F-6 Marriage Visa
These days international marriages are increasing rapidly. Foreigners get the status of residence through marriage with Koreans. If you get a marriage visa, you can work freely and do business and study. It is advantageous to apply for permanent residency or nationality in the future, so it can be seen as a visa with many benefits for foreigners
Persons eligible for F-6 visa
F-6-1 : Foreigners who are seeking to stay in Korea to continue their marriage with the Korean and the marriage is valid in both countries
F-6-2 : A father or mother who does not include under F-6-1 but raises or intends to raise a minor child born in a marriage relationship (including a de facto marriage relationship) with Korean
F-6-3 : A person who cannot maintain a normal marital relationship due to the spouse’s death, disappearance and reasons not responsible to him/her while staying in Korea married to a Korean
Marriage registration before applying for a marriage visa
Marriage registration must take precedence in order to apply for an F-6 marriage visa.
Marriage registration varies from country to country, so even if you register a marriage in Korea only, you can accept a visa. In some cases, you can only apply when the marriage registration between the two countries is completed. Also some countries require marriage registration first in foreign countries, so each country should check the procedure for marriage registration in advance and apply for a marriage visa
F-6 visa screening details
1. Income requirements for Korean Spouse
-Korean spouse must earn more than the following amount of annual income for the past year
*Income requirements
two-person household : 20,736,930 KRW
three-person household : 26,608,896 KRW
four-person household : 32,405,784 KRW
-In addition to wage and salary income, income includes business income, real estate rental income, interest income, dividend income, and pension income can be combined
-5% of the property (deposits, Insurance, securities, bonds, real estate) is recognized as income
-The income of immediate family members living in the same household can be added up on resident registration including foreign spouses
-Exemption from income requirements if you have children
2. Language requirements for foreign spouse
Foreigners who want to marry Koreans must pass the Korean Language Proficiency Test or complete the Korean language curriculum
-Test of proficiency Korean(TOPIK) Level 1 Certificate
-Completion of King Sejong Institute or completion of Korean language curriculum at designated educational institutions
-Obtaining a Graduate Degree in Korean Language
★Exemption from language requirements if you have
record of consecutive stays in Korea for at least one year in the past
3. Authenticity Requirements for F-6 Visa
Korean and foreign spouse should be able to appeal to the judges by preparing materials that can prove the authenticity of your marriage (Relationship photos, family photos, SNS conversation history, introduction history)
4. Completion of the International Marriage Guidance Program
If Korean spouse marry with foreigners from China, Vietnam, Philippine, Cambodia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand, you must complete an international marriage guidance program to establish multicultural families.
5. Proof of residential environment, health status, credit status, criminal history
(1) A copy of the register and a lease contract are required for a residential certificate
(2) Both foreigners and Korean spouses need medical certificates, and foreigners must include tuberculosis test items
(3) Korean spouse’s credit information check is required
(4) It is essential to issue a certificate of criminal record certificate for foreigners
How to apply for an F-6 visa
1. If a foreign spouse is abroad, You need to apply for a visa to the Korean consulate in that country. A Korean spouse must send the necessary documents for visa application to a foreign spouse
2. When a foreign spouse is in Korea with a long-term visa, you can apply for a marriage visa by changing your residence status at the immigration office
Basic Documents for F-6 Visa
Dozens of documents must be prepared to issue marriage visas including foreign spouse’s marriage background statements, foreign spouse invitations, and proof of the authenticity of the marriage which are difficult to fill out
1. Passport and ID card
2. Family relationship certificate
3. Certificate of marriage relationship
4. Certificate of criminal history record
5. Copy of resident registration
6. Invitation Letter for Foreign Spouse
7. Basic certificate
8. Proof of dating facts of relationship
9. Identity guarantee
10. Proof of income amount
11. Credit Information certificate
12. Residential certificate documents
13. Medical certificate
14. Korean Language Proficiency Proof Documents
15. Marriage background statement