Korea-Vietnam International Marriage Report — Filing in Korea First vs. Reporting a Marriage Made in Vietnam

Procedure

1. 1. Decide which country comes first

   The substantive requirements for marriage follow each party's national law, and the form of marriage follows the law of the place of marriage or the national law of either party (Act on Private International Law Article 63). When the marriage takes place in Korea and one party is a Korean national, the form follows Korean law, so the required documents differ depending on whether you report in Korea first or marry in Vietnam first.

2. 2. Filing the marriage report in Korea first

   A marriage takes effect when it is reported under the Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships, and the report must be a written document jointly signed by both parties and 2 adult witnesses (Civil Act Article 812). The report states the foreign party's name, date of birth, nationality and alien registration number and the fact that the marriage is not between close relatives (Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 71), and a document proving the Vietnamese spouse meets the substantive requirements for marriage is attached with a translation (Rules on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 30).

3. 3. Submitting the certificate copy after marrying in Vietnam

   If a Korean national residing or staying abroad has a marriage certificate drawn up in that country's form, a copy must be submitted within 3 months to the head of the overseas diplomatic mission with jurisdiction over the area (Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 35). The head of the mission sends the received documents within 1 month through the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Family Relationship Registration Office for Overseas Koreans (same Act Article 36). If you have already returned to Korea, check in advance with the city, district, eup or myeon office of your registration base or address where you can submit it.

4. 4. Place of filing and identity checks

   A report may be filed at the registration base of the person concerned or at the reporter's address or current location, and a report concerning a foreign national may also be filed at the place of residence (Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 20). For a matter that takes effect by report, such as marriage, if the person concerned does not appear, that person's ID must be presented or a certificate of seal impression attached, or the report will not be accepted (same Act Article 23(2)). The receiving official checks the ID of the reporter or submitter who appears (Rules on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 32).

5. 5. Confirming the record and next steps

   The reporter may request a certificate of acceptance or non-acceptance, and if the report is not accepted, the reasons are notified in writing (Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Articles 42 and 43). After the marriage is recorded, the Vietnamese spouse's stay in Korea is handled separately through the F-6 (Marriage Migrant) status of stay procedure (Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act Appended Table 1-2).

Required documents

• Marriage report form (statutory form)
• Certificate proving the Vietnamese spouse meets the substantive requirements for marriage (issued by the Embassy of Vietnam in Korea, etc.) with a translation
• Passport or other document confirming the Vietnamese spouse's nationality and identity, with a translation
• If married first in Vietnam's form, a copy of the Vietnamese marriage certificate with a translation
• ID of the reporter or submitter who appears in person
• ID or certificate of seal impression of any party who does not appear
• For filing by mail, a copy of ID and the party's certificate of seal impression or a notarized signature on the report

Fees

Apart from filing the marriage report, actual costs such as certificate issuance fees and translation costs apply. Our office fee starts from the amount shown above and may vary depending on the filing order, the status of the Vietnamese documents and the volume of attachments; we will give you an exact quote after reviewing your documents.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Act on Private International Law Article 63
• Civil Act Article 812
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 20
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 23
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 35
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 36
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 37
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 40
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 42
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 43
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 71
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 121
• Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 122
• Rules on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 30
• Rules on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 32
• Rules on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 33
• Rules on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 40
• Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act Appended Table 1-2

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-24

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

• Even when a submitter files the marriage report, it will not be accepted without the absent party's ID or certificate of seal impression (Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 23(2)), so prepare the parties' identity documents before submission.
• If you married in Vietnam in that country's form, you do not file a new marriage report in Korea but submit a copy of the marriage certificate within 3 months (Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationships Article 35), so first confirm the date the marriage was concluded and the date the certificate was drawn up.

Frequently asked questions