Eligibility quiz
Has a South Korean citizen legally recognised you as their child?
Benefits
Benefits for your childBenefits for your child
South Korean passport
South Korean citizens can get a South Korean passport for travel abroad.
Live in South Korea for life
South Korean citizens can enter, leave and live in South Korea without a visa or residence renewal.
There is no minimum time they must spend in the country.
Study in South Korea
South Korean citizens have an equal right to education and do not need a student immigration status to study.
Work in South Korea
South Korean citizens have the right to work without a foreigner's work permission.
Some jobs and professions have their own requirements.
Use registration services
South Korean citizens can use civil and family registration services, and those living abroad can register as overseas nationals to help with administration and protection.
Get help abroad
South Korean citizens can get consular help abroad, including in emergencies, disasters, criminal proceedings and missing-person cases.
Local and international law, and what a person can resolve themselves, limit the help available.
Vote and run for office
South Korean citizens have the right to vote and hold public office under election rules.
Citizens abroad can also vote from abroad if they register and meet the election conditions.
Use public healthcare
South Korean citizens can join National Health Insurance as domestic participants rather than under the rules for foreign residents.
Enrollment can be through work or where they live, and contributions are payable.
Use social support
South Korean citizens have a right to social support under the law.
Social insurance includes pensions, employment and work-accident insurance, but payments depend on the scheme and factors such as work, residence and income.
How to apply
Applying through recognitionApplying through recognition
Find a nationality office
Find a designated South Korean immigration office that handles nationality notifications. You can use any designated office; it does not have to be the one for your address.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which South Korean immigration offices near your city accept nationality acquisition notifications by recognition?”
Download the application form
Get the nationality-acquisition notification form for acquisition by recognition from Hi Korea.
Find the formSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get the South Korean nationality acquisition notification form for acquisition by recognition on Hi Korea?”
Fill in the form
Complete and sign the notification form with help from your parent or legal representative.
Get help filling itSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the South Korean nationality acquisition notification form for a minor recognised by a South Korean parent?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the documents the nationality office asks for.
See required documentsBook an appointment
Book a visit to your chosen nationality office through Hi Korea.
Book your visitGo to your appointment
Bring your completed form and original documents to the nationality office and submit your notification. Pay the 20,000 won fee there, following the office's payment instructions; if you are 15 or younger, your legal representative may attend for you.
Find submission instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a South Korean nationality acquisition notification by recognition and pay the fee at an immigration office?”
Wait for your notice
Wait for the Ministry of Justice's notice that you have acquired South Korean nationality. You or your legal representative should answer any requests for more documents.
See how to follow upSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I follow up on a South Korean nationality acquisition notification by recognition through Hi Korea?”
Register your family record
After receiving your notice, you or your legal representative should complete the registration needed to create your South Korean family-relations record. You can then use the record for your South Korean documents, such as a passport.
Find registration instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I create a South Korean family relations record after nationality acquisition by recognition?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth and recognition records
Get your birth certificate or another record showing your age and your relationship to your parent, as requested on the form. If your South Korean parent legally recognised you as their child, provide the recognition record or decision from the office or court that issued it. Original records should generally have been issued within the last three months.
Parent's citizenship records *
Get South Korean family-register certificates showing that your parent was a South Korean citizen when you were born. You can request them from the South Korean civil-registration system or a South Korean consulate. Originals should generally have been issued within the last three months.
* Only if your South Korean parent legally recognised you as their child.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Military service for men
Male South Korean citizens may have to serve in the military; age, health, time abroad and dual citizenship can affect exemptions or delays.
Those liable who are 25 or older, or doing alternative service, need permission to travel abroad.
Those who left before 25 generally need permission by 15 January of the year they turn 25.
Citizenship can be lost
Voluntarily acquiring another citizenship generally ends South Korean citizenship, with exceptions.
Dual citizens who were not South Korean at birth can lose it after a hearing if keeping it is clearly against national interests or seriously disrupts social order.
Citizenship can also be given up through a legal process, and loss must be reported.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Every Expat in Korea
English Facebook group for people living in South Korea interested in South Korean local life
Join on FacebookForeigners in Seoul
English Facebook group for people living in South Korea interested in South Korean local life
Join on Facebookr/SouthKoreaTravel
English Reddit group for people living in South Korea interested in South Korean local life
Join on RedditConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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