Nationality Acquisition Report by Acknowledgment (Child Born Out of Wedlock)

Procedure

Procedure

1. 01

   1. Distinguish nationality by birth from nationality by acknowledgment: If the legal father or mother was a Korean citizen at the time of birth, the child acquires nationality at birth under Article 2 of the Nationality Act, so a nationality acquisition report is not needed. The report under Article 3 applies when a child born out of wedlock who holds only foreign nationality is acknowledged by a Korean father or mother. The child must be a minor under the Civil Act, and the father or mother must have been a Korean citizen at the child's birth.

2. 02

   2. File the acknowledgment report with the city, town or township office: Under Article 855 of the Civil Act, a father or mother may acknowledge a child born out of wedlock. If the child is a foreigner, the report states the child's name, sex, date of birth, nationality and alien registration number, and if the father acknowledges, the mother's name and other details. A report concerning a foreigner may be filed at the office for the child's residence or the filer's address or current location. If the mother was married to another man at the child's birth, the presumption of legitimacy under Article 844 of the Civil Act may be an issue, so check this first.

3. 03

   3. Prepare the nationality acquisition report and attachments: Use Form No. 1 of the Enforcement Rule of the Nationality Act, and attach proof that the child is a foreigner, proof of the acknowledgment, proof that the father or mother was a Korean citizen at the child's birth, and the documents needed to create the family relation register. If the child is under 15, the legal representative files on the child's behalf. The fee is 20,000 won per person.

4. 04

   4. Submit to the immigration office and acquire nationality: Authority over nationality acquisition reports by acknowledgment is delegated to the heads of immigration offices, so submit to the immigration office with jurisdiction. The child acquires Korean nationality at the time of reporting. Once accepted, the report is notified to the person and to the family relation register office of the registered domicile, and announced in the official gazette. The head of the city, town or township office that receives the notice creates the family relation register.

5. 05

   5. Renounce foreign nationality within 1 year: A person who acquires Korean nationality while holding foreign nationality must renounce the foreign nationality within 1 year of acquisition, or lose Korean nationality when that period passes. A person who cannot renounce under foreign law, or who began renunciation within 3 months of acquisition but proves circumstances that make it hard to finish in time, may be eligible for a pledge not to exercise foreign nationality. After renunciation, submit proof such as a certificate of nationality renunciation.

Filing route

Filing route

Deadlines & processing notes

Deadlines & processing notes

Fees & official charges

Fees & official charges

Included in the basic fee — Initial document review, required-document guidance, basic form preparation, one filing support and responses to up to two supplement requests.

Conditional success fee — For this service, any conditional success fee may be separately agreed within the lawful service scope and stated in a written engagement agreement. No outcome is guaranteed.

Displayed amounts are starting estimates, not statutory or standard rates. The final fee is confirmed after consultation and document review in the engagement agreement. Government fees and actual expenses may change.

Basic documents

Basic documents

The nationality acquisition report can only be filed while the child is a minor under the Civil Act, so complete the acknowledgment report and nationality acquisition report before the child comes of age. If foreign nationality is not renounced within 1 year of acquiring Korean nationality, Korean nationality is lost, so check the home country's renunciation procedure and time needed in advance.