South KoreaFamily visa

Visa for the spouse of a Korean national in South Korea

A visa for a foreign national who has officially registered a marriage to a Korean national, is raising their child together, or continues to live in the country after a marriage to a Korean national has ended through no fault of their own. It is obtained at the Korean consulate for the applicant's place of residence.

Source: Republic of Korea visa portal (visa.go.kr), list of visa types

Who can obtain the visa

Spouse of a Korean national

Has officially registered a marriage to a Korean national and intends to live with them in the country

Parent of a child of the marriage

Is raising a child they have with a Korean national, and the Ministry of Justice has recognised this as a ground for the status

Former spouse after the marriage has ended

The marriage to a Korean national ended through the partner's death or disappearance, and the Ministry of Justice has approved continuation of the status

Documents to gather

The main package of documents; some papers are gathered by the applicant and some by the Korean national spouse

A valid passport with at least six months of validity
A completed visa application form with a photograph
An invitation from the Korean national spouse in Korean
A guarantee document (신원보증서)
A criminal record certificate with an apostille
Medical certificates for both spouses no more than six months old
Marriage certificate, family register and residence registration certificate of the Korean spouse
An income certificate for the Korean spouse from the tax service and a credit report
Housing documents — a property register extract or a tenancy agreement
Photographs and correspondence evidencing the relationship — no more than five A4 pages

How the process runs

How to obtain the status

1
Complete the international marriage counselling programme
4 hours
Mandatory where a Korean national marries a national of China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan or Thailand; the completion certificate is valid for five years.
2
File the visa documents at a Korean embassy or consulate
3-4 weeks
The assessment period applies where the document package is complete; an appointment must be booked in advance to file.
3
Receive the visa and enter Korea
The visa is single-entry and covers entry and a stay of up to 90 days.
4
Register as a foreign resident and obtain the residence card
within 90 days of entry
Registration and renewal of the status are carried out in person at the immigration office for your place of residence — electronic filing is not available to holders of this visa.

Who you can bring with you

Who may be brought over

The applicant's parents (F-1 status)

They are invited by the spouse of a Korean national or by a marriage migrant who has already obtained citizenship or permanent residence, where the conditions for the invitation are met — for example, childcare

Trips, renewal and the grace period

Having left Korea, an F-6 holder returns without re-entry permission within a year of the date of departure.

After two or more years of residence on F-6 status — as a spouse, as the parent of a child of the marriage or as a former spouse whose marriage has ended — you may apply for permanent residence (F-5), provided you meet the general requirements: law-abiding conduct, the ability to support yourself and basic knowledge of the country. For spouses of Korean nationals, knowledge of Korean is credited on completion of level five of the Social Integration Programme (KIIP). Renewal of F-6 status itself is carried out in person at the immigration office — electronic filing is not available for this category.

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to citizenship

Naturalisation through marriage is applied for under article 6(2) of the Nationality Act. Applications are assessed in about 19 months, or about 10 months under the simplified examination (Ministry of Justice figures as at June 2024).

Frequently asked questions about Visa for the spouse of a Korean national

Who can obtain an F-6 visa?

Three categories of foreign national are eligible: the spouse of a Korean national who has officially registered the marriage in the country; someone raising a child they have with a Korean national who has received the Ministry of Justice's recognition for this; and the former spouse of a Korean national whose marriage ended through the partner's death or disappearance, with the Ministry of Justice's approval.

How much does an F-6 visa cost?

The consular fee depends on the applicant's nationality and the embassy. The Korean consulate in Chicago, for example, charges US nationals 45 dollars for the application; for other countries the amount should be confirmed with the particular consulate.

How long does it take to obtain the visa?

The Korean embassy in Finland states a period of about 3-4 weeks from the date of the application where the document package is complete.

What income must the Korean national spouse have?

The Korean consulate in Chicago publishes the minimum annual household income for 2026 applications: for example, 25,195,752 won for a household of two and 38,968,428 won for a household of four. The requirement is waived where the couple have a child together, where the spouses have lived together abroad for more than a year, or where the applicant has previously held an F-6 visa.

Do you have to prove knowledge of Korean?

Yes. Knowledge of the language is proved in one of the following ways: completing a Korean course at level two or above lasting at least 120 hours, passing TOPIK at level one or above, holding a university degree taught in Korean, or proving a year of continuous residence in Korea. The requirement is waived for applicants with children and for those who have previously held F-6 status.

What is the international marriage counselling programme and when is it mandatory?

Where a Korean national marries a national of one of seven countries — China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan or Thailand — they must, before applying for the F-6 visa, complete a four-hour online programme and obtain a certificate valid for five years. The programme is waived where the couple have already lived together abroad for six months or more, have been in a lawful relationship in Korea for 91 days or more, or where there are humanitarian reasons — pregnancy, a child together and other compelling circumstances.

What should you do if the marriage has ended but you do not meet the conditions for the ended-marriage visa?

If a dissolved marriage to a Korean national does not fall within the ended-marriage category of the F-6 visa — for example, where you need to stay in the country because of the division of property or family matters — you may move to the F-1 visa for migrants whose marriage has ended.

Other ways to move to South Korea

Every route in one list — migration programmes: South Korea.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.