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

To live in Korea with your Korean spouse, you need a marriage visa (F-6, spouse visa). The steps are: ① marry in Korea or the UK (if you marry in the UK first, report it to Korea within 3 months) ② get an apostille on your UK documents and translate them into Korean (no embassy legalisation needed for the UK) ③ meet the income, housing and communication requirements and apply for the visa.

At a glance

• Your visa: F-6 marriage migrant (spouse) visa
• First stay period: Up to 3 years, then extend
• Your UK documents: Apostille + Korean translation
• Marriage: Must be valid in both Korea and the UK
• Where to apply: Wherever you are now

Steps

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

(When you can both be in the UK)

1. To give notice or marry in the UK, your Korean spouse first needs a Marriage Visitor visa. Visa-free entry or an ETA is not enough.
2. You give notice together at the register office for the district where at least one of you has lived for more than 7 days.
3. After 28 days, you marry at the register office or an approved venue.
4. Get an apostille on your UK marriage certificate and translate it into Korean.
5. Within 3 months, report the marriage at a Korean city or district office, or at the Korean Embassy in the UK.

B · Korea first — Register your marriage in Korea

(When you are in Korea)

1. Prepare your passport and birth certificate.
2. Get an apostille on your UK documents and translate them into Korean.
3. Get an Affidavit or Affirmation of Marital Status from the British Embassy in Seoul.
4. Register your marriage at a Korean city or district office.
5. Translate the Korean marriage certificate into English and get an apostille so it can be used in the UK too.

Document certification

The UK is a member of the Apostille Convention, so one apostille is enough to use your documents abroad, with no embassy legalisation.

• Using UK documents in Korea: Issued in the UK → FCDO apostille → Korean translation → Submit in Korea
• Using Korean documents in the UK: Issued in Korea → Apostille from Korea's Overseas Koreans Agency → English translation → Submit in the UK

Korea vs. home country

• Minimum age to marry — Korea: 18 for everyone / United Kingdom: 18 (16 in some parts, such as Scotland)
• Where to register — Korea: City or district office (embassy if abroad) / United Kingdom: Register office or an approved venue
• Using foreign documents — Korea: UK documents → apostille + Korean translation / United Kingdom: Korean documents → apostille + English translation
• How you marry — Korea: Register by submitting documents / United Kingdom: Give notice, wait 28 days, then the ceremony
• If you married in another country — Korea: Report to Korea within 3 months / United Kingdom: Recognised if valid under the law of the place you married

What the visa review checks

• Guidance programme: British spouses are not from a country that requires the international marriage guidance programme.
• Income: Your Korean spouse's income must meet the threshold. 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 to share: You need a home to live in together (owned, jeonse or monthly rent).
• A genuine relationship: Shown through how you met, your messages and photos. If you apply in the UK, there may be an interview at the embassy.

Common reasons for delays or refusal

• Missed the notice timeline: You set a wedding date without allowing for the 28-day wait or your travel plans
• Unclear income or housing papers: The income history is short, or the housing proof is not clear
• Weak proof of communication: Not enough evidence of your Korean or of a shared language
• Skipped a document step: A missing apostille, a translation error, or your name spelled differently across documents

Documents to prepare

• Your Korean spouse: Passport, basic certificate, family relation certificate, marriage relation certificate (detailed), income and employment papers, housing papers
• You (British spouse): Passport, birth certificate and marriage certificate (apostille + translation), criminal record certificate (if needed)
• Both of you: A statement of how you met, photos and message history, proof that you can communicate
• How documents are certified: UK documents: apostille + Korean translation. Korean documents: apostille + English translation

Key terms

• Notice of marriage: Telling the register office you plan to marry, before the wedding in the UK. You can marry once 28 days have passed.
• Apostille: A simple certificate that proves a document is genuine, with no embassy visit. Both the UK and Korea use it.
• Visa Issuance Confirmation: A visa approval your Korean spouse obtains in advance from Korea. With it, you can get your visa in the UK faster.
• Change of status: If you are already in Korea, switching your current visa to the marriage visa.

FAQ

Q. What documents do I need?

Your Korean spouse needs a passport, basic, family relation and marriage relation certificates (detailed), income and employment papers, and housing papers. You need your passport, birth certificate and marriage certificate, and your UK documents need an apostille and a Korean translation. You also submit a statement of how you met, plus photos and message history.