Today, we will look into the marriage registration process and the application for a marriage visa when marrying a Filipino spouse internationally. Most of you who have inquired about the Philippine marriage visa to me were not in situations where the Filipino spouse is residing in Korea with a legal visa, but rather when the Korean spouse is in the Philippines or when inviting the Filipino spouse to Korea. Therefore, today we will focus on the latter scenario and explore the marriage registration process, the required documents at each stage, and the application and submission of documents for a marriage visa.
The general procedure is as follows 1. Issuance of LCCM (Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage) at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines 2. Application for a marriage license at the Philippine city hall 3. Wedding ceremony 4. Marriage registration in the Philippines 5. Marriage registration in Korea 6. Application for a marriage visa (F-6)
1. Issuance of LCCM at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines(Issuance of Certificate of No Marriage by the Embassy)
- The Korean national must visit in person, and the fee for issuing a certificate of no marriage is 100 pesos.
Required Documents
한국인 (Korean) | 필리핀인 (Filipino) |
1. Original Passport | 1. Copy of valid ID with Birth Date or PSA Birth Certificate |
2. 1 Copy of bio-page of passport | |
3. Original Korean Marriage History(detailed) issued within 3 months | |
2.Application for a marriage license at the Philippine city hall
- Apply for a marriage license at the city hall with jurisdiction over your residence, carrying the certificate of no marriage issued by the embassy.
- The city hall will post the marriage notice on an outdoor bulletin board for 10 days
- After the notice period of 10 days without any objections to the marriage, you will receive a marriage license.
3. Wedding ceremony
- The wedding must occur within 120 days from the issuance of the marriage license
- If the wedding does not take place within 120 days, the marriage license is automatically cancelled.
- The officiant, groom, bride, and witnesses must all sign.
4. Marriage registration in the Philippines
- Register the marriage at the city hall within 15 days of the wedding date.
- Afterwards, obtain a marriage certificate from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
※ The city hall will send the marriage registration form to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
5. Marriage registration in Korea
There are two ways to register a marriage in Korea
1. The Korean spouse or direct family members register the marriage at the district office of their residence.
2. Register the marriage at the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines.
1. Marriage registration at the district office of the Korean spouse's residence by the individual or direct family members
- Fill out the marriage registration form and translate and notarize the marriage certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) into Korean.
- Submit the original marriage certificate issued by the PSA, its translated and notarized version, and the IDs (passports) of both parties to the marriage at the district office of the Korean spouse's residence.
※ In Korea, marriage registration can be done by one of the marriage parties, i.e., the Korean spouse alone.
※ If a direct family member is applying for marriage registration on behalf of someone, a power of attorney and a copy of the representative's ID must be attached.
※ Since the required documents for marriage registration may vary slightly by district office, it is recommended to inquire directly with the district office of your residence.
2. Marriage registration at the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines
- When registering the marriage at the Consular Section of the Embassy, the required documents are as follows, and the processing period is 2 weeks.
1. Marriage registration form (available at the consular section)
2. Original marriage certificate issued by the PSA
3. Passports of both parties
4. Korean's marriage relationship certificate
6. Application for a marriage visa (F-6)
There are two ways to apply for a marriage visa.
1.If the Filipino spouse is currently residing in Korea with a legal visa, you can try to change the visa (domestic qualification change).
2.In other cases, you must apply for a marriage visa at the embassy in the Philippines (visa issuance application).
※ Before the COVID-19 pandemic, submitting a CFO (Commission on Filipinos Overseas) seminar completion certificate was mandatory for applying for a marriage visa, but it is currently exempted. However, the exemption only applies to the submission for the marriage visa application, not the CFO seminar completion itself. Therefore, even if the Filipino spouse has been issued an F-6 marriage visa, they cannot depart for Korea without completing the CFO seminar.
※ The CFO stands for Commission on Filipinos Overseas.
- Filipinos planning to immigrate overseas (through marriage) must complete a seminar at the CFO before they can leave.
- Therefore, completing the CFO seminar is a mandatory procedure for those marrying a Filipino spouse and planning an international marriage.
Lastly, let's look into the required documents for applying for a marriage visa (F-6) for the Filipino spouse.
Documents required for applying
for a Philippine marriage visa (F6)
Basic documents
1.Visa application form, 1 passport-sized photo attached to the application
2.Original and copy of the applicant's passport (with at least 6 months remaining validity)
3.Visa application fee of 2,000 pesos
Documents to be prepared
1.Invitation letter from the foreign spouse, guarantee of identity (written in Korean by the Korean spouse) 2.Statement of the foreign spouse's marriage background (written in English by the foreign spouse)
Basic documents required by the Korean spouse
1.Copy of the Korean spouse's passport
2. Originals of the Basic Certificate (detailed), Marriage Relationship Certificate (detailed), Family Relationship Certificate (detailed), and Resident Registration Copy (issued within the last 3 months)
3.International Marriage Guidance Program completion certificate
※ Exemptions for the International Marriage Guidance Program
① If the Korean spouse can prove that they have been in a relationship with the foreign spouse for more than 6 months in the foreign spouse's country or in a third country under a long-term visa for study or dispatch work.
② If the foreign spouse has legally stayed in Korea for more than 91 days while dating the inviter.
③ In cases of pregnancy, childbirth, or when humanitarian considerations are deemed necessary.
