How do I get a Korean marriage visa (F-6) with a spouse from China? Marriage registration steps and documents

To live in Korea with your Chinese spouse, you need a marriage visa (F-6). The steps are: ① register your marriage in both Korea and China ② notarize your Chinese documents, get apostilles and translate them into Korean (since November 2023, China uses the apostille instead of consular confirmation) ③ apply for the visa after the Korean spouse completes the international marriage guidance program.

At a glance

• Your visa: F-6 marriage migrant visa
• First stay period: Up to 3 years, then extend
• Chinese documents: Notarization + apostille
• Marriage registration: In both Korea and China
• Where to apply: Based on where your spouse is

In short: register your marriage in both countries → notarize the hukou booklet and certificate of no marriage record and get apostilles → apply for the marriage visa. China has used the apostille since November 2023, so it's simpler than before, and the Korean spouse must take the international marriage guidance program (국제결혼 안내프로그램).

Steps

A · China first — Register the marriage in China → report to Korea

(When you can both go to China together)

1. Get the Korean spouse's marriage-related documents, translate them into Chinese and get apostilles.
2. Go together to a Chinese marriage registration office that handles marriages with foreigners.
3. After registering, you receive your marriage certificate (结婚证).
4. Have the marriage certificate notarized, get an apostille, then translate it into Korean.
5. Within 3 months, report the marriage to a city or district office (시·구청) in Korea or to the consulate.

B · Korea first — Register in Korea → confirm in China

(When the Chinese spouse is in Korea)

1. Prepare the Chinese spouse's notarized certificate of no marriage record, notarized hukou booklet and passport.
2. Get apostilles on the notarized documents and translate them into Korean.
3. Register your marriage at a city or district office (시·구청) in Korea.
4. Translate Korean documents such as the marriage relation certificate (혼인관계증명서) into Chinese and get apostilles.

Document certification

China has used the apostille since November 2023. However, personal documents must first be notarized at a Chinese notary office.

• Using Chinese documents in Korea: Notarized at a Chinese notary office → Apostille from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Foreign Affairs Office → Korean translation (done with the notarization) → Submit in Korea
• Using Korean documents in China: Issued in Korea → Overseas Koreans Agency (재외동포청) apostille → Chinese translation → Submit in China

Korea vs. home country

• Minimum age to marry — Korea: 18 for both men and women / China: 22 for men, 20 for women
• Where to register the marriage — Korea: City or district office (시·구청) (an embassy if abroad) / China: A marriage registration office authorized to register marriages with foreigners
• Using foreign documents — Korea: Chinese documents → notarization + apostille + translation / China: Korean documents → Chinese translation + apostille
• Extra documents — Korea: Family relation documents / China: Notarized hukou booklet and certificate of no marriage record (for submission in Korea)
• If you married in another country — Korea: Report to Korea within 3 months / China: Check the procedure for recognition in China

What the visa review checks

• Guidance program: A Korean inviting a Chinese spouse must first take the Ministry of Justice international marriage guidance program (국제결혼 안내프로그램).
• Income: The Korean spouse's income must meet the standard. The standard amount changes every year.
• Communication: The foreign spouse needs basic Korean (TOPIK, etc. ), or the two of you must be able to talk in a shared language.
• A home together: You need a home where you'll live together (owned, jeonse lease or monthly rent).
• A genuine relationship: Shown through how you met, your contact records and photos. If you apply in China, there may be an interview at the consulate.

Common reasons for delays or refusal

• Errors in notarized documents: The name or date of birth is written differently on the notarized hukou booklet or certificate of no marriage record, or the documents have expired
• Weak proof of communication: Korean test results come out late, or there isn't enough evidence of a shared language
• Not enough relationship records: A long-distance relationship with few records of meeting in person
• Previous marriage or stay history: A previous marriage or past stay history needs to be explained

Documents to prepare

• Korean spouse: Passport, basic certificate (기본증명서), family relation certificate (가족관계증명서), marriage relation certificate (혼인관계증명서) (detailed), health check certificate, guidance program completion certificate, income and employment documents, housing documents
• Chinese spouse: Passport, notarized hukou booklet, notarized certificate of no marriage record, notarized birth certificate (if required), health check certificate, criminal record documents (if required)
• Both of you: A statement of how you met, photos and contact records, evidence that you can communicate
• How documents are certified: Chinese documents: notarization + apostille + Korean translation. Korean documents: Chinese translation + apostille

Key terms

• Hukou booklet (户口簿): China's family and address register. It's like Korea's family relation certificate (가족관계증명서) and resident registration certificate (주민등록등본) combined.
• Notarized certificate of no marriage record: A document from a Chinese notary office proving that you are not currently married.
• Apostille: A simple certificate that confirms a document is genuine without a trip to the embassy. China has used it since November 2023.
• Marriage certificate (结婚证): The marriage certificate issued by a Chinese marriage registration office. You use it to report the marriage to Korea.

FAQ

Q. How do I bring my Chinese wife to Korea?

After registering the marriage in both countries, the Korean spouse takes the international marriage guidance program (국제결혼 안내프로그램), then either gets a Visa Issuance Confirmation (사증발급인정서) in Korea or applies for the marriage visa (F-6) at the Korean Embassy or a Korean Consulate General in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, etc. ). Once the visa is issued, your spouse enters Korea and completes alien registration.

Q. What documents do I need for the Chinese marriage visa?

The Korean spouse needs a passport, basic certificate (기본증명서), family relation certificate (가족관계증명서) and marriage relation certificate (혼인관계증명서) (detailed), a health check certificate, the guidance program completion certificate, income and employment documents, and housing documents. The Chinese spouse needs a passport, a notarized hukou booklet, a notarized certificate of no marriage record and a health check certificate. Chinese documents are notarized and apostilled, then translated into Korean. You also submit a statement of how you met, plus photos and contact records.

Q. Do Chinese documents still need consular confirmation?

Since November 2023, China also uses the apostille, so you get an apostille instead of consular confirmation. However, personal documents must first be notarized at a notary office.

Q. What is the minimum age to marry in China?

In China, men can marry from 22 and women from 20. In Korea, it's 18 for both men and women. You must meet the rules of both countries.

Q. Do I have to take the international marriage guidance program?

Yes, a Korean spouse inviting a Chinese spouse must take it. Without the completion certificate, the visa application won't move forward, so it's best to take it early in your preparation.