Korea allows dual nationality only in defined situations, and the most common one is innate dual nationality: a child born in the United States to a Korean parent holds both from birth. Keeping both into adulthood is not automatic. It depends on deadlines tied to birthdays, and on military service for men.
Quick facts
Keeping both nationalities is done by reporting a nationality selection together with a pledge not to exercise the foreign nationality inside Korea. It is a formal filing at a consulate, not a default.
The deadlines that decide everything
| Who | Deadline | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Men who want to keep both | By the birthday on which they turn 22 | Or within two years of completing military service |
| Women who want to keep both | By the birthday on which they turn 22 | Nationality selection report |
| Men who want to renounce Korean nationality | By 31 March of the year they turn 18 | After that, only through the military authorities |
| Men remaining abroad | Overseas travel permit by 15 January of the year they turn 24 | Service deferred, with later obligations |
Military service obligations attach because the person is a Korean national. They are administered by the military manpower authority, and consulates handle the filings but do not waive them.
How to file
- Establish whether the birth was ever reported to the Korean register, since the whole framework rests on that.
- Identify which deadline applies from the person’s date of birth and sex.
- Gather the register certificates, the U.S. birth certificate and the Korean passport where one exists.
- Complete the nationality selection report and the pledge, or the renunciation application.
- File at the post covering your address, in person where required.
- For men staying in the United States, file the overseas travel permit within its own deadline.
Required documents
- Original and copy of the county-issued U.S. birth certificate.
- Basic certificate and family relations certificate from the Korean register.
- Korean passport, original and copy, where one is held.
- The completed pledge form for a nationality selection.
- Identity certificate where the name differs between documents.
- Proof of address in the consular district.
Where to file
At the nationality section of the embassy or consulate general covering your address. Several posts run a dedicated line for these questions.
No offices currently listed.
Additional notes
The deadlines are hard
They run from a birthday or a calendar date, not from when the family becomes aware of them. Late filings fall into a much more complicated procedure involving the military authorities.
The pledge has consequences
Someone who keeps both nationalities undertakes not to exercise the foreign one inside Korea, which affects how they are treated there.
Naturalised adults
An adult Korean who voluntarily acquires another nationality generally loses Korean nationality, which is a different rule from the innate case.
Ask before travelling
Male dual nationals approaching the age thresholds should confirm their position before flying to Korea. Questions are much easier to resolve from the United States.