Staying in Korea After Divorce or Separation on a Marriage Migrant (F-6) Visa — Marriage Migrant Child Rearing (F-6-2) and Breakdown of Marriage (F-6-3)

Procedure

1. 1. Check the expiry date of stay and the marital status

   Check the expiry date of the period of stay on your residence card, and establish whether you are currently separated, in the process of a divorce by agreement, or already divorced. Passing the expiry date makes your stay illegal, so count back to set the date of the next application.

2. 2. Consider F-6-2 if you are raising a child

   A father or mother who is raising a child born of a marital relationship (including a de facto marriage) with a Korean national can obtain F-6-2. Prepare materials on parental authority and custody, together with materials showing that you are actually raising the child, such as a certified copy of resident registration (deungbon) and daycare center or school enrollment records.

3. 3. Consider F-6-3 if the marriage broke down through no fault of your own

   This applies where the marriage can no longer be maintained because of the death or disappearance of the spouse, or for reasons not attributable to you such as domestic violence or the spouse leaving home. Reasons that do not show where responsibility lies, such as personality differences, are hard to have recognized on their own, so it is important to gather materials showing the reasons on the spouse's side.

4. 4. If divorce proceedings are under way, extend with proof of the proceedings

   In a divorce by agreement, confirmation of the intention to divorce can be obtained only after 3 months have passed from the date of receiving guidance from the family court if you have children, or 1 month if you do not. If your period of stay ends during this period or while a court case is in progress, submit documents showing that the proceedings are under way and apply for an extension.

5. 5. Apply for change of status of stay

   Once the divorce is reflected in the family relations register, apply for a change to F-6-2 or F-6-3. File by booking a visit to the immigration office or through Hi Korea, and if a request for supplementation comes during the review, submit additional materials within the deadline.

Required documents

• Integrated application form (extension of the period of stay, change of status of stay)
• Passport and residence card (residence card)
• Marriage relation certificate and family relation certificate (to check whether the divorce is reflected)
• F-6-2: the child's basic certificate, materials on parental authority and custody, and materials showing that you are actually raising the child
• F-6-3: materials on the death or disappearance of the spouse, or materials on reasons not attributable to you, such as a domestic violence report or a medical certificate
• Divorce proceedings under way: documents proving the proceedings, such as a notice of the confirmation date for a divorce by agreement
• Proof of place of stay

Fees

At Hwang Yunsang Administrative Office, the service fee starts from 200,000 won for an F-6 extension of the period of stay and from 350,000 won for permission for change of status of stay (government fees are separate). We will advise you of the fee after a consultation, depending on how much work is needed to organize the supporting materials.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, attached Table 1-2, item 27
• Immigration Act, Article 24
• Immigration Act, Article 25
• Civil Act, Article 836-2

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-04

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Exceeding the expiry date of the period of stay by even one day makes your stay illegal. If the divorce proceedings look likely to take long, apply for the extension first, before expiry.

Frequently asked questions