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

To live in Korea with your Japanese spouse, you need a marriage visa (F-6). The steps are: ① register your marriage in both Korea and Japan ② get an apostille on Japanese documents such as the koseki tohon and translate them into Korean (Japan does not need embassy consular confirmation) ③ gather income, housing and communication evidence and apply for the visa.

At a glance

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

In short: register your marriage in both countries → apostille and translation for the koseki tohon → apply for the marriage visa. Certifying Japanese documents is fairly simple, so what you need to watch is translation and the income requirement.

Steps

A · Japan first — Marriage registration in Japan (婚姻届) → report to Korea

(When you are both in Japan)

1. Get the Korean spouse's basic certificate (기본증명서), family relation certificate (가족관계증명서) and marriage relation certificate (혼인관계증명서), and translate them into Japanese.
2. Submit the marriage registration form (婚姻届) to the Japanese city or ward office (役所).
3. Once it's accepted, get a certificate of acceptance of the marriage registration.
4. Translate the certificate of acceptance into Korean.
5. Within 3 months, report the marriage to a city or district office (시·구청) in Korea or to a Korean diplomatic mission in Japan.

B · Korea first — Register in Korea → report to Japan

(When the Japanese spouse is in Korea)

1. Prepare the Japanese spouse's koseki tohon (戸籍謄本) and passport.
2. Get an apostille on the koseki tohon and translate it 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 Japanese.
5. Report it to a Japanese government office or the Embassy of Japan in Korea, and you're done.

Document certification

Japan is a member of the Apostille Convention, so a single apostille lets you use documents in other countries without embassy confirmation.

• Using Japanese documents in Korea: Issued in Japan → Apostille from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs → Korean translation → Submit in Korea
• Using Korean documents in Japan: Issued in Korea → Japanese translation → Apostille if needed → Submit in Japan

Korea vs. home country

• Minimum age to marry — Korea: 18 for both men and women / Japan: 18 for both men and women
• Where to register the marriage — Korea: City or district office (시·구청) (an embassy if abroad) / Japan: City, ward, town or village office (役所)
• Using foreign documents — Korea: Japanese documents → apostille + translation / Japan: Korean documents → Japanese translation
• Identity documents — Korea: Family relation documents / Japan: Koseki tohon (戸籍謄本)
• If you married in another country — Korea: Report to Korea within 3 months / Japan: The marriage is entered in the Japanese family register (koseki)

What the visa review checks

• Guidance program: Japan is not one of the countries whose spouses require the 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, 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 Japan, there may be an interview at the consulate.

Common reasons for delays or refusal

• Short income history: Not enough recent income proof because of a job change, freelancing or special-type employment
• Weak proof of communication: Not enough evidence of Korean ability or a shared language
• Translation errors: Parts of the koseki tohon left untranslated or mistranslated, names that don't match
• Not enough relationship records: You've known each other only a short time, or have few records of contact and meetings

Documents to prepare

• Korean spouse: Passport, basic certificate (기본증명서), family relation certificate (가족관계증명서), marriage relation certificate (혼인관계증명서) (detailed), income and employment documents, housing documents
• Japanese spouse: Passport, koseki tohon (apostille + translation), criminal record and health 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: Japanese documents: apostille + Korean translation. Korean documents: Japanese translation

Key terms

• Apostille: A simple certificate that confirms a document is genuine without a trip to the embassy. Japan uses it.
• Koseki tohon (戸籍謄本): Japan's family register record. It's similar to Korea's family relation certificate (가족관계증명서).
• Certificate of acceptance of marriage registration: A certificate showing that the Japanese government office accepted your marriage registration. You use it to report the marriage to Korea.
• Visa Issuance Confirmation: A visa approval the spouse in Korea gets in advance. With it, you can get your visa in Japan faster.

FAQ

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

The Korean spouse needs a passport, basic certificate (기본증명서), family relation certificate (가족관계증명서) and marriage relation certificate (혼인관계증명서) (detailed), income and employment documents, and housing documents. The Japanese spouse needs a passport and koseki tohon, and the koseki tohon gets an apostille and is then translated into Korean. Criminal record and health documents are added if required, and you also submit a statement of how you met, plus photos and contact records.

Q. Do Japanese documents also need embassy consular confirmation?

No. Japan is a member of the Apostille Convention, so you get an apostille from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and translate the documents into Korean. Embassy consular confirmation is not needed.