F-6 visa — marriage to a Korean national: complete 2026 guide

1. What F-6 is, and who it is for

The F-6 visa (결혼이민 — marriage migration) is issued to foreigners in the following situations:

• F-6-1 — married and living together (혼인관계 유지): for a person whose marriage is legally registered in Korea and who lives with their Korean spouse on Korean soil. This is the most common sub-type, and it is often referred to as F-6-A.
• F-6-2 — raising a shared child (자녀 양육): for a father or mother who is directly raising a minor child born of the marriage (including a de facto marriage) with a Korean national, even after the marriage itself has ended.
• F-6-3 — marriage ended through no fault of the foreigner (귀책사유 없는 이혼·사별): for a person who cannot maintain the marriage because the Korean spouse has died, gone missing, or because the divorce was caused by fault on the Korean side (domestic violence, infidelity, abandonment, and the like) — as recognized by the Minister of Justice.

Right to work: all F-6 visa holders are permitted to work in Korea with no restriction on the type of occupation (apart from professions that require a separate practising licence), and they may register as a sole proprietor. This is an important difference from most other visa categories, which tie the holder to a specific employer or field.

2. Basic requirements for an F-6-1

The Korea Immigration Service (출입국·외국인청) and the consulates assess an F-6 application against three core criteria:

① Authenticity of the marriage (혼인의 진정성)

This is the heart of the review. The file must show a clear history of the relationship: wedding photographs, social-media messages, a record of contact, and witnesses who know the couple. A sham marriage (위장결혼) entered into for the purpose of obtaining a visa is a serious legal violation and can lead to deportation and a permanent entry ban.

② Ability to communicate (의사소통 능력)

Since 2014, the consulate has required the couple to demonstrate that they can communicate with each other. Accepted forms of proof include:

• A TOPIK level 1 certificate or higher (시험한국어능력시험)
• A certificate of completion of a basic Korean course at a designated institution (Sejong Institute 세종학당: completion of 1A+1B; a Korean-language institute level 2)
• A bachelor's or postgraduate degree majoring in Korean
• A record of continuous prior residence in Korea for more than one year
• Exemptions: (a) the couple already has a shared child with the Korean spouse; (b) the Korean spouse has lived for more than one year in the foreigner's home country; (c) the couple has lived together for more than one year in a third country; (d) the foreigner formerly held Korean nationality.

If the Korean-language conditions cannot be met, the couple may instead show that they communicate in a third foreign language (for example, both using English), through an invitation letter and supporting documents.

③ Financial capacity of the Korean sponsor (소득요건)

The Korean spouse must meet a minimum income threshold scaled to the size of the household. The Korean government updates this figure every year in line with GNI (gross national income per capita). The threshold applicable from 1 April 2026 is as follows:

• Household of 2: ₩25,195,752 (~USD 19,000) per year, before tax
• Household of 3: ₩32,154,216 (~USD 24,000) per year, before tax
• Household of 4: ₩38,968,428 (~USD 29,000) per year, before tax

⚠️ Important note: the table above applies to the income threshold for issuing the F-6 visa. The overall GNI threshold (~₩52,416,000 per year) is a separate standard that applies to F-5 permanent residence and certain other cases — these two figures are not the same and must be clearly distinguished.

Flexible treatment of income:

• If income falls short, 5% of the value of assets (savings, insurance, securities, and real estate held for ≥6 months, after deducting debts) may be added to the annual income.
• The income of direct family members in the same household register may be combined.
• Exemption from the income requirement applies where: the couple already has a shared child with the Korean spouse; or the Korean sponsor has lived abroad with the spouse for more than one year after the marriage (with no domestic income).

3. International Marriage Guidance Program

A Korean national sponsoring a spouse who holds the nationality of one of 7 countries — Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand — is required to complete this guidance program before the visa can be issued.

Exemptions: the sponsor has lived in the foreigner's home country for ≥6 months; the foreigner has stayed in Korea legally and the relationship has lasted ≥91 days; or there is a recognized humanitarian reason (pregnancy, childbirth, and so on).

This is especially important for Vietnamese–Korean couples: the Korean spouse must complete this program before applying for the visa.

4. Applying from Vietnam (F-6-1)

The standard process consists of the following steps:

• Register the marriage legally with the competent authority (in Korea or in Vietnam), making sure the record is recognized in both countries.
• Prepare the documents according to the exact list of the Korean Embassy in Vietnam — the required documents can vary by consulate, so you must follow the current list.
• Submit the documents at the Korean Embassy / Consulate General in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. In some cases you must attend an interview to verify the authenticity of the marriage.
• Receive a 90-day entry visa (usually single or multiple entry).
• Enter Korea within the visa's validity. After entering, you must register for an Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증 — ARC) at the local immigration office within 90 days. You can book an appointment through the HiKorea portal (hikorea.go.kr).
• At the ARC registration, the official period of stay will be granted: usually from 1 to 3 years depending on the individual file, and it can be renewed multiple times.

5. Protecting marriage migrants: F-6-3 and the right to stay after divorce

This is a particularly important legal point for Vietnamese women:

When the divorce is NOT the fault of the foreigner, Korean law allows the residence status to be maintained through F-6-3. The legal basis is item (c) under F-6 in Attached Table 1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act of Korea.

The cases recognized as "not the fault of the foreigner" are:

• Domestic violence (폭행/학대): the evidence needed — a 112 police report, a medical certificate, photographs of injuries, and a log of threatening messages.
• Infidelity by the Korean spouse, deliberate abandonment, or going missing.
• Death of the Korean spouse (an official death certificate is required).
• A Family Court judgment finding that the fault lies with the Korean spouse carries high legal value in an F-6-3 file (per Supreme Court Decision 2018Du66869, dated 4 July 2019).

Important: while a divorce lawsuit is in progress, the F-6-1 visa can still be renewed short-term — the foreigner does not have to leave Korea while the case is being heard. If the visa is about to expire, you should immediately contact the immigration authority (telephone: 1345) and provide documents proving that the lawsuit is under way.

Emergency support line: Korea's domestic-violence hotline 1366 (24/7, multilingual support, free of charge).

6. F-6-2: staying for your child

If you have a shared minor child with the Korean spouse and you are directly raising the child or have visitation rights, you may switch to F-6-2 after divorce — regardless of who was at fault. The F-6-2 status will end when the child reaches adulthood. For that reason, you should plan to switch to a Residence F-2-15 visa (reserved for a parent raising a child after divorce until the child reaches adulthood) or to apply for F-5 permanent residence before that point arrives.

7. Path to F-5 (permanent residence) and naturalization

F-6 → F-5-2 (permanent residence as the spouse of a Korean national):

• Continuous residence on F-6 status for at least 2 years
• Income reaching 1× the prior year's average GNI (2026: ~₩52,416,000 — the spouse's income may be combined)
• Completion of the KIIP (Korea Immigration & Integration Program / 사회통합프로그램) level 5 — which is at the same time the condition that exempts you from the knowledge test when applying for naturalization
• A clean criminal record

F-6 → naturalization as a Korean (귀화):

• Married and resident in Korea continuously for 2 years during the marriage; or married for 3 years and resident continuously for ≥1 year
• Passing an interview testing knowledge of Korean history, culture, and language — or exemption from the test if KIIP level 5 has been completed
• Where the marriage ended through death, disappearance, or for reasons not attributable to the foreigner: reviewed under separate humanitarian criteria