Passport South Korea

South Korean citizens have a full opportunity to enjoy social benefits, high-quality medical care and education. As of 2024, there is a visa-free regime for residents of the Republic in 140+ countries around the world.

The citizen's passport has a dark green cover with the name of the document and the state in English and Korean. In the central part there is a golden coat of arms belonging to the main symbols of the country. The standard validity period is 5 years for persons under the age of 18 and 10 years for adults.

How do I get a South Korean passport?

Holders of a South Korean passport receive the right to reside, study and find employment in the country without immigration restrictions. To become a candidate for residency, an immigrant must meet certain requirements. Among them:

• Successful completion of the Korean language proficiency test (the certificate is accepted only from accredited organizations).
• The age is over 19 years old.
• Permanent residence status (a citizen must live in the country as a permanent resident for at least 2 years).
• Financial independence of the candidate.
• The possibility of presenting evidence of continuous residence in the territory of the State for 5 years.
• Availability of a permanent place of work.
• Reliability and security of housing (ownership or rent).
• The absence of criminal records and the fact of criminal prosecution.
• Understanding the culture of the country.

Important

According to the current legislation, only healthy people who are ready to show respect for the freedoms and rights of the local population can obtain a passport of the Republic.

How to get a foreigner?

To be naturalized in South Korea, foreign citizens must have resided in the territory of the state for at least 5 years. Stay in the Republic must be legalized in accordance with the current migration legislation. If the candidate meets the requirements of the chosen program, you should create a dossier, as well as translate documents into Korean. At the same time, some of them must be notarized. The naturalization process involves the following steps:

Important

To verify the reliability of the candidate, you must provide: certificates from the place of work, bank statements with an amount of at least 60 million Won (equivalent to $51,300). The documents will guarantee the financial independence of the applicant.

The average decision-making period is from 8 to 24 months from the date of submission of the questionnaire. If the migration department staff needs additional information, they will call the applicant for a meeting.

After receiving a positive response, the applicant must take an oath of allegiance to the country. A certificate of assigned status will be issued at the ceremony. After that, a new citizen can submit a request for a Korean passport at the nearest passport office.

South Korean Citizenship Law

The process of issuing a passport of the Republic is regulated by the «law On Citizenship», adopted in 1948. The edits were made in 1997, the last changes were made in 2018. The law prescribes the basic requirements for a candidate, the grounds for a positive decision and refusal, and the rules for issuing a document.

The regulatory act contains an important clarification about foreign male citizens aged 18-35 years who want to obtain a Korean passport. If the applicants are healthy people, they are required to carry out military duty for 18 months. After receiving a passport, a new resident may be drafted into the army or offered alternative civilian service.

Passport documents

Before applying for a Korean passport, it is important to familiarize yourself with the full list of documents that must be provided by the applicant when submitting the request. It is important to keep in mind that all certificates and certificates issued outside South Korea must be translated into Korean and legalized.

To apply for a passport, you will need:

• The candidate's statement.
• Certificate of residence (in the absence of this document, the application will not be considered).
• Photo 35*45 mm.
• Receipt of payment of the state duty.

The request is submitted to the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Migration Issues. Citizens are given two types of identity cards: a paper version with a green cover and a plastic ID card on which the personal data of the holder is duplicated.

How much does a South Korean passport cost?

Approximate expenses that the applicant should expect:

• The state fee for issuing a Korean passport is 100,000 Won.
• The photo per document is 10,000 Won.
• Translation and legalization of documents of a foreign citizen – 200000-400000 Won.

The cost of issuing a plastic ID card in South Korea is 30,000 Won. The applicant can order the delivery of a plastic card at home. You will need to pay another 3,000 Won for this.

Important

Personal documentation for passport registration is submitted to the immigration center at the place of residence.

Wealthy foreigners can obtain residency and a passport of the Republic through investments. To participate in the program, you need to invest up to 500 million. Won (equivalent to $425,000) to develop a local company or open your own business in the country.

Immigrants from other countries can obtain a simplified residence permit through real estate investments. In this case, an F-2 type visa will be issued for 2 years, after which you can count on permanent residence and obtaining residency with a passport. You also need to invest from 500 million Won in real estate. Participants of the program are prohibited from using loans and renting real estate on collateral.