Getting Married

• If you wish to marry in Korea...

(If you wish to bring your fiancé/fiancée to the U.S. and marry there, you've landed on the wrong page. Try here.)

If you wish to marry in Korea, there are several things you'll need to learn more about--

• What specific documents will you need to get married in Korea if you are an American?

• What specific documents will you need to get married in Korea if you are a Korean?
  (If your Fiancé/Fiancée is not a Korean Citizen, s/he should contact his/her own Embassy for information on what is required to marry in Korea)

• What are the steps to get married in Korea once we have all the documents ready?

• How to apply for the proper U.S. visa for your new spouse to enter the U.S.
  
  (Visas for Americans who wish to live and work in Korea are not processed by the American Embassy. You can find additional information elsewhere on this web site.)

The documents listed below are required by the Korean government, as you will be married under the laws of Korea. These documents essentially replace the Family Census Registry that a Korean citizen presents when s/he wants to get married.

• Proof of U.S. Citizenship, such as a Birth Certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Naturalization Certificate or U.S. passport.

• A completed Affidavit of Eligibility for Marriage. You'll need one copy to be notarized by the U.S. Embassy. (Here are instructions for completing the form)

• A completed Report and Certificate of Marriage. You'll need three copies, two of which will be notarized by the U.S. Embassy, and one for retention at the Korean Ward Office.(Here are instructions for completing these forms)

• Proof of identity: for example, a driver's license, military I.D., etc. 

• Proof of termination of any prior marriage(s), including an original or certified copy of a divorce decree, annulment or death certificate for your previous spouse. Here's how to obtain vital records from the U.S. 

• If the American Citizen is under the age of 18, written permission to marry from both parents is required. 

• The fee for the notarizations, $90, which can be paid at the Embassy in dollars or in won, or by credit card. No personal checks please. There is no fee for military members.

• Family Relationship Certificate (Gajok Gwangae;가족관계 증명서): 1 Copy in Korean and 1 in English

• Marriage/Single Status Certificate (Hone In Gwangae;혼인관계 증명서): 1 Copy in Korean and 1 in English

• Valid Korean identification card (Jumin Deungnok Jeung; 주민등록증) and name stamp.

• Proof of termination of any prior marriage(s)

• If the Korean spouse is under the age of 20, written permission to marry from both parents is required.

These requirements for the Korean partner are intended as a quick summary. The full story, in Korean, is available from the ward or city office nearest you. The above documents are not U.S. Embassy requirements, but allow you to register your marriage in your Korean family census register. Follow this link for the guidance from the Seoul central office.

If your Fiancé/Fiancée is not a Korean Citizen, s/he should contact his/her own Embassy for information on what is required to marry in Korea.

While consular officers at the Embassy are not authorized to perform marriages, they can assist U.S. citizens with the paperwork necessary for a legal marriage in Korea. A common misunderstanding is that you will be married at the Embassy; in fact, you and your fiancé/fiancée will be married under the laws of Korea. Marriage in Korea is a civil procedure, so a religious ceremony, while often more meaningful, does not create a legal marriage.

Here are the steps for getting married in Korea:

• Bring all of ducuments listed above for each partner to the Embassy. Be sure to complete one copy of the Affidavit of Eligibility for Marriage and three copies of the Report and Certificate of Marriage. The Embassy will check all of your documents and norarize your Affidavit of Eligibility for Marriage. The total fee for the notarizations is $90 (no charge for military members).
• Take the notarized copy of the Affidavit of Eligibility for Marriage along with three copies of the completed Report and Certificate of Marriage to your local ward office (Gu Cheong;구청; follow this link for a map to the Jongno office ) for approval and signature by a Korean government official. The ward office will keep one copy of the Report and Certificate of Marriage as a permanent record.
• Finally, bring the two copies of the Report and Certificate of Marriage signed at the ward office back to the Embassy for authentication. The fee for this authentication is included in the $90 mentioned above.
  

That's it-- Congratulations! Please keep your marriage certificate in a safe place, along with your other important documents.

Please note that the above procedures at the Embassy and the ward office can normally be accomplished in an hour or two, so please plan accordingly. We are open from 9:00 - 11:30 and 1:30 - 3:30, and we are closed Wednesday afternoons, and American and Korean holidays.

Which visa your new spouse will need to enter the U.S. depends primarily on why s/he is traveling to America. In almost all cases, the spouse of an American citizen needs an immigrant visa (also known as a "green card" [the old ID cards used to be printed on green paper], or "lawful permanent residence" [LPR]). The visa is sometimes known by its number designators, IR-1 or CR-1. All these terms refer to the same thing basically.

This immigrant visa allows your spouse to live, work or study in the U.S. indefinitely. Entering the U.S. with an immigrant visa and establishing a residence there is the first step toward naturalization, the process by which your spouse can become an American citizen.

Immigrant visas do require more time and preparation than a simple tourist visa, but in the end, allow you and your spouse to begin your new life in the U.S. without the worry and hardships that fraud can place on your relationship. If you begin early, and follow the instructions carefully, your new spouse can begin life in the U.S. with lawful permanent resident status (LPR or "a green card") that will allow him/her to live, work or study as desired. LPR status is also the first step toward naturalization, the process by which a foreign person becomes an American Citizen.

Follow this link to begin learning about the immigrant visa process                      

But I only want my fiancé/fiancée to meet my family...

Any Korean citizen going to the U.S. for short-term travel, whether married to an American or not, must possess a valid visa of the appropriate type. Visa law requires that applicants for a tourist visa (B-2) must demonstrate sufficiently strong ties to their residence abroad to overcome the presumption of emigration.

Factors which will be considered include family, social, professional, economic and educational ties to Korea. Please note that we cannot accept guarantees or offers of support from third parties, however well-intentioned. Letters or other information given by American citizens on behalf of Korean applicants do not, by themselves, provide the information necessary in evaluating an applicant's eligibility for a visa. Appointments are scheduled online through Visa Information Web Services at www.us-visaservices.com.

But I was told by a travel agent that immigrant visas are hard to get, and my wife should go into the U.S. with only a tourist visa...

Unfortunately there are people who, usually for a tidy sum of money, will offer inaccurate or bad advice

For example, some travel agents will advise you that a tourist visa is the way for your new spouse to enter the U.S. to begin your new life there. Such advice can, at best, waste time and distract you from the necessary paperwork. At worst, it can lead to fraudulent statements that can see your new spouse found ineligible for any visa to travel to the U.S. It is always the type of travel-- a short visit or a new life living and working in America-- that governs what visa is appropriate.

• Follow this link to learn about the immigrant visa process. 
• Immigration has its own vocabulary; a glossary is available to help you get started.
• Additional information is available from the Department of State about marrying overseas.