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. K-VISA quotes its fee after reviewing your requirements, and we refund 100% of the fee if the visa is denied through K-VISA's fault.
After giving notice at a UK register office, you must wait 28 days before you can marry. If the Home Office investigates, this can stretch to 70 days.
UK marriage law (England and Wales)If you marry in the UK first, the marriage must also be reported to Korea within 3 months.
Korean Family Relationship Registration ActUK documents need no embassy legalisation. An apostille plus a translation is enough to use them in Korea.
Apostille Convention memberWhat the visa review looks at: income, a home to share, and whether you can communicate
Korean Ministry of Justice F-6 rulesIt looks complicated, but you only need to remember three steps. ① Marry → ② Get documents certified → ③ Apply for the visa
The UK is a member of the Apostille Convention, so one apostille is enough to use your documents abroad, with no embassy legalisation.
| 🇰🇷 Korea | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age to marry | 18 for everyone | 18 (16 in some parts, such as Scotland) |
| Where to register | City or district office (embassy if abroad) | Register office or an approved venue |
| Using foreign documents | UK documents → apostille + Korean translation | Korean documents → apostille + English translation |
| How you marry | Register by submitting documents | Give notice, wait 28 days, then the ceremony |
| If you married in another country | Report to Korea within 3 months | Recognised if valid under the law of the place you married |
K-VISA's service fee depends on where you are and your documents, so we quote it after reviewing your requirements. Actual costs such as government fees, translation and apostilles are separate. Consultation and the pre-check are free, and we refund 100% of the fee if the visa is denied through K-VISA's fault.
Once your marriage is valid in both countries, your Korean spouse obtains a Visa Issuance Confirmation in Korea, or you apply for the marriage visa (F-6) at the Korean Embassy in the UK. If you are already in Korea, we check whether you can switch to the marriage visa at an immigration office. Once the visa is issued, you enter Korea and complete your alien registration.
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.
Either works. If you are both in the UK, couples often marry at a UK register office first. If you are in Korea, couples often register in Korea first. If you marry in the UK first, you must also report it to Korea within 3 months.
The threshold changes every year, and even if income falls a little short, assets can sometimes make up the difference. We check this in the pre-check and find a way with you.
You can show that the two of you communicate in a shared language, such as English. We'll set out what evidence to prepare.
The UK is not on the list of countries that require the guidance programme. The rules can change, so we confirm this again during your consultation.
About 2 to 3 weeks on average if your marriage is already registered, or about 4 to 6 weeks if you start from the marriage registration (K-VISA's working time; Korean immigration's review time is separate).
If you apply in the UK, there may be an interview at the Korean Embassy in the UK. We prepare sample questions and how to answer them with you in advance.
You can complete the missing items and reapply. And if the visa is denied through K-VISA's fault, we refund 100% of the fee.
Sources: Sources: Korean Ministry of Justice marriage migrant (F-6) visa issuance criteria; Korean Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships (reporting marriages made abroad); UK Marriage Act 1949 and Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022; Apostille Convention (abolishing legalisation of foreign public documents). Detailed criteria may change with laws and notices, and individual cases are confirmed during consultation.
Updated 2026.10.20