Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PolyChronic Time Girl]

My fiance and I are trying to register our marriage at the Gu-Chong office in Cheongju. I'm an American so I have that Affidavit of Marriage Eligiblity and those three records of marriage signed and notarized by the U.S embassy. However the Korean office will not allow my future husband to register our marriage because they said I don't have proof that I wasn't married before. It's not enough just to tell them I haven't been married...they need to see some proof which I don't think the U.S government has. They have Vital Records but that's only for if you had a divorce..which I never had. What proof do I get to show I've never been married? I can't believe the bullsh*t I am going thru with this and I think it's because Cheongju is a small town that doesn't know anything. They are also saying I have to change every little form into Korean so I have to pay big money to have a lawyer change every word of English.
Anyone had these hassles?

[peppergirl]

I think that Affidavit of Marriage Eligibility should do it? All I needed was that paper and a copy of my birth certificate. I'm not American, but it shouldn't make a difference. Why don't you just try another gu-cheong? You don't have to go to the one closest to you... we just went to the one closest to my embassy as we had to go back and forth a bit.
I definitely didn't need anything translated, my husband 'translated' my name into hangul completely unofficially.

My advice would be to go to another gucheong (or get your future husband to call there & ask what papers you need), and if that doesn't work, take a day trip to Seoul maybe, they have more experience with international marriages

[fidel]

I'm from NZ and had to get some proof posted from home proving that I had never been/or still was married. It was a while back so I don't remember what it was called.

Was does your embassy say about the matter on it's website?

[casey's moon]

My situation was like Peppergirl's, except that we did have to translate everything into Korean, but they asked us to do that in the office by ourselves, and by hand.

Are you and your husband legally married in the U.S. now? If so, then that is already proof that you're not already married to someone else, isn't it?

[tzechuk]

We didn't need to translate anything to Korean at all! My advice is to register your marriage in Seoul.

[jazblanc77]

[hellofaniceguy]

Sounds confusing...but this is korea.
If you are already married...then that means you have satisfied the requirements!!!! Go figure.
I have a friend who was never married until he was 58. Did he have to jump through hoops to try and marry in korea!! No one would believe he was never married before! Same with another friend who married for the first time at age 54! Why can't people believe that?!
They both went to Guam instead and were married. No hassles.
Came back to korea and registered their marriage with no problems.

[peppergirl]

[casey's moon]

Peppermint and Peppergirl are not the same person ! I'm pretty sure that Peppermint is not married to a Korean.

Anyway, I had mine done in Jongnogu-cheong in downtown Seoul. A friend of mine had his done in somewhere in Gangnam, and also needed to translate his own documents (well his wife did it). We both registered our marriages during the summer (2004). Perhaps this is something new?

Edit: oops, I see that Peppergirl has already responded!

[PolyChronic Time Girl]

Thanks for the advice...didn't know I could just go to any gu-chong office. Just mad that I spent money on translating documents when it wasn't necessary...maybe Cheongju thinks I have a suspicious face of a woman who has lots of husbands
Now, I just have to absorb the shock of soon being a married woman in ...it's a good shock though....

[Hanson]

[canadian_in_korea]

my husband and I went to the office nearby the canadian embassy in seoul, he had to fill out some papers at the office in Korean....is this what everyone is talking about when they say "translate" papers ..? Our 6 papers from the embassy were written in english. You are most likely right PCG ...because it is a small office and they don't deal with international marriages often....that is exactly what the canadian embassy told me.....that I really should go to the gu office close to them, that way I would avoid any problems as the office nearby the embassy does those marriages all the time.

[Derrek]

Some people in the Korean gov't really don't like it when Koreans marry foreigners.

[tzechuk]

[PolyChronic Time Girl]

Problem solved....was in and out of the Jongno-gu office in five minutes...thanks everyone...we laughed when we saw we can get a free "mock" marriage ceremony photo with the hanbok at the office.