Intercountry-Adoptee Restoration with Dual Nationality
Citizenship in South Korea
- Eligibility
- INTERCOUNTRY-ADOPTEE RESTORATION with dual nationality: a person adopted by an alien before reaching majority under the Korean Civil Act, who then acquired a foreign nationality and continuously resided abroad, may — on obtaining nationality recovery (국적회복) under §9 — retain dual nationality by pledging to the Minister of Justice not to exercise the foreign nationality in the ROK (외국국적 불행사 서약), instead of renouncing it. This is the principal pathway for overseas Korean-born adoptees to reacquire ROK nationality.
- Timeline
- standard
- Renunciation
- Not required
Overview
INTERCOUNTRY-ADOPTEE RESTORATION with dual nationality: a person adopted by an alien before reaching majority under the Korean Civil Act, who then acquired a foreign nationality and continuously resided abroad, may — on obtaining nationality recovery (국적회복) under §9 — retain dual nationality by pledging to the Minister of Justice not to exercise the foreign nationality in the ROK (외국국적 불행사 서약), instead of renouncing it. This is the principal pathway for overseas Korean-born adoptees to reacquire ROK nationality.
Who qualifies
- INTERCOUNTRY-ADOPTEE RESTORATION with dual nationality: a person adopted by an alien before reaching majority under the Korean Civil Act, who then acquired a foreign nationality and continuously resided abroad, may — on obtaining nationality recovery (국적회복) under §9 — retain dual nationality by pledging to the Minister of Justice not to exercise the foreign nationality in the ROK (외국국적 불행사 서약), instead of renouncing it. This is the principal pathway for overseas Korean-born adoptees to reacquire ROK nationality.
Legal basis
Primary statute: 국적법 제9조 + 제10조제2항제3호. Operative 2011-01-01–present. Authority: Minister of Justice (법무부장관); Korea Immigration Service (출입국·외국인정책본부).
Example scenarios
ELIGIBLE for restoration with limited dual nationality
Nationality Act Art.9 + Art.10(2)3: adopted abroad before majority, acquired a foreign nationality, and resided abroad, so may pledge instead of renounce.
ELIGIBLE (minor adoptee special naturalization)
국적법 제9조 + 제10조제2항제3호 covers minor adoptees of Korean parents.
NOT yet eligible
국적법 제9조 + 제10조제2항제3호 adult-adoptee route still requires the 3-year domicile.
Informational summary compiled from primary legal sources — not legal advice. Citizenship law changes; verify with the competent authority before acting. Last verified 2026-06-22.
Track changes to this route
Descent and naturalization rules change. We'll email you in plain English when anything affecting South Korea updates — no spam.