Married in Korea to a Cololumbian girl with a passport?

Crazy4Cali says on Oct 10, 2005, 13:22:

What's the rush to get married? If you already know you want to get married, and you aren't going back to the states (hopefully, you'll be going back to the states after your tour in Korea and not some other lovely place...like Iraq) It would seem the easiest way would be to start the I-129F/K-1 Fiancee process and marry here in the U.S. Then you don't have to go through all the hassle of both Korean and U.S. laws (whatever those would be).

Figure on 3-6 months for the visa to be issued, then your fiance has 6 more months to come to the U.S. to get married and 3 months after setting foot in the U.S. to apply for residency. So you could take your 30 days of leave in the U.S., meet your honey, get married and then head off to your next assignment. (hmmm.. How romantic?)

Anyway, if that's what you really want, (it's not my place to make lifestyle judgements) that would seem to be the easiest way. I'd skip the Korean wedding idea, if I were you, I can't imagine flying from Colombia to Korea to be very cheap and you'll need that money to get her situated in the U.S.

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Fionalatina says on Oct 10, 2005, 13:27:

Requirements Before you do anything, find out what are the requirements to get married in Korea. You must find out that there... sometimes, a special visa is required.

Meanwhile, tell your girlfriend to get her passport (she will need it anyway). Later, she needs to find out if there is an Embassy here in Colombia and get the visa to travel there and later, she will have to fly there and can be quite expensive (About USD$2000 the ticket).

If you want to marry her I think it is easier if you come to Colombia, after you both get married here her residency will take only one or two months.

Good luck!!!

Fiona

Fiona

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sirrichard100 says on Oct 14, 2005, 04:53:

Regulations Hello, i'm also in the US service but in Japan. I recomend you to contact your legal office in your command. There are some nationalities that are restricted or have spcial regulations when a service member is traying to get married with. You can also request for a fiance visa. Remember, bacause you are in Korea, and in the service, there are special rules(SOFA) that only apply to us.

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cheetahgod says on Oct 26, 2005, 16:07:

Do you have any idea if Colombians are one of the restricted nationalities. I wanted to marry my girlfriend who lives in Bogota now because i plan to marry her anyway and i already assisting her a little monetaraly. The BAH for Bogata for my rank is like 2800 a month that would be a big help to both hher and i at this moment. In addition she could probably stay here for a month or so while I am in Yongson.

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Crazy4Cali says on Oct 27, 2005, 05:51:

Oh boy, here we go again... 1. You should talk to your company clerk or the base housing office about whether getting married to someone in Colombia would make you eligible for the housing allowance.

2. If you have never met this girl (in person), you shouldn't be sending her any monetary "help" (esp. if you are in Korea, for goodness sakes!) This is not to say your girl is playing you, but if she did, you wouldn't be the first. Just read some of the horror stories on this site to see the tip of the iceberg.

Take it easy and take it slow.

Stop sending money and see if she still writes. Say you need to send more money home (the truth, just send it home to save for when you meet her in person, but don't tell her that part). If she gets cold or throws a fit, ask yourself if that's the kind of person you want to be married to for the REST OF YOUR NATURAL LIFE. On the other hand, if she says "that's cool, you should take care of your family" and never brings it up again, then you have a keeper.

Either way, 8 months isn't forever, for however much it seems like it. You're much better off saving your money to visit her after your tour is up and planning from there.

Good luck.

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cremaster says on Oct 27, 2005, 08:44:

cheetah Cheetah,
I was never in the army, but I DID live in Korea for a year.
You should know that:
1)The Koreans are VERY picky about letting people into their country. They want to keep drugs out. (Pop-quiz: what is Colombia known for?)
2)It will probably be VERY difficult for 2 non-Koreans to marry in Korea. When I lived there, they had different regulations for 2 Koreans marrying, a Korean man marrying a non-Korean woman, and a Korean woman marrying a non-Korean man. (The last was discouraged).

You could probably get help from someone at www.eslcafe.com. They have a discussion board about living in Korea, and some of the posters have lived there for years, are fluent in Korean, and VERY helpful.

Hope it helps,
Patrick

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