US K-1 Fiancé Visa — Korean Documents Required

Required Korean Documents

May Also Be Required

Step-by-Step Process

1. 1

   US citizen petitioner files Form I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)) with USCIS — if the petitioner or the fiancé(e) was married before, copies of evidence that the marriage was legally terminated are attached with full English translations

2. 2

   Upon USCIS approval, USCIS forwards the case to the National Visa Center (NVC), which then sends it to the US Embassy in Seoul

3. 3

   Obtain your Korean documents by the names and versions in the US Embassy Seoul K1/K2 instructions (detailed '상세' certificates, police certificate '외국 입국체류 허가용') and attach English translations

4. 4

   Submit the online nonimmigrant visa application (DS-160) and complete the medical examination at a US Embassy–designated hospital before the visa interview

5. 5

   Attend the K-1 visa interview at the US Embassy in Seoul — bring the 기본증명서(상세), 가족관계증명서(상세) and 혼인관계증명서(상세) as originals

6. 6

   After visa approval and entry to the US, marry the US citizen petitioner within 90 days

7. 7

   After the marriage, file for adjustment of status (Form I-485) with USCIS — submit copies of the marriage certificate, your birth certificate and the other evidence in the form instructions, with a full English translation carrying the translator's certification for any Korean-language document

Tips & Common Mistakes

• The US Embassy Seoul K1/K2 instructions ask for the 기본증명서(상세), 가족관계증명서(상세) and 혼인관계증명서(상세) issued within the past year — even if copies were filed with the petition, check the issue dates against your interview date
• The police certificate must be the 범죄·수사경력 회보서 for '외국 입국체류 허가용' (permit to enter and stay in a foreign country), issued in English — the version for checking your own record ('수사자료표 내용 확인용', which includes lapsed sentences) cannot be submitted
• An earlier marriage is shown on the 혼인관계증명서(상세), and marriages and divorces from before January 1, 2008 on the 제적등본 — if the petitioner was married before, the petitioner's divorce decree, former spouse's death certificate or annulment papers must be brought to the interview as originals or certified copies
• Translations do not need to be notarized — the embassy instructions say only that the translator is responsible for translating the original accurately, and documents filed with USCIS need a full English translation with the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3))
• Keep originals and copies apart — the embassy interview takes originals, while USCIS (the I-129F petition and the I-485 after the marriage) takes legible copies (originals the form instructions did not ask for are not automatically returned and may be destroyed)
• The medical examination can only be done at a US Embassy–designated hospital and must be completed before the visa interview

Frequently Asked Questions

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