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Pathway

South Korea Spouse Visa

South Korea Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

A foreign spouse can apply to live with a Korean citizen in South Korea. You need a legally recognized, genuine marriage plus the required housing, financial, communication, and background evidence.

Marriage
A legally recognized, genuine marriage to a Korean citizen
2026 income example
KRW 25,195,752 a year for a two-person household; documented exceptions may apply
Home and language
Suitable housing and ability to communicate in Korean or another shared language, unless exempt

Summary

South Korea's F-6 visa is for foreign spouses of Korean nationals. The application looks at the legal marriage, relationship evidence, the Korean spouse's sponsorship, and practical settlement factors.

The marriage must be genuine, but that is not the only requirement. Immigration also checks housing, finances, how you communicate, and the documents required for your circumstances.

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Eligibility

Marriage, communication, and housing

You need a marriage recognized for Korean purposes and evidence of your life together, such as a relationship timeline, visits, communication, photographs, and shared plans.

You must show suitable housing, generally owned or rented by the Korean spouse or an allowed family member. You must also show that you can communicate in Korean or another shared language, unless an exemption applies.

Income and possible exceptions

For 2026, official consular guidance gives the following ordinary annual-income requirements for the Korean spouse, based on gross income in the previous year:

Household size Minimum annual income
2 people KRW 25,195,752
3 people KRW 32,154,216
4 people KRW 38,968,428
5 people KRW 45,340,314
6 people KRW 51,335,712
7 people KRW 57,090,900

For eight or more people, add KRW 5,755,188 per additional member. A couple alone is a two-person household. Certain direct family members in the same registered household can affect the count.

Some couples may use an exemption, for example because they have a child, lived together abroad for at least one year, or previously held F-6 with the same spouse. Accepted Korean income of the foreign spouse, income of certain family members living with you, or a percentage of eligible assets can sometimes help. Document the exact rule; do not assume it applies.

Application records

First applications often need the invitation, the foreign spouse’s personal-history form, Korean family and marriage certificates, relationship evidence, income and housing records, and credit information. Health, criminal-record, tuberculosis, and other checks may also apply unless an exemption is accepted.

Use the current checklist from the Korean mission handling your application. Many documents are valid only for a short period.

Preparing a Korean spouse application
  1. Document the marriage Use accepted Korean and foreign records and evidence of your relationship.
  2. Check your household requirements Confirm housing, communication, income, and any applicable exceptions.
  3. Apply and complete registration If approved Use the responsible mission’s checklist and register after arrival.

Marriage alone does not guarantee approval. The correct income requirement depends on your household and any accepted exception.

What This Route Allows

F-6 lets you live in South Korea for married life. The status itself does not restrict employment or profit-making activity, although particular industries and regulated professions still have their own rules.

Complete the residence-card process and report address changes. Extensions depend on continued eligibility and review.

Separate F-6 categories may help in some cases after the Korean spouse dies, disappears, or the marriage breaks down for reasons not attributable to the foreign spouse, or where a foreign parent raises a child from the marriage. These require evidence and are not automatic continuations.

A qualifying marriage and residence may later support permanent residence or naturalization, but each needs a separate application and additional conditions.

What This Route Is Not

This does not cover fiancés, dating partners, or unmarried partners. A wedding ceremony or foreign marriage without the required legal records can delay or prevent the application.

A genuine marriage alone does not guarantee approval, and marriage does not make you Korean. Divorce does not automatically guarantee continued residence either.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm that the marriage is legally valid and recorded in the relevant countries and Korean family system where required.
  2. Obtain the responsible mission’s current F-6-1 forms and checklist.
  3. Have the Korean spouse gather recent family, marriage, residence, income, tax, credit, and housing records.
  4. Calculate the household size and income requirement, and document any accepted exception or additional income or assets.
  5. Prepare the relationship history and evidence of your shared language or exemption.
  6. Time health, criminal, tuberculosis, and family records so that certification and translation are complete before they expire.
  7. After arrival, complete residence registration and report employment details and address changes as required.

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Other routes in South Korea.

Sources