National Court Administration, Family Register Office for Overseas Koreans

  • KOREAN
background

Foreign Family Members and Records of the Family Relation Register

Overview

The family relation register is prepared only for nationals of the Republic of Korea and not for foreign family members. However, a foreign parent or spouse may be recorded in the family relation register of a child or the spouse who is a national of the Republic of Korea and may be identified by a certificate of family relation or a certificate of marriage.
A child who is a foreigner may be recorded in the family relation register only if such child has been recognized or adopted by a national of the Republic of Korea.

[Example]

CERTIFICATE OF FAMILY RELATION

How to treat a discrepancy in any person’s name between a certified copy of the deed of marriage, the report of marriage, and a passport

The name of a foreigner shall be based on the full name written on his or her passport, and the native pronunciation written by the person reporting on the report shall be recorded in the register.

How to correct the name of a foreign family member

If the registrar mistakenly records the name or the date of birth in the register that is different from those on the family relation registration report, the registrar in charge may directly correct the register without obtaining permission from the court.
In such a case, you may request a correction of the register to the registration office that processed the report.
However, if the reporter mistakenly wrote down the name, date of birth, etc., on the report form incorrectly, and the contents are recorded in the register , the registrar cannot directly correct the register.
In this case, the person concerned must first apply to the competent court for correction of the register and obtain permission from the court to apply for modification of the record to the registration office.

A child born in wedlock between a foreign father and Korean mother under the former “Nationality Act” (before June 14, 1998)

A child born before June 14. 1998 in wedlock between a foreign father and Korean mother was not given the nationality of the Republic of Korea by birth. The reason is that the former “Nationality Act” at that time granted Korean nationality to those whose fathers were a national of the Republic of Korea at the time of his or her birth if the child was born during marriage. Since such a child is a foreign child of a Korean mother, he or she cannot have a family relation register that is prepared only for nationals of the Republic of Korea and not for foreign family members.