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

To live in Korea with your Korean spouse, you need a marriage visa (F-6). The steps are: ① register your marriage in both Korea and the Philippines ② get a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) apostille on your Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) documents and translate them into Korean ③ apply for the visa after your 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
• Philippine documents: PSA documents + DFA apostille
• Marriage registration: In both Korea and the Philippines
• Where to apply: Based on where you are

Steps

A · Philippines first — Marry in the Philippines → report to Korea

(When you can both be in the Philippines)

1. Your Korean spouse gets a certificate of legal capacity to marry from the Korean Embassy in the Philippines.
2. Apply for a marriage license at the local civil registrar and wait out the posting period.
3. Once the license is issued, hold the wedding and register the marriage.
4. Get your PSA marriage certificate, have it apostilled by the DFA and translate it.
5. Within 3 months, report the marriage to a city or district office in Korea or to the embassy.

B · Korea first — Register in Korea → report to the Philippines

(When you are in Korea)

1. Prepare your PSA birth certificate, CENOMAR and passport, and get a Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (LCCM) from the Philippine Embassy in Seoul.
2. Get the DFA apostille and translate the documents into Korean.
3. Register your marriage at a city or district office in Korea.
4. Translate the Korean marriage relation certificate into English and get it apostilled.
5. File a Report of Marriage with the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, and you're done.

Document certification

The Philippines has used the apostille since 2019. Philippine documents are PSA-issued copies with a DFA apostille.

• Using Philippine documents in Korea: Issued by the PSA → DFA apostille → Korean translation → Submit in Korea
• Using Korean documents in the Philippines: Issued in Korea → Apostille from Korea's Overseas Koreans Agency → English translation → Submit in the Philippines

Korea vs. home country

• Minimum age to marry — Korea: 18 for both men and women / Philippines: 18 (parental consent needed under 21)
• Where you register — Korea: City or district office (abroad: the embassy) / Philippines: Local civil registrar (city/municipality) → registered with the PSA
• Using foreign documents — Korea: Philippine documents → DFA apostille + translation / Philippines: Korean documents → English translation + apostille
• Extra documents — Korea: Family relation certificates / Philippines: Proof of the foreign spouse's legal capacity to marry (Korean Embassy), marriage license
• If you married in another country — Korea: Report to Korea within 3 months / Philippines: Report of Marriage to the Philippine Embassy

What the visa review checks

• Guidance program: Your Korean spouse, who invites you, must first complete the Korean Ministry of Justice's international marriage guidance program.
• Income: Your Korean spouse's income must meet the standard. The amount changes every year.
• Communication: You need basic Korean, or the two of you must be able to talk in a shared language such as English.
• 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 messages and photos. If you apply at the Korean Embassy in Manila, there may be a couple interview.

Common reasons for delays or refusal

• Not enough relationship records: You've known each other only a short time, or have few messages or meetings on record
• Not PSA documents: You only submit locally issued copies, or they don't match the PSA copies
• Missing apostille: Documents were translated without a DFA apostille
• Weak proof of communication: Not enough evidence of a shared language or Korean ability

Documents to prepare

• You (Filipino spouse): Passport, PSA birth certificate, PSA CENOMAR or marriage certificate, health certificate, criminal record document (if required)
• Your Korean spouse: Passport, basic certificate, family relation certificate, marriage relation certificate (detailed), health certificate, guidance program completion certificate, income and employment documents, housing documents
• Both of you: A statement of how you met, photos and message records, evidence that you can communicate
• How documents are certified: Philippine documents: DFA apostille + Korean translation. Korean documents: English translation + apostille

Key terms

• PSA: The Philippine Statistics Authority. Official documents such as birth, CENOMAR and marriage records must be PSA-issued copies.
• CENOMAR: The Certificate of No Marriage issued by the PSA. It shows there is no marriage on record.
• DFA apostille: The Department of Foreign Affairs confirms your document is genuine. It replaces embassy consular authentication.
• Report of Marriage: The process of recording a marriage held abroad with the Philippine government.

FAQ

Q. How do I move to Korea to live with my Korean spouse?

After registering your marriage in both countries, your Korean spouse completes the international marriage guidance program and gets a Visa Issuance Confirmation in Korea, or you apply for the marriage visa (F-6) at the Korean Embassy in Manila. There may be an interview. Once the visa is issued, you enter Korea and complete alien registration.

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

Your Korean spouse needs a passport, basic, family relation and marriage relation certificates (detailed), a health certificate, the guidance program completion certificate, income and employment documents, and housing documents. You need a passport, PSA birth certificate, PSA CENOMAR or marriage certificate, and a health certificate. Philippine documents get a DFA apostille and are then translated into Korean. You both also submit a statement of how you met, plus photos and message records.

Q. Do Philippine documents need consular authentication at the embassy?

No. The Philippines has used the apostille since 2019, so you get a DFA apostille on your PSA-issued documents and translate them.

Q. Is the international marriage guidance program required?

Yes, for your Korean spouse who is inviting you. Without the completion certificate the visa application can't move forward, so it's best to take it early.