Eligibility quiz
Has your father or mother ever been a South Korean citizen?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
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 at a local officeApplying at a local office
Find your immigration office
Find the immigration office or branch that handles nationality applications for the place where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which South Korean immigration office handles Simple Naturalization applications for your city?”
Download the application form
Get the Naturalization Application Form, Statement of Identity and Statement for Citizenship Application from Hi Korea.
Get the formsSearches DuckDuckGo for “Where can I download the South Korea Simple Naturalization application forms?”
Fill in the forms
Fill in and sign the forms yourself. Attach a colour photo to the application and prepare two copies of its first page.
Find form instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the South Korea Simple Naturalization application forms?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the immigration office.
See required documentsBook an appointment
Use Hi Korea to book a visit to your immigration office, creating an account if needed.
Book your appointmentSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book a Hi Korea appointment for South Korea Simple Naturalization?”
Go to your appointment
Bring your completed forms, passport, photo and required documents to your immigration office and hand them in yourself. Pay the 300,000 won fee by government-revenue stamp.
Find appointment instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “What should I bring to my South Korea Simple Naturalization appointment?”
Wait for the decision
Follow your application’s progress through Hi Korea. Give the office any extra documents it asks for and attend an interview or assessment if requested.
Check your applicationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I check my South Korea Simple Naturalization application status on Hi Korea?”
Print your approval
If your application is approved and the certificate is available in Hi Korea, print it from the application-status menu.
Print your approvalSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I print my South Korea Simple Naturalization approval certificate from Hi Korea?”
Attend your citizenship ceremony
When your immigration office notifies you, attend the ceremony, take the oath and receive your nationality certificate. You become a South Korean citizen when you take the oath and receive the certificate, and can then apply for a South Korean passport.
Find ceremony informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I attend the South Korea Simple Naturalization oath and nationality certificate ceremony?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Family relationship records
Bring records that show your relationship to your South Korean parent and, if you have children, your relationship to them. If you were adopted, include proof of the adoption. Bring originals issued within the past three months.
Parent's citizenship records
Bring your South Korean parent's family relationship certificate or closed family register, or both, to show that your parent was a South Korean citizen. Bring originals issued within the past three months.
Marriage records *
Bring records showing your spouse and your marriage status. Include records of a divorce if they are needed to show your current status, and bring originals issued within the past three months.
* Only if you are or have been married.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
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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