4.Original health certificate (issued by a designated hospital by the Ministry of Justice)
- Issued within 6 months from the application date
- Exempt from submission if exempt from the International Marriage Guidance Program
Basic documents required by the foreign spouse
1. Original marriage certificate or certificate of no marriage
- If the Philippine marriage procedure is completed: Marriage certificate
- If the Philippine marriage procedure is not completed: Certificate of no marriage
2.Original birth certificate
3. Original criminal record certificate (NBI Clearance)
※ Only valid if issued within the last 3 months
※ Exempt from submission if exempt from the International Marriage Guidance Program
4.Original health certificate (including tuberculosis test)
- Issued by a general hospital or health center within 6 months from the application date
- Must include the hospital name, address, contact number, and the doctor's signature, and be computer-generated
※If the Korean spouse is exempt from the International Marriage Guidance Program, the foreign spouse is also exempt from submitting a health certificate, but a tuberculosis diagnosis certificate must be submitted (exempt if submitting a pregnancy diagnosis certificate and ultrasound results)
Income requirement proof documents for the Korean spouse
1. Original Certificate of Income Amount, Credit Information Inquiry Certificate (issued within 3 months from the application date) ※ Mandatory
(1) When utilizing labor income
- Withholding receipt, Certificate of Employment, Copy of Business Registration Certificate
- Other income proof documents (if income cannot be proven on the Certificate of Income Amount)
(2) When utilizing business income
- Copy of Business Registration Certificate
- Other income proof documents (if income cannot be proven on the Certificate of Income Amount)
(3) When utilizing assets
- Deposits, insurance, securities, bonds (only recognized if they have been maintained for more than 6 months and are over 1 million won)
- Real estate (submit property registry and publicly notified price list)
(4) When utilizing family income or assets
- Statement of family income status by the inviter of the foreign spouse
- Prepare proof documents depending on the status of labor, business, other income, or assets
※ Only direct family members (parents, grandparents, children, etc.) who share a household on the family registry with the Korean spouse or the invited marriage immigrant can supplement the income requirement.
※ Even if they are direct family members, if they do not share a household on the family registry, they cannot supplement the income requirement, and siblings cannot supplement the income requirement as they are not considered direct family members.
◆ 2023 Income Requirements ◆
Category | 2-person household | 3-person household | 4-person household | 5-person household | 6-person household | 7-person household |
Income Standard (KRW) | 20,736,930 | 26,608,896 | 32,405,784 | 37,984,128 | 43,367,886 | 48,645,090 |
For households with more than 8 members: add 5,277,204 won per additional member
※ Cases exempt from the income requirement
① If there is a child born between the couple or if the couple is pregnant (20 weeks or more) with a child
② If the couple has cohabited abroad for more than 1 year from the visa application date and has no income in Korea for the past year
③ If the foreign spouse has previously stayed in Korea with a marriage immigrant (F-6) status (except if the spouse has changed or the same spouse had a marriage interruption)
① For those applicable, submit the child's family relationship certificate (or birth certificate if born before the marriage and before acquiring nationality)
② For those applicable, submit proof of cohabitation
Documents proving the communication requirement for the Filipino spouse
1. Sejong Hakdang completion certificate or TOPIK score certificate (Level 1 or above) ※ If ① The Korean spouse has continuously stayed for more than 1 year in a country where the foreign spouse's language is the official language, or
② The foreign spouse has continuously stayed in Korea for more than 1 year,
submit a certificate of entry and exit or a handwritten statement (regardless of format) to replace the above Korean language proficiency proof document for the Filipino spouse.
However, in the case of ②, if the Korean language proficiency is deemed insufficient, a Korean language assessment may be conducted. ※ Cases exempt from the communication requirement ① If there is a child born between the couple or if the couple is pregnant (20 weeks or more) with a child
② If the Korean spouse submits a certain level of English proficiency test score
③ If the Korean spouse passes the English interview conducted by the embassy
④ If the Filipino spouse has previously stayed in Korea with a marriage immigrant (F-6) status (except if the spouse has changed or the same spouse had a marriage interruption)
※ English proficiency test scores
- TOEIC score of 785 or above, TOEFL(IBT) score of 61 or above, IELTS score of 5.0 or above, OPIC IM2 grade or above, TOEIC Speaking score of 140 or above
(Only scores obtained within 2 years from the application date are recognized)
Documents proving the housing requirement for the Korean spouse
1. If owned - property registry 2. If rented - copy of the lease agreement ※ The address on the property registry or lease agreement must match the address on the resident registration document
※ The residence submitted for the housing requirement must be owned or leased in the name of the Korean spouse or the Korean spouse's direct family members, siblings, or sisters. If owned or leased in the name of a third party, it is generally considered not to meet the housing requirement unless it is a company-provided housing or other socially acceptable place, in which case it may be exceptionally recognized
Documents proving the genuineness of the marriage (Proof of relationship)
- Circumstances of acquaintance (including dating photos, family photos, SNS history, etc.) ※ Mandatory
① If through a marriage agency
- Copy of the marriage agency registration, copy of the guarantee insurance certificate, copy of the contract
※ If submission is difficult, provide a statement of reason (however, exempt if there is a child born between the couple or if there has been no interruption in the marriage with the same national under the marriage immigrant (F-6) status)
② If met through an acquaintance
- Copy of the introducer's ID