Getting married in Korea, step by step
Marrying in Korea as a foreign resident means two systems at once: the documents your home country needs and the registration Korea needs, followed by the F-6 visa. Take it in order and none of it is hard.
Guides
Start with the overview, gather your home-country documents, then register the marriage and plan the wedding.
Getting Married in Korea
The full process for a foreign resident marrying in Korea, from paperwork to registration, in order.
Read guideMarriage Documents From Your Home Country
The certificate of eligibility to marry, apostilles, and translations you need to gather before you start.
Read guideRegistering Your Marriage
How to register the marriage (혼인신고) at the community service center (주민센터), and what to bring.
Read guideWhat a Korean Wedding Costs
Venue, studio, dress, and the realistic budget ranges for a wedding in Korea.
Read guidePlanning a Small Wedding
The growing small-wedding (스몰웨딩) option, what it includes, and how to keep it simple.
Read guideMulticultural Family Support
The Danuri centers, free Korean classes, and the support multicultural families can claim.
Read guideThe order that saves you a second trip
The single most common mistake is registering before the home-country paperwork is ready. The sequence that works:
- 1. Gather home-country documents: the certificate of eligibility to marry, apostilled and translated. This is the slow step, so start it first.
- 2. Register the marriage (혼인신고) at the community service center (주민센터) with both sets of documents.
- 3. Apply for the F-6 marriage visa once the marriage is registered, which opens the path to F-5 permanent residency in as little as two years.
The getting-married guide walks the whole sequence, and the F-6 visa guide covers the visa that follows.
Related: the visa and life after
Marriage in Korea connects directly to your visa status and the benefits that follow.
The F-6 Marriage Visa
Eligibility, the income requirement, the interview, and the direct path to F-5 permanent residency.
Read guideF-5 Permanent Residency
Where the marriage path leads: how F-6 holders qualify for permanent residency.
Read guideChild Benefits for Foreign Residents
The cash benefits a married couple raising children in Korea can claim.
Read guideKorean Wedding Culture
What Korean weddings look like as a guest or participant, and what is expected of you.
Read guide