Naturalization in South Korea is broadly classified into three categories: General Naturalization, Simplified Naturalization, and Special Naturalization.
Moreover, Naturalization is further divided into three categories based on the eligibility criteria met for application.
1. Marital Relationship Maintenance = Marriage Naturalization
- Individuals who have resided in South Korea for more than 2 years continuously after marriage (counted from the day of marriage certificate issuance and entry into South Korea)
- Individuals who have resided in South Korea for more than a year after 3 years have passed since marriage
2. Marital Relationship Disruption
- Individuals who could not maintain a normal marital life due to the death of a spouse, disappearance, or other reasons not attributable to their fault, and have resided in South Korea for more than 2 years
-Individuals who are raising or ought to raise a minor child, have completed the required duration, and are recognized as adequate by the Minister of Justice
3. Simplified Naturalization (Residence of 3 years or more)
- Individuals whose parent was a citizen of South Korea
-Individuals born in South Korea from parents who were born in South Korea
- Adopted individuals who were of legal age at the time of adoption
※ Must have resided in South Korea continuously for more than 3 years
Today, we will look into the eligibility, requirements, and necessary documents for Simplified Naturalization based on the 3-year residence condition.
The subjects, requirements, and documents for Marriage Naturalization, as well as the exemption from submitting overseas criminal records, can be found in the link below.
Simplified Naturalization Targets (Residence of 3 years or more)
1.Individuals whose parent was a citizen of South Korea
- Cases where the parent currently has foreign nationality but was Korean in the past
(Individuals born after October 1, 1949, with a parent listed in the family register, including ethnic Koreans from China, are eligible for 3-year residence simplified naturalization)
- Cases where the parent has passed away but was Korean at the time of death
- Cases where the parent has passed away and had foreign nationality at the time of death but was Korean in the past
2.Individuals born in South Korea from parent who were born in South Korea
3.Adopted individuals who were of legal age at the time of adoption
- The 3-year domestic residence period starts from the day of adoption
- If foreign registration was made after adoption, it starts from the day of foreign registration
※ Basic conditions such as decent conduct, livelihood maintenance capability, and basic qualifications must be met for applying for simplified naturalization.
Requirement of good conduct (Article 5-2 of the Nationality Act)
- The requirement of decent conduct means the applicant should not have any criminal record, considering various factors such as the nature of the legal violation, its impact on public interest, contributions to South Korean society, humanitarian circumstances, and national interest.
- The requirements for good conduct mean that none of the following conditions should apply to the person applying for naturalization
a. A person who has been sentenced to imprisonment or heavier punishment and ten years have not passed since the completion of the execution of the sentence or exemption from the execution |
b. A person who has been sentenced to imprisonment or heavier punishment and received a suspended sentence, and seven years have not passed since the end of the suspension period |
c. A person who has been sentenced to a fine and five years have not passed since the payment of the fine |
d. A person who has received a suspended sentence or a stay of prosecution, and two years have not passed since the day of receiving the suspended sentence or stay of prosecution |
e. A person who has been forced to leave the country under the Immigration Control Act, and ten years have not passed since the day of departure. |
f. A person who has been ordered to leave the country under the Immigration Control Act, and five years have not passed since the day of departure. |
g. A person who has not paid national taxes, customs duties, or local taxes. |
h. Any other cases that the Minister of Justice acknowledges as equivalent to the reasons from (a) to (g). |
Requirement for Livelihood
- The requirement for sustaining a livelihood means having the capacity to maintain one's living either through one's assets, skills, or by depending on the family with whom one lives together.
- The scope of the family includes
1. Spouse, lineal relatives, and siblings
2. Spouse of lineal relatives, lineal relatives of the spouse, and siblings of the spouse
- Whether they live together is determined by whether the current addresses are the same, that is, whether the registered addresses are the same.
The basic competency requirement (Article 5-2 of the Nationality Act)
- Having a command of the Korean language and an understanding of the customs of the Republic of Korea, etc., as basic competencies necessary for a citizen of the Republic of Korea. This is assessed through a naturalization eligibility examination.
- The naturalization eligibility examination is divided into a comprehensive evaluation of the Social Integration Program and a naturalization interview examination. Applicants for naturalization must take the comprehensive evaluation of the Social Integration Program within one year from the date of application.
- During the interview examination, the applicant's Korean language proficiency and attitude as a citizen of the Republic of Korea, belief in the basic democratic order, and other basic requirements to be a citizen of the Republic of Korea are evaluated.
