Citizenship by Descent at Birth (bilineal jus sanguinis)
Citizenship in South Korea
- Eligibility
- A person acquires ROK nationality at birth if, at the time of the person's birth, the father OR the mother is a national of the Republic of Korea (bilineal jus sanguinis / 부모양계혈통주의). This is the core descent route.
- Timeline
- automatic
- Renunciation
- Not required
Overview
A person acquires ROK nationality at birth if, at the time of the person's birth, the father OR the mother is a national of the Republic of Korea (bilineal jus sanguinis / 부모양계혈통주의). This is the core descent route.
Who qualifies
- A person acquires ROK nationality at birth if, at the time of the person's birth, the father OR the mother is a national of the Republic of Korea (bilineal jus sanguinis / 부모양계혈통주의). This is the core descent route. - A person acquires ROK nationality at birth if the father died before the person's birth and the father was a ROK national at the time of his death (posthumous-father rule).
Legal basis
Primary statute: 국적법 제2조제1항제1호. Operative 1948-12-20–present. Authority: Minister of Justice (법무부장관); Korea Immigration Service (출입국·외국인정책본부).
Example scenarios
ELIGIBLE at birth (acquired ROK nationality automatically)
Nationality Act Art.2(1)1: father OR mother a national at birth (bilineal since 1998) - the Korean mother suffices. Also a US citizen by jus soli, so a born dual national, triggering the Art.12 choice obligation by age 22.
ELIGIBLE at birth
Nationality Act Art.2(1)2 posthumous-father rule: the father was a national at the time of his death.
NOT eligible by descent (no jus soli)
No general jus soli (considered_na KR-BTH-00-NA); Art.2 confers nationality by descent only, and neither parent is Korean.
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.