The document that decides more than any other
When you apply for Korea's F-6 marriage visa, the Korean embassy reviews one document more carefully than almost anything else: the invitation letter (초청장) written by your Korean spouse. It is not a formality. Consular officers use it to judge whether the marriage is genuine — and inconsistencies between this letter and your interview answers are a classic reason for refusal.
Your Korean spouse can fill it out field by field (in Korean, with guidance for every item) on our Invitation Letter page and download the PDF. This guide explains, in English, what goes into each part so you can prepare it together.
Who writes what
The inviter is the Korean spouse living in Korea. The invitee is you, the foreign spouse applying at the Korean embassy in your country. The letter is written and signed by the Korean spouse, but the story it tells must match *your* documents and *your* interview answers exactly. Prepare it as a couple.
What the letter contains
- Inviter's details: name, resident registration number, address, occupation
- Inviter's income: The F-6 visa has a minimum income requirement for the Korean spouse (the threshold is updated regularly — check the current-year figure with the embassy or on HiKorea). Income is backed by employment certificates and tax records, and what is written here must match those documents to the won.
- Invitee's details: your name (as in your passport) and nationality
- How you met (만남 경위): The heart of the letter. When, where, and how the relationship developed — with dates that match your photos, chat logs, and entry stamps.
- How you communicate (의사소통 방법): Which language you use as a couple. If the officer sees "we speak Korean" but the interview shows otherwise, that is a serious problem. Be honest — translation apps plus a shared basic language is a common and acceptable answer; a fabricated fluency claim is not.
- Previous marriages: Full disclosure. Prior marriages are not automatically a problem; concealing one is.
Documents that go with the letter
- Invitation letter (초청장)
- Marriage certificate — Korean marriage relation certificate (혼인관계증명서) showing the registered marriage
- Resident registration document of the Korean spouse (주민등록등본)
- Income proof — employment certificate, income certificate from the tax office
- Housing proof — lease contract or property ownership
- Identity guarantee letter (신원보증서)
- Proof of relationship — photos over time, call/chat history, records of visits
The mistakes that cause refusals
- Timeline contradictions: the letter says you met in 2024, but photos are dated 2025
- Income below the requirement with no co-sponsor or supplementary assets
- Vague meeting story: "met through a friend" with no dates, places, or development of the relationship
- Communication claims that fail at the interview
- Undisclosed previous marriage or visa refusals
Prepare it together
The strongest applications read like one consistent story across the letter, the evidence, and the interview. Have your Korean spouse draft the letter on our Invitation Letter form page — each field shows what officers look for — then review the facts together before anything is submitted.
Once you arrive in Korea on the F-6, your next steps are the Alien Registration Card within 90 days, and later the extension of stay.