When I met my friends last Saturday, Jas oriented us about the new Nationality Law which allows dual citizenship. Korea Times posted an informative article on this. The article is quite long, but here’s the part that affects foreign spouses in Korea:
Foreigners without exceptional skills, married to Koreans, are also included on the list of people eligible for dual citizenship.
However, they will have to pass a naturalization test after staying here for two years to seek dual nationality.
Those divorced from a Korean spouse will not be able to apply for the privilege, as the government fears that such measures will increase the divorce rate among multicultural marriages, ministry officials said.
According to government figures, 6,187 Koreans divorced their foreign spouses in 2006, accounting for some 4.9 percent of that year’s 125,937 divorces.
In past years, the figure for divorce in such marriages stood at 4,208 in 2006, 3,315 in 2004 and 2,784 in 2003.
The law doesn’t work retroactively. For those who are naturalized Korean and would like to also regain their lost nationality, here’s the piece on it:
Meanwhile, those who have renounced their foreign nationality to maintain Korean citizenship will be eligible for dual citizenship if they regain their lost nationality by 2016.
The law will take effect next year.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
thank you for sharing. hopefully, korea would allow foreign spouses (of korean citizens) to have dual citizenship. i am married to a korean, and would like to eliminate the hassle of having to get a visa when traveling to other countries, esp. now that my hubby and i are planning for a european tour.
i think men are not granted this privilege bec. they might try to escape the military training.
naks naman. pwede pala yun. korean ka at the same time e filipino. teka, ano po yung “naturalization test”?
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hello i was just in korea last month & did we enjoy it to the max! masarap bumalik pero ang ginaw na inabot namin samantalang spring time na! the locals told us nagbago ang panahon so that’s probab. why. Spkg of dual cit. akala ko di pa na approved ito? that’ll be good for foreigners not only the ones married to koreans? ang ganda ng korea lalo ang shopping like sa myeongdong, nandaemun, dangdaemun, grabe
, pati mga bakeries nila talo pa sa america, ang sasarap talaga!
eh panu ba mag pa dual citizen?half korean aku
hi po!!!bago lng po ako sa site na ito gusto ko lng sana malaman kong pwede ba akong magpa dual citizenship kasi po korean card po ako now,gusto ko po sanang magpadual kaso lng noon pa ako nag apply sa phil.embassy d nila ako ma22longan kasi po raw kailangan nila yong renounsation copy ko..ang problema po nawala ko un naiwan ko kasi sa taxi yon but until now dpa talaga naibalik..anu po ba ang dapat kong gawin?..ang hinahanap kasi nila yong renounsation ko na english na bgay nila noon..hope ma2longan nyo po ako sa problema kong ito..tnx ang more power sa sulyappinoy..
hey i was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction, I suppose my child is considered an “anchor baby” from what I was reading. My daughters father is half korean his mother a korean citizen, he has not obtained korean citizenship, and we are not married. I want to know if I can obtain it for her, dual citizenship for the US and Korea. We live in the US so what if anything can I do??
my daughter was born in korea but i sent her to philippines in her 1st month of age is she a korean citizen??cause her birth certificate was signed in korea..
If you’re married to a Korean and if your daughter was registered by her father at the local civil office, then she is Korean.