Beginning 12/21/2020, online reservation is required for all consular services provided at the Korean Consulate in Washington, D.C. office.
☞[Link for reservation]: Make an Appointment Online (DC, VA, MD, WV residents only) to visit us
Please select “ Embassy of Korean in the US” for your consular service jurisdiction( DC, VA, MD, WV residents only) office when making the reservation online.
Those without a pre-booked appointment many not be able to come in or experience significant delays in processing their applications.
Nationality Act Article 15
(Loss of nationality caused by gaining of foreign nationality)
· Korean nationals that voluntarily acquired foreign nationality must forfeit Korean nationality at the time of the acquisition.
· Korean nationals that belong to the following (but did not voluntarily gain foreign nationality), must declare willingness to maintain Korean nationality within 6 months from acquiring such foreign nationality. Failure to do so will result in loss of their Korean nationality.
- Those that married a foreigner and gained the nationality of the spouse
- Those that were adopted and gained the nationality of their foster parent.
- Those that gained the nationality of foreign parent through his/her recognition
- Spouse or children (minor) of those that gained a foreign nationality and lost Korean nationality that gained foreign nationality by extension, under the laws of the foreign country.
· Those that lost Korean nationality due to acquiring a foreign one, but does not know the exact date of acquisition, it will be defined as the date of the very first foreign passport issued to them.
· Those born as Korean nationals that voluntarily acquire foreign nationality through naturalization or other means of gaining foreign nationality will automatically forfeit Korean nationality upon said acquisition.
· If acquisition of foreign nationality was involuntary, they must report their willingness to maintain Korean nationality within 6 months of the said acquisition. Otherwise, they will automatically be considered to have lost their Koran nationality on the day of the acquisition of foreign nationality.
- Those that do declare their willingness to maintain Korean nationality within six months of acquiring foreign nationality will then be eligible for application of nationality choice system as dual nationality holder.
· Dual nationality holders that do not choose Korean nationality within the assigned period will forfeit their Korean nationality.
· Foreigners that acquire Korean nationality through naturalization or reinstatement of Korean nationality will forfeit it if they do not give up their original nationality within six months from the acquisition of Korean nationality.
Cautions in filing the loss of nationality report
· Reporting the loss of nationality is possible in overseas Korean Embassies / consulates.
· Reporting the loss of nationality is possible regardless of status of military service (applicable to males) or age (applicable to females).
· When reporting the loss of nationality, the name stated in family relation certificate must be used as the name of the applicant.
· If the name stated in family relation certificate and the name stated in passport differ by more than two letters, a legal document is needed to certify the change of name.
- Ex.: A certificate of name change or a copy of the back page of USA citizenship certificate
· If such document does not exist, name change certificate issued by corresponding Embassy or mother country must be reported. Alternatively, parents (or equivalent persons) must give written guarantee that both names refer to the same person (fixed with registered seals) with public certification as well as the certificate of seal impression of guarantor(s).
· Males between 18-38 years of age(from January 1st of the year he becomes 18 to December 31st of the year he becomes 38) that cannot provide foreign national’s certificate or military service certificate (documents showing fulfillment of military service, exemption from military service, or register as 3rd National Service) must instead provide certificate showing the date of gaining of foreign citizenship issued by corresponding foreign Embassy.
Application Center
· Immigration Office of Nationality department
- View Immigration Offices currently accepting applications →
URL: http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/InfoDetailR_en.pt?categoryId=2&parentId=398&catSeq=453&showMenuId=377
· Those with foreign address may file the report to the head of Korean Embassies or consulates overseas.
Documents to be filed for the loss of nationality (국적상실신고시 제출서류)
All supporting documents and identifications must be original to verify the authenticity, then you will be allowed to submit photocopies of them. The Ministry of Justice may request additional documents during the application review process. Regardless of gender or age, Loss of Nationality Report must be submitted officially when a formerly Korean national becomes a naturalized U.S. citizen due to an adoption, marriage, or voluntarily acquiring the citizenship.
①Loss of Nationality Report Form
②One Passport Photo(2" by 2")
③Same Name Verification Form
(Must complete the form if the name has been changed due to a petition or marriage)
④Naturalization Certificate
(This is required to determine and confirm the official date of naturalization)
⑤Petition for Name Change
(Anyone officially changed name due to a marriage or naturalization, must provide a legal proof)
⑥US Passport (Passport must be valid for more than 1 year. Please bring along your old Korean passport)
⑦Korean Marriage Certificate or U.S. Marriage Certificate
⑧Applicant’s Basic Certificate(Inquire at (202)939-5654/it can be applied at the Consulate)
⑨Applicant’s Family Relation Certificate(Inquire at (202)939-5654/it can be applied at the Consulate)
(*If Korean Marriage Certificate is required to confirm last name change due to a marriage, please
inquire at (202)939-5654/it can be applied at the Consulate )
⑩Prepaid/self addressed return envelope with 2 regular U.S.P.S. stamps affixed on it
(This will allow you to receive the final decision/result from the Ministry of Justice in Korea)
⑪There is no fee
⑫Processing time: minimum 3 months and upto 8 months or more
※When the applicantion is submitted on behalf of the applicant,
the proxy(should be immediate family members) must bring along their most
current valid passport, naturalization certificate, green card, and a proof of
their family relationship
If you are not a resident of one of the states(Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, West Virginia), Please contact Jurisdiction Korean Consular Offices in your area as below.
Consulate-General |
Address |
Phone/Fax |
District |
Washington D.C. |
2320 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008 |
T:(202) 939-5663/5660 |
Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia |
Main Office : 335 E. 45th St.(4th Fl.), New York, NY 10017 |
T:(646)674-6000 |
Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania |
|
Public Office(Visa Section): 460 Park Ave. (57th St.) 6th Fl. New York, NY 10022 |
T:(646)674-6000 |
||
3500 Clay Street San Francisco, CA 94118 |
T:(415) 921-2251 |
Colorado, Northern California, Utah, Wyoming |
|
3243 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010 |
T:(213) 385-9300 |
Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, South California |
|
One Gateway Center 2nd Fl. Newton, MA 02458 |
T:(617) 641-2830 |
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont |
|
NBC Tower Suite 2700, 455 North City Front Plaza Dr. Chicago, IL 60611 |
T:(312) 822-9485 |
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin |
|
2033 Sixth Ave., #1125 Seattle, WA 98121 |
T:(206) 441-1011 |
Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington |
|
229 Peachtree St., Suite 500 International Tower Atlanta, GA 30303 |
T:(404) 522-1611 |
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands |
|
1990 Post Oak Blvd., #1250 Houston, TX 77056 |
T:(713) 961-0186 |
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Texas |
|
2756 Pali Highway Honolulu, HI 96817 |
T:(808) 595-6109 |
American Samoa, Hawaii |
|
153 Zoilo St., Tamuning, Guam 96913 |
T:(671) 647-6488 |
Guam, Northern Mariana Islands |