Tuesday, July 5, 2016

How to Register a Marriage in South Korea

Getting married in South Korea is surprisingly easy! Here are the simple steps for registering a marriage between a Korean and a foreigner. This example is for a marriage to an American, but the paperwork is similar for all nationalities. The process is also similar for two non-Koreans getting married in South Korea.


1.  Prove that you are eligible to be married. For Americans, this means visiting the US Embassy and completing a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility for Marriage (picture on the right). An affidavit is a written sworn statement. In this instance, you are swearing that you are currently unmarried. If you are not American, ask your Embassy what document is available that proves you are eligible for marriage.

For Americans to obtain an Affidavit of Eligibility for Marriage, first you must make an appointment on the US Embassy website. When you visit the embassy, you must bring your passport (or other proof of American citizenship). The Embassy will provide the affidavit form. After you complete the form, you will meet with a notary and they will notarize the affidavit. The notary fee is $50. Both US dollars and Korean won are accepted, as well as international credit cards.  

When you are at the US Embassy, be sure to get a blank letter recognizing your Korean marriage (picture on the right). The Embassy should offer this letter when you complete your affidavit. It is a simple letter saying that although the Embassy does not keep a record of marriages, it does recognize your marriage in Korea. You will need this letter if you plan to apply for an F-6 spousal visa.  





2.  Translate the notarized Affidavit of Eligibility for Marriage (or other proof of eligibility, if you are not American). You do not need to use a certified translator. Anyone is able to do it, even the future Korean spouse.


3.  Take the translated affidavit to your local district (구) office and complete a marriage application. You can get the marriage application ahead of time on the Korean court (대법원) website or you can just get it at the district (구) office. Any district office in Korea is okay. You need to provide the signatures of two witnesses, but in our case we were able to use the ID cards of my Korean parents. Complete the marriage application with your future spouse and submit it to the office clerk. The application is free. (If both people are non-Korean, the fee is 50,000 won.)


Your marriage certification should be approved within 7 days. You may be notified via text message. Congratulations!

Note: We registered our marriage in 2014. It is possible that the process has changed since then. If your experience differs from what is written here, please let us know so we can update these steps!



미국인 남편과 혼인신고 하기


1.  신분증 지참 :)         
미대사관에가서 혼인요건구비 진술서를  50불 지불하고 받아옵니다. 미대사관 사이트에서 미리예약하시고방문하세요
2.  혼인요건 진술서 번역하기
공증이나 전문번역가가 필요없어서 가능하신분이 번역하시고 하신분 이름쓰시면 되요

3.  한국 대법원 사이트에서 미리출력해둔 혼인신고서를 작성합니다. 
구청에 가면 서류 다 있으니 대법원 사이트에서 미리 출력안하셔도 되고, 결혼 증인 두명의 주민등록 번호가 필요합니다. 저는 저희 부모님 번호 적었었어요.

이때 미리 외국인등록증을 받은사람은 
결혼 서류에 외국인 등록번호도 넣어준다고 하니 
챙겨가시면 좋을것 같아요! 

대사관에서 서류2장을 주는데요, 
혼인요건진술서 빼고 한장은
배우자의 비자를 결혼비자 F6으로 바꾸는데 필요하니 분실하지 마세요. 호호호

2014년에 한 혼인신고를 기준으로 작성한 포스트입니다.
변수가 있으니 참고만 해 주세요^^

이 글을 읽고계신 국제커플;) 여러분 항상 행복하세요 <3


1 comment:

  1. What was the information need to fill out the Affidavit form?

    ReplyDelete

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We are a Korean / American couple living in South Korea. We like to share everyday pictures of our lives plus helpful information for other intercultural couples here.