How do I get a Korean marriage visa (F-6) with a spouse from Thailand? 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 Thailand ② get Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication, Korean embassy consular confirmation and a translation for your Thai documents (Thailand does not use the apostille) 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
• Thai documents: Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication + embassy consular confirmation
• Marriage registration: In both Korea and Thailand
• Where to apply: Based on where you are

In short: register your marriage in both countries → get Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication and Korean embassy consular confirmation → apply for the marriage visa. Your Korean spouse should also take the international marriage guidance program in advance.

Steps

A · Thailand first — Register in Thailand → report to Korea

(When you can both be in Thailand together)

1. At the Korean Embassy in Thailand, your Korean spouse has an English affidavit of single status (미혼사실진술서) and a passport copy notarized.
2. Translate both documents into Thai and have them legalized by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
3. The two of you go together to a Thai district office (Amphoe, อำเภอ) and register the marriage.
4. Get the Thai marriage certificate in English and translate it into Korean.
5. Within 3 months, report the marriage to a city or district office (시·구청) in Korea or to the Korean embassy.

B · Korea first — Register in Korea → register in Thailand

(When the Thai spouse is in Korea)

1. The Thai spouse prepares a document confirming single status, birth and family documents, and a passport.
2. Get Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication and Korean embassy consular confirmation, then translate them.
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 Thai and get them authenticated.
5. Register the marriage at a Thai district office, and you're done.

Document certification

Thailand does not use the apostille yet, so documents for Korea get Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication and Korean embassy confirmation, in that order. The Apostille Convention is scheduled to take effect for Thailand on February 28, 2027, so the process may change after that.

• Using Thai documents in Korea: Issued in Thailand → Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication → Korean embassy consular confirmation → Korean translation → Submit in Korea
• Using Korean documents in Thailand: Issued in Korea → Consular confirmation from the Overseas Koreans Agency (재외동포청) → Royal Thai Embassy confirmation → Thai translation → Submit in Thailand

Korea vs. home country

• Minimum age to marry — Korea: 18 for both men and women / Thailand: From 18 (parental consent if under 20)
• Where to register the marriage — Korea: City or district office (시·구청) (the embassy if abroad) / Thailand: Thai district office (Amphoe/Khet, อำเภอ/เขต)
• Using foreign documents — Korea: Thai documents → translation + consular confirmation / Thailand: Korean documents → Thai translation + authentication
• Extra documents needed — Korea: Family relation documents / Thailand: The Korean spouse's affidavit of single status (미혼사실진술서) (notarized at the Korean embassy)
• If you married in another country — Korea: Report to Korea within 3 months / Thailand: Register the marriage at a Thai district office

What the visa review checks

• Guidance program: A Korean inviting a Thai spouse must first take the 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.
• A home together: You need a home where the two of you will 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 embassy in Bangkok, there may be a couple interview.

Common reasons for delays or refusal

• Not enough relationship records: You haven't known each other long, or have few records of messages and meetings
• Weak proof of communication: Not enough evidence of Korean ability or a shared language
• Worried about your stay history: Your history needs explaining, such as having overstayed in the past
• Missing document certification: Missing foreign ministry authentication or consular confirmation, translation mistakes, or expired documents

Documents to prepare

• Your 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
• You (Thai spouse): Passport, document confirming single status, birth and family documents, health check certificate, criminal record check (if required)
• Both of you: A statement of how you met, photos and message records, evidence that you can communicate
• How documents are certified: Thai documents: Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication + consular confirmation + Korean translation. Korean documents: Thai translation + authentication

Key terms

• Consular confirmation: A process where an embassy confirms that another country's document is genuine. Thai documents need this before they can be used in Korea.
• Amphoe (district office): The district office in Thailand that registers marriages. In Bangkok, it's called a 'Khet'.
• Affidavit of single status: A document in English where the Korean spouse states they are not currently married, notarized at the Korean embassy (미혼사실진술서). The Thai district office requires it.
• Visa Issuance Confirmation: A visa approval your Korean spouse gets in advance in Korea (사증발급인정서). With it, you can get your visa in Thailand faster.

FAQ

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

After registering your marriage in both countries, your Korean spouse takes the international marriage guidance program, then gets a Visa Issuance Confirmation (사증발급인정서) in Korea, or you apply for the marriage visa (F-6) at the Korean Embassy in Thailand in Bangkok. Once the visa is issued, you enter Korea and complete alien registration (외국인등록).

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

Your Korean spouse needs a passport, Basic Certificate (기본증명서), Family Relation Certificate (가족관계증명서) and Marriage Relation Certificate (혼인관계증명서) (detailed), a health check certificate, a guidance program completion certificate, income and employment documents, and housing documents. You need a passport, a document confirming single status, birth and family documents, and a health check certificate. Your Thai documents get Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication and consular confirmation, then are translated into Korean. You both also submit a statement of how you met, plus photos and message records.