1998 Bilineal Maternal-Line Transitional Acquisition (by report)
Citizenship in South Korea
- Eligibility
- 1998 BILINEAL TRANSITIONAL MEASURE (maternal-line cohort): a person BORN BETWEEN 14 June 1978 and 13 June 1998 to a MOTHER who was a ROK national could acquire ROK nationality by REPORTING (신고) to the Minister of Justice, where (1) the mother is currently a ROK national, OR (2) if the mother has died, she was a ROK national at the time of death. This remedied the pre-1998 patrilineal rule (under which a child of a Korean mother + foreign father did not acquire nationality at birth).
- Timeline
- standard
- Renunciation
- Not required
Overview
1998 BILINEAL TRANSITIONAL MEASURE (maternal-line cohort): a person BORN BETWEEN 14 June 1978 and 13 June 1998 to a MOTHER who was a ROK national could acquire ROK nationality by REPORTING (신고) to the Minister of Justice, where (1) the mother is currently a ROK national, OR (2) if the mother has died, she was a ROK national at the time of death. This remedied the pre-1998 patrilineal rule (under which a child of a Korean mother + foreign father did not acquire nationality at birth).
Who qualifies
- 1998 BILINEAL TRANSITIONAL MEASURE (maternal-line cohort): a person BORN BETWEEN 14 June 1978 and 13 June 1998 to a MOTHER who was a ROK national could acquire ROK nationality by REPORTING (신고) to the Minister of Justice, where (1) the mother is currently a ROK national, OR (2) if the mother has died, she was a ROK national at the time of death. This remedied the pre-1998 patrilineal rule (under which a child of a Korean mother + foreign father did not acquire nationality at birth).