How do I get a Korean marriage visa (F-6) with a spouse from Vietnam? 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 Vietnam ② apostille and translate your Vietnamese documents (from September 11, 2026, Vietnam uses the apostille instead of consular confirmation) 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
• Vietnamese documents: Apostille + translation
• Marriage registration: In both Korea and Vietnam
• Where to apply: Based on where you are

In short: register your marriage in both countries → apostille and translate your documents → apply for the marriage visa.

Steps

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

(When you can both be in Vietnam together)

1. Your Korean spouse gets Korean documents, has them apostilled, and translates them into Vietnamese.
2. The Vietnamese spouse prepares a certificate of marital status (Giấy xác nhận tình trạng hôn nhân) and a health check certificate.
3. Apply for marriage registration at the Vietnamese People's Committee (Ủy ban nhân dân), and attend together.
4. Receive the Vietnamese marriage certificate (Giấy chứng nhận kết hôn), translate it into Korean, and get it certified.
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 Vietnam

(When the Vietnamese spouse is in Korea)

1. The Vietnamese spouse prepares a certificate of marital status, birth documents and a passport.
2. Get the Vietnamese documents certified 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) and get them certified.
5. Register the marriage in Vietnam too, and you're done.

Document certification

Vietnam uses the apostille from September 11, 2026. Now you only need an apostille from the country that issued the document, with no embassy consular confirmation.

• Using Vietnamese documents in Korea: Issued in Vietnam → Apostille from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs → Korean translation → Submit in Korea
• Using Korean documents in Vietnam: Issued in Korea → Apostille from the Overseas Koreans Agency (재외동포청) → Vietnamese translation → Submit in Vietnam

Korea vs. home country

• Minimum age to marry — Korea: 18 for both men and women / Vietnam: Men from 20, women from 18
• Where to register the marriage — Korea: City or district office (시·구청) (the embassy if abroad) / Vietnam: Local People's Committee in Vietnam (Ủy ban nhân dân)
• Using foreign documents — Korea: Vietnamese documents → apostille + translation / Vietnam: Korean documents → apostille + Vietnamese translation
• Extra documents needed — Korea: Family relation documents / Vietnam: Certificate of marital status, health check certificate
• If you married in another country — Korea: Report to Korea within 3 months / Vietnam: Register the marriage in Vietnam

What the visa review checks

• Guidance program: A Korean inviting a Vietnamese 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 in Vietnam, 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
• Unclear income or housing documents: Your Korean spouse's income history is short, or the housing evidence is not clear
• Missing document certification: A missing apostille, 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 (Vietnamese spouse): Passport, certificate of marital status, birth-related 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: Vietnamese documents: Vietnamese apostille + Korean translation. Korean documents: Korean apostille + Vietnamese translation

Key terms

• Consular confirmation: A process where an embassy confirms that another country's document is genuine. From September 11, 2026, Vietnamese documents get an apostille instead of consular confirmation.
• Apostille: A simple certification that doesn't require a trip to the embassy. Vietnam uses this system from September 11, 2026.
• Visa Issuance Confirmation: A visa approval your Korean spouse gets in advance in Korea (사증발급인정서). With it, you can get your visa in Vietnam faster.
• Change of status of stay: When a spouse already in Korea changes their current visa to a marriage visa (체류자격 변경).

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 Hanoi or the Korean Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. Once the visa is issued, you enter Korea and complete alien registration (외국인등록).

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

Your Korean spouse needs a passport, Basic Certificate (기본증명서), Family Relation Certificate (가족관계증명서) and Marriage Relation Certificate (혼인관계증명서) (detailed), a guidance program completion certificate, income and employment documents, and housing documents. You need a passport, a certificate of marital status, birth-related documents and a health check certificate, and your Vietnamese documents get an apostille and are translated into Korean. You both also submit a statement of how you met, plus photos and message records.