From KIIP / the comprehensive evaluation to filing the application

You file a naturalisation application at the Immigration Office (출입국·외국인청) that covers your registered address. The old separate written naturalisation exam (귀화필기시험) was replaced on 1 March 2018 by the naturalisation-track comprehensive evaluation (귀화용 종합평가).

• If you have completed KIIP Level 5 (Basic + Advanced), you are exempt from the naturalisation-track evaluation and can file straight away with your completion record.
• If you have not completed KIIP, you file first and must then score 60 or higher on the naturalisation-track evaluation within 1 year of the application date (maximum 3 attempts). A 60+ score obtained within the 3 years before applying also exempts you.
• Documents typically required: passport, alien registration card, family-relation documents from your country of origin, criminal-record check, proof of income or assets (yours or those of a supporting family member), national/family register documents from your country of origin, and photos.
• Application fee: KRW 300,000, paid as a government revenue stamp (정부수입인지) (as of 2026; subject to change). Minors are charged differently.
• General naturalisation requires 5+ years of continuous address plus F-5 permanent-residence status (F-2 alone is not enough); simplified naturalisation covers marriage (2 years, or 3 years of marriage + 1 year) and parentage, birth or adult adoption (3 years); special naturalisation covers a Korean parent, special merit or outstanding talent.
• Applications usually go through Hi Korea or Government24 for an appointment, then in person at the Immigration Office.

Interview, ministerial approval, and the oath of allegiance

• An interview notice typically arrives 6–12 months after filing (as of 2026; subject to change). Backlogs vary by region and case type.
• The interview checks Korean-language ability, your attitude as a citizen, and belief in the liberal democratic order. KIIP completers who scored 60+ on the evaluation, applicants under 15, and spouses aged 60+ of people who restored Korean nationality are exempt. An optional 3-hour interview-preparation civic course (귀화면접대비 시민교육) is available.
• If you pass, the Minister of Justice's naturalisation order is published in the official gazette.
• You then attend the Oath of Allegiance ceremony (국민선서) at the Immigration Office or a designated venue and receive your Naturalisation Certificate. The oath is legally mandatory — without it, citizenship does not take effect.
• Once your name is entered in the family relation register, you are formally a Korean citizen.

Resident registration card and Korean passport

• Resident Registration Card (주민등록증): apply at your local community service centre (주민센터) after the family register entry is created. No fee, around 2–3 weeks for delivery (as of 2026; subject to change). A new resident registration number is issued.
• Korean passport: apply at the passport division of your city/district hall. A standard 10-year, 48-page passport costs about KRW 53,000 and arrives in roughly 1–2 weeks (as of 2026; subject to change).
• Your alien registration card ceases to be valid once the family register entry is in place — confirm with the Immigration Office whether any return/cancellation step is needed.

Handling your previous nationality — read carefully

This is the trickiest part of Korean naturalisation.

• Under Article 10 of the Nationality Act, every naturalised citizen must renounce their foreign nationality within one year of acquiring Korean nationality.
• If you neither renounce nor (where eligible) sign the pledge below within that year, you lose Korean nationality when the period expires, so calendar discipline matters.
• A few categories may instead use a pledge not to exercise the foreign nationality (외국국적불행사 서약):
  • Spouses of Korean nationals (marriage-based simplified naturalisation) and special-merit / outstanding-talent cases (special naturalisation), among other cases set by the Nationality Act. Other grounds (e.g. related to nationality restoration) are listed in Article 10(2).
  • Eligible applicants pledge not to exercise their foreign nationality inside Korea, effectively keeping both passports (as of 2026; subject to change).
• If your country of origin imposes its own rules — automatic loss on acquisition of a foreign nationality, or no formal renunciation procedure — confirm with that country's consulate before filing in Korea.
• Bottom line: Korea is not a broad dual-citizenship country. Always verify both Korean law (1-year renunciation duty) and your home-country law before applying.

Tax and social security

• Citizenship alone does not change your tax status. Korean tax residency is based on your centre of life and 183+ days of presence in a year, not nationality.
• If you were already a Korean tax resident, day-to-day filing changes little. Assets that remain abroad may still trigger reporting in your country of origin.
• National Pension (국민연금): most legal employees are already enrolled and stay enrolled after naturalisation. Korea has totalisation agreements with Germany, the United States and many others, so contribution periods can usually be combined.
• National Health Insurance: your employee or local-resident enrolment continues. Once your family register is set up, dependents can be added accordingly.

Voting and civil rights

• On naturalisation you immediately receive the right to vote and stand in presidential, National Assembly, and local elections (subject to age and eligibility).
• For context: F-5 permanent residents with 3+ years of residence already have a limited right to vote in local elections (running for office is reserved for citizens).
• Public-service positions and some citizen-only roles also become available. Military service for naturalised citizens is generally waived but voluntary enlistment is possible.

Effect on children's nationality

• Minor children (under 19) living with a naturalising parent can apply for dependent naturalisation (수반취득).
• A child born in Korea to at least one Korean-citizen parent generally acquires Korean nationality at birth (jus sanguinis).
• Whether the child keeps the original nationality depends on that country's law — some countries automatically strip nationality on acquisition of a foreign one.
• For dual-national children, Korean law requires a nationality choice by age 22 (different timing for those subject to military service), so plan ahead.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is there a deadline to apply after passing the comprehensive evaluation? A. To be exempt from the naturalisation-track evaluation, your 60+ score must have been obtained within the 3 years before you apply (there is no "valid for 2 years" rule). KIIP completers are exempt separately. Residence, status and income requirements are also re-checked at filing, so don't wait too long.

Q. What happens if I can't renounce my old citizenship within one year? A. By default, Korean citizenship is automatically lost. If your home country's process is slow, file an explanation with the Immigration Office early and ask whether an extension or pledge option applies.

Q. Can I keep both Korean and my birth-country citizenship? A. For ordinary naturalisation, no — the 1-year renunciation rule applies. A few categories (spouses of Korean nationals, special merit, outstanding talent, etc.) may instead sign a non-exercise pledge and effectively keep both.

Q. What if I fail the interview? A. You'll be told about a re-interview or supplementary procedure. If communication was the issue, you can study Korean further and re-attend.

Q. Is the oath ceremony really required? A. Yes — it is the final legal step of acquiring Korean nationality. Without the oath, naturalisation does not take effect.

Useful links

• Korea Immigration Service: https://www.immigration.go.kr/
• Hi Korea (e-Government for foreigners): https://www.hikorea.go.kr/
• Soci-Net (KIIP portal): https://www.socinet.go.kr/
• Passport information (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): https://www.passport.go.kr/