Citizenship in South Korea

Naturalisation timelines, tests, and dual nationality

Naturalisation generally requires roughly five years of continuous residence with an appropriate status, a written examination, an interview, and evidence of income and good character. The defining feature is that Korea does not generally permit adults who naturalise to keep their previous nationality, and requires renunciation, with dual nationality allowed only in narrow listed cases.

The routes

• General naturalisation. Roughly five years of continuous residence in Korea on a qualifying status, an adult under Korean law, of good conduct, with income or assets sufficient for self-support, and with basic knowledge of Korean language and customs.
• Simplified naturalisation. A shorter residence requirement for those with a Korean parent, those born in Korea to a parent also born in Korea, and spouses of Korean nationals, where the clock is commonly two years of residence after marriage, or three years of marriage with one year of residence.
• Special naturalisation. For those with a Korean parent, adoptees, and individuals recognised as having made an outstanding contribution to the country, where the residence requirement can be waived and dual nationality is sometimes tolerated.

The examinations

The written naturalisation test covers the Korean language, history, geography, culture, the constitution and civic life, and is conducted in Korean. Applicants who complete the Korea Immigration and Integration Program, a structured government course in language and civic education, are generally exempted from the written test.

An interview follows, assessing spoken Korean, knowledge of national symbols and basic civic facts, and the credibility of the application as a whole. Applicants above a certain age or with defined circumstances may be exempted from parts of the process.

Renunciation, and the narrow exceptions

This is the point on which most applicants make their decision. Korea's Nationality Act requires an adult who acquires Korean nationality to renounce their previous nationality, commonly within one year of naturalising, failing which the Korean nationality is lost.

There is a partial alternative: rather than renouncing abroad, some applicants may make a declaration not to exercise their foreign nationality inside Korea, which allows the foreign nationality to be retained in form but not used in Korea. Eligibility for this declaration is limited to listed categories, which commonly include spouses of Korean nationals, those recognised for outstanding contribution, older overseas Koreans returning permanently, and certain adoptees and refugees.

Dual nationality arising at birth is treated separately from naturalisation and is governed by the election rules that apply to children.

Male applicants and military service

Military service obligations interact with nationality in ways that surprise applicants. Male dual nationals and naturalised men within certain age ranges may face service obligations, and nationality decisions cannot be used to avoid them. The rules on renouncing Korean nationality before service age are deliberately restrictive.

Official sources

• Korea Immigration Service, nationality
• Hi Korea, naturalisation procedures

Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.

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