Simplified Naturalization for Marriage Immigrants in Korea — 2-Year Residence Rule and 1-Year Deadline to Renounce Foreign Nationality

Procedure

1. 1. Identify the applicable item and count residence

   Determine which item of Article 6(2) applies: item 1 (2 or more consecutive years of address in Korea while married), item 2 (3 years since marriage and 1 or more consecutive years of address while married), item 3 (death, disappearance of the spouse or another reason not attributable to the applicant), or item 4 (raising a minor child born of the marriage). Residence is counted from lawful entry and alien registration through continuous lawful stay, and periods such as departure and return within a reentry permit are added together.

2. 2. Check livelihood and good conduct requirements

   A simplified naturalization applicant proves livelihood with one of the following for the applicant or family sharing a livelihood: financial assets of 30,000,000 won or more, real estate or a lease deposit of 30,000,000 won or more, or a certificate of employment or of expected employment. Sentences of imprisonment without labor or heavier, fines, deportation or departure orders, and unpaid national, customs or local taxes are weighed by elapsed period under the good conduct requirement, so check them before applying.

3. 3. Prepare and submit the application

   Submit the naturalization application with supporting documents for the applicable item to the competent immigration office and pay the 300,000 won fee by revenue stamp. A foreign minor child may apply for accompanying acquisition when the father or mother applies for naturalization. Our administrative office prepares the application, organizes the attachments and submits them on your behalf.

4. 4. Comprehensive evaluation and interview

   The applicant must take the comprehensive evaluation within 1 year from the application date; those who completed the Social Integration Program, persons aged 60 or older, and those who scored 60 or more in the evaluation within the last 3 years are among those who may be exempted. The interview examines Korean language ability, attitude as a Korean national and belief in the free democratic basic order, and the applicant must attend in person. During review the Minister of Justice may request attendance or documents and may inspect the place of residence.

5. 5. Oath of allegiance and foreign nationality

   A person granted naturalization acquires Korean nationality upon taking the oath of allegiance and receiving the naturalization certificate. Within 1 year from acquisition, the person must renounce the foreign nationality, or, if item 1 or 2 of Article 6(2) applied at the time of approval, may instead pledge not to exercise the foreign nationality. Missing this deadline results in loss of Korean nationality, so confirm the date first.

Required documents

• Application for naturalization permission (Enforcement Rule of the Nationality Act, Annex Form No. 2)
• Documents proving foreign status (passport, alien registration card)
• Certificate of family relation records of the Korean spouse (if married abroad and the marriage is not recorded in the family relation register, a document proving the marriage instead)
• Proof of livelihood: one of financial assets of 30,000,000 won or more, real estate ownership or lease deposit documents of 30,000,000 won or more, or a certificate of employment or expected employment
• For item 3 of Article 6(2): documents proving that normal married life was impossible due to the spouse's death, disappearance or another reason not attributable to the applicant
• For item 4 of Article 6(2): birth certificate of the minor child born with the spouse and documents proving child-rearing
• For accompanying acquisition by a minor child: documents proving the relationship (attach a Korean translation to foreign documents)
• Home-country identity and family documents needed to create the family relation register (with Korean translation attached)

Fees

The naturalization application fee is 300,000 won per person, paid by government revenue stamp. A minor child applying for accompanying acquisition does not pay this fee separately. After acquiring nationality, the confirmation of the pledge not to exercise foreign nationality costs 2,000 won per copy. Costs for issuing and authenticating home-country documents and preparing translations are charged separately at cost. Our office fee starts from the amount shown above and may vary depending on the applicable item (2-year residence while married, marriage breakdown, child-rearing), the number of accompanying children and the status of home-country documents; we will give you an exact quote after reviewing your documents.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Nationality Act, Article 4
• Nationality Act, Article 5
• Nationality Act, Article 6
• Nationality Act, Article 8
• Nationality Act, Article 10
• Nationality Act, Article 11
• Nationality Act, Article 24
• Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act, Article 3
• Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act, Article 4
• Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act, Article 4-2
• Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act, Article 11
• Enforcement Decree of the Nationality Act, Article 18-4
• Enforcement Rule of the Nationality Act, Article 3
• Enforcement Rule of the Nationality Act, Article 4
• Enforcement Rule of the Nationality Act, Article 5
• Enforcement Rule of the Nationality Act, Article 5-2
• Enforcement Rule of the Nationality Act, Article 8-2
• Enforcement Rule of the Nationality Act, Article 18

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-27

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• After pledging not to exercise foreign nationality, repeatedly entering and leaving Korea on a foreign passport or registering as a foreigner to exercise foreign nationality may lead to an order to choose nationality.
• Your F-6 period of stay must not expire during the naturalization review, so apply for an extension separately.

Frequently asked questions