▶ Exemptions from the Comprehensive Evaluation of the Social Integration Program ◀
1. Minors, people aged 60 and over |
2. People with special merits, talented individuals, those who have completed the Social Integration Program |
3. Those who have passed the comprehensive evaluation (written examination) within the last three years from the date of application |
4. Those who have graduated from elementary, middle, high school, university, or graduate school in Korea, or those who have passed the qualification examination (regardless of the place of birth, domestic or abroad) |
5. The spouse of a citizen (maintaining marital relationship) |
6. Children of Sakhalin Koreans who have been determined to have Korean nationality and apply for simplified or special naturalization |
7. Foreigners who have acquired F5 (permanent) status under the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act, and fall under one of the conditions specified in item 2, subparagraph 3, 6, 7, 9 of the same article ※ Refer to Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act, Table 1 of 3 |
8. Applicants for naturalization among those diagnosed as disabled (intellectual, mental disorder, autism, brain lesion) or deemed to have a degree of disability according to the notification of the Ministry of Health and Welfare |
▶ Exemptions from Naturalization Interview Examination ◀
1. Spouse of a person who has reacquired nationality and is aged 60 or above |
2. Person under the age of 15 at the time of applying for naturalization permission |
3. Person who has completed the Social Integration Program and passed the comprehensive evaluation |
4. Descendant of a person of independent merit |
5. Spouse of a descendant of independent merit/national merit and is aged 60 or above |
6. Spouse of a Sakhalin Korean who has been determined to have Korean nationality and is aged 60 or above |
7. Child of a Sakhalin Korean who has been determined to have Korean nationality and has applied for simplified or special naturalization permission and is aged 60 or above |
※ Even if one qualifies for an interview exemption, if there is a lack of Korean communication skills, suspicion of basic competencies, or when it is deemed necessary for making a decision on naturalization permission, an interview examination may be conducted.
Documents Required for Simplified Naturalization Application (Residence of 3 Years or More in Korea)
① Naturalization application form, attach passport photo, fee of KRW 300,000
② Documents proving foreign nationality
- Original and copy of passport, etc
- Foreign registration card or domestic residence report card
- For Chinese Koreans: Copy of Chinese resident identity card, household register (present original for each)
③ Overseas criminal record certificate (issued within the last 6 months)
④ Documents proving the ability to sustain livelihood
- Documents proving financial assets of at least KRW 30 million (savings, fixed deposits, securities, etc.)
- Documents proving ownership of real estate valued at the standard amount based on the actual transaction value or market price published by commercial banks, or a real estate registration certificate or lease contract with a security deposit of at least KRW 30 million
- Employment certificate (include a copy of the employer's business registration certificate) or certificate of expected employment (salary details, etc., to be verified during review)
※ For self-employed individuals, submit a copy of the business registration certificate and lease contract of the business place or real estate registration certificate in the name of the applicant or family member living together, or other documents to verify income
⑤ Documents needed for family relationship registration
- Family relationship notification form written by hand
- Documents substantiating the status of parents, spouse, children, marital status, or adoption
* In the case of China, a kinship notarization certified by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
* If the parent or parents are deceased, a death notarization or document issued by the government of each country indicating the death fact (in the case of China, a kinship notarization indicating 'already deceased')
- For ethnic Koreans, a document issued by the People's Republic of China substantiating Korean ethnicity when the name is not the original but written in Korean pronunciation
- If the date of birth is to be newly specified, documents issued by the embassy or consulate of the home country or other substantiating documents regarding the date of birth
※ Additional documents required for specific applicants
1. For those whose parent(s) were citizens of the Republic of Korea
⑥ Documents proving that the parent(s) were citizens of the Republic of Korea
- Basic certificate of the parent(s) (family register excerpt) (detailed certificate issued within the last 3 months)
⑦ For those whose ancestors moved from the Korean Peninsula and its islands to China or other places before October 1, 1949, or who were born in such places
- Basic certificate of blood relatives within the seventh degree of kinship of the parent(s), documents that can certify the relationship between those relatives and the parent(s), genealogy and kinship certification, official documents or notarized documents of the relevant country (detailed certificate issued within the last 3 months)
⑧ Documents proving the parent-child relationship
- Birth certificate, court judgment, or other documents that can prove the parent-child relationship
- In the case of China, a parent-child notarization (must be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- A kinship confirmation certificate from at least one domestic blood relative (within eight degrees of kinship with the applicant) and the following evidence to recognize the applicant as a child listed in the family register
▪ A genealogical chart showing the relationship between the person who wrote the kinship confirmation certificate and the applicant
▪ Documents proving the genealogy (kinship) such as the family relationship certificate, family register excerpt, or genealogy of the person who wrote the kinship confirmation certificate.
▪ Documents detailing the circumstances of reunion with the person who wrote the kinship confirmation certificate, a copy of the resident registration, a copy of the resident identification card, photos taken together with the applicant at the ancestor's grave, etc
- Other letters exchanged with domestic relatives, KBS Broadcasting Station's separated family reunion confirmation letter, etc., if applicable
- Other documents equivalent to the above evidence
⑨ If the name or date of birth in the parent(s)' Republic of Korea family register and the Chinese household register differ
- An additional identity confirmation notarization is required (a relative or someone who knows the identity guarantees the same person and is notarized at a public notary office in the Republic of Korea)
2. For those born in the Republic of Korea from parent(s) also born in the Republic of Korea
⑥ Documents proving the domestic birth of the parent(s)
- Taiwan household register, birth certificate, closed family register (family register deletion or removal), etc.
⑦ Documents proving the applicant's domestic birth
- Taiwan household register (translation required except for English and Chinese)
- birth certificate, etc.
3. For those adopted by a Korean citizen when they were adults
⑥ Documents proving the fact of adoption by Korean adoptive parent(s) (detailed certificate issued within the last 3 months)
- Basic certificate, family relationship certificate, adoption relationship certificate, marriage relationship certificate, resident registration excerpt, copy of resident identification card
⑦ Adoption circumstances statement (detailedly written by the parent(s) about the adoption circumstances and signed)
