Nationality can be acquired at birth.
Acquisition requirements
- An individual acquires nationality of the Republic of Korea at birth if they fall under any of the following (Article 2(1) of the Nationality Act):
· An individual whose father or mother was a national of the Republic of Korea at the time of their birth;
· If the father passed away before the birth, the individual whose father was a national of the Republic of Korea at the time of his death; or
· An individual born in the Republic of Korea whose parents’ nationality is either unknown or nonexistent.
※ An abandoned child found in the Republic of Korea is presumed to have been born in the Republic of Korea (Article 2(2) of the Nationality Act).
Nationality can be acquired through acknowledgment.
Acquisition requirements
- Individuals who are not citizens of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter “foreigners”) who have been acknowledged by a father or mother who is a Korean citizen can acquire Korean nationality by reporting to the head of an immigration office, the head of a local immigration office, the head of a branch office of an immigration office, or the head of a branch office of a local immigration office (hereinafter “office head, etc.”). (Articles 3(1) and 26 of the Nationality Act; Article 4 of the Civil Act; and Subparagraph 1 of Article 29 of the Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act)
· Must be a minor (under 19 years old) as per the Civil Act of Korea
· At the time of birth, either the father or mother must have been a Korean citizen.
How to report
- The individual must personally report for nationality acquisition (limited to those aged 15 and above) (the main body of Article 25-2(1) of the Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act).
- For individuals under 15 years old, a legal representative can report on their behalf, who must include their name and address on the report form and attach documentation proving their relationship with the reporting person (Article 19 of the Nationality Act; Article 25-2(2) of the Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act).
Required documents
- To acquire Korean nationality through acknowledgment, the following documents must be submitted to the office head, etc. (Articles 3(3) and 26 of the Nationality Act; Article 2(1) and Subparagraph 1 of Article 29 of the Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act; Article 2 and attached Form 1 of the Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act)
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Required Documents
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▪ Report on nationality acquisition ▪ Document proving foreign nationality ▪ Document proving acknowledgment by a Korean citizen father or mother ▪ Document proving the father or mother was a Korean citizen at the time of birth ▪ Documents required for nationality acquisition notification and family register creation as determined by the Minister of Justice
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※ If the submitted documents concerning the report above are in a foreign language, they must be accompanied by a translation, including the translator’s name and contact details (Article 16 of the Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act).
- Individuals with a residence abroad can submit documents through the head of a diplomatic mission abroad in their jurisdiction under (Article 25(1)1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act).
※ For detailed document requirements, check the <
Hi Korea website> or contact the Foreigner Information Center at ☎1345.
Fees
- A fee of KRW 20,000 per person is required when reporting for nationality acquisition (Article 24(1) of the Nationality Act; Article 18(1)3 of the Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act).
※ The fee can be paid through government revenue stamps equivalent to the amount. At overseas diplomatic missions, payment can be made in cash, equivalent foreign currency, or proof of payment (Article 24(3) of the Nationality Act; Article 18(2) of the Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act).
- Fee exemptions may be granted for humanitarian reasons or other considerations as recognized by the Minister of Justice (Article 24(3) of the Nationality Act; Article 18(3)4 of the Enforcement Rules of the Nationality Act).
Official gazette announcement and notification
- Once the Minister of Justice approves the nationality acquisition through acknowledgment, they will promptly notify the individual and the head of the family relationship registration office in their jurisdiction and announce it in the Official Gazette (Article 2(2) of the Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act).
Renunciation of foreign nationality or pledge not to exercise foreign nationality
- Upon reporting nationality acquisition as above, the individual acquires Korean nationality (Article 3(2) of the Nationality Act).
- Foreigners who have acquired Korean nationality and still hold a foreign nationality must renounce that foreign nationality or pledge not to exercise the foreign nationality in Korea (hereinafter “pledge not to exercise foreign nationality”) to the Minister of Justice within 1 year (see Article 10(1) and (2) of the Nationality Act).
- If the individual does not renounce their foreign nationality or make the pledge not to exercise foreign nationality within a year, they will lose Korean nationality upon the expiry of that period (Article 10(3) of the Nationality Act).