Three ways to get it:

At the district office counter: Ask for a copy immediately after the registration is accepted. At the counter, it is free.

Via 정부24 (gov.kr): Order online. Cost is 1,000 KRW per copy (as of 2026, verify at gov.kr). Electronic delivery is available.

Via the Supreme Court e-family registry (efamily.scourt.go.kr): Free. Accessible as soon as the registration is processed.

If you need the Korean marriage certificate apostilled for use abroad, for example for a home country registration or an overseas visa application, contact the Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) apostille service at 02-2002-0251 or 02-2002-0252.

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The 3-month deadline for couples who married abroad (Path C)

If you married outside Korea and are now registering that marriage in Korea, the Family Relations Registration Act (가족관계의 등록 등에 관한 법률) Article 35 sets the deadline.

The rule: 3 months from the date of the foreign marriage ceremony or registration.

Where to file:

• At the Korean embassy or consulate in the country where the marriage took place (Article 35, paragraph 1)
• If there is no Korean mission covering that region, at the Korean national spouse's home district office in Korea by mail or in person (Article 35, paragraph 2)

What you need for a Path C filing:

• Certified copy of the foreign marriage certificate, authenticated by apostille or consular legalization depending on the home country's Hague Convention membership
• Korean translation of the marriage certificate, certified by the translator
• Passports of both parties
• Korean spouse's family relationship certificate (가족관계증명서)

The penalty for missing the deadline: A fine of up to 50,000 KRW under Article 122 of the Family Relations Registration Act. Registration is still possible after the deadline. The late registration requires an explanation of the delay. For F-6 visa purposes, the registration must be completed before you can apply.

The 50,000 KRW fine is low, but missing the deadline creates a gap in the record that can complicate the F-6 application timeline. File within the 3-month window.

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Common mistakes and rejections at the district office

These are the most frequent reasons a district office returns a marriage registration filing.

Expired or missing CNI. The Certificate of No Impediment (혼인성립요건구비증명서) was not obtained, has expired, or the validity window has passed. Most offices require the document to be issued within 3 months of the registration date. Order your CNI as close as possible to the planned registration date.

Foreign-language documents not translated. Every document not in Korean must be accompanied by a Korean translation certified by the translator. Submitting the original document alone, without a translation, will result in a return.

Translation not signed by the translator. The translator must sign the translation and state it is accurate. An unsigned translation is treated as incomplete.

Wrong office. You went to a district office that does not cover either spouse's registered address. This is a redirect, not a permanent rejection, but it costs a trip.

Witness age. One or both listed witnesses are under 19 years old (만 19세). Replace with an adult witness.

Witness section incomplete. The ID number of one or both witnesses is missing or illegible on the form. Every field in the witness section must be filled in.

Name romanization mismatch. The foreign spouse's name is spelled differently across their passport, ARC, and the CNI. This is the most insidious problem because it is easy to miss and hard to fix quickly. The ARC is the legally registered identity document for immigration purposes. If it does not match the passport, resolve it at the immigration office before the district office visit.

Apostille or legalization missing (Path C only). For marriages registered abroad, the foreign marriage certificate must be apostilled or consularly legalized. A plain certified copy without authentication is not accepted.

CNI inconsistency with ARC for apostille countries. For countries that have joined the Hague Apostille Convention, apostille on the CNI is sufficient. For countries that have not yet joined, or where the convention has not yet entered into force (such as Vietnam until September 11, 2026), full consular legalization is required. Submitting an apostilled document for a country that still requires the legalization chain will result in rejection.

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FAQ

Which office do I go to for marriage registration in Korea?

Go to the district office (구청) or city office (시청) where either spouse is registered as a resident, or to any community service center (주민센터). Any office across Korea can accept the filing, but the office covering your registered address is the practical default.

Do both spouses need to appear at the district office together?

No. Only one spouse needs to attend in person to submit the completed form. Both must have signed the 혼인신고서 before it is submitted. The attending party brings the signed form plus all documents.

Who can be a witness for a Korean marriage registration?

Any adult aged 19 or older (만 19세 이상), Korean or foreign national, including family members. Witnesses do not appear at the office in person. They fill in their name and ID number on the form and sign it.

How long does marriage registration take at the district office?

Same-day acceptance is common when all documents are in order. The official processing window per 정부24 is up to 5 working days. The legal effective date of the marriage is the date the registration is accepted and entered.

We married abroad. How long do we have to register in Korea?

3 months from the date of the foreign marriage. This is set by Article 35 of the Family Relations Registration Act (가족관계의 등록 등에 관한 법률). File at the Korean embassy covering the country where you married, or at the Korean spouse's home district office in Korea. The fine for missing the deadline is up to 50,000 KRW under Article 122.

How do I get my marriage certificate (혼인관계증명서) after registering?

At the district office counter immediately after registration (free), via 정부24 online for 1,000 KRW per copy, or at the Supreme Court e-family registry (efamily.scourt.go.kr) for free.

My CNI from home has expired. Can I still register?

Not with the expired document. Most district offices require the CNI to have been issued within 3 months of the registration date, though some accept up to 6 months. Obtain a new CNI from your home country's embassy or relevant authority before going to the district office.

Does the name on my passport need to match my ARC exactly?

Yes. Name romanization inconsistencies between your passport and your Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증) are a common reason for rejection or delay. Resolve any mismatch at the immigration office before going to the district office for marriage registration.

@misc{seoulstart-marriage-registration-korea-guide,
  author = {{Seoulstart Editorial Team}},
  title = {{How to Register Your Marriage in Korea (혼인신고): A Step-by-Step Guide}},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Seoulstart},
  url = {https://seoulstart.com/guides/marriage-registration-korea-guide},
  note = {Last updated May 14, 2026}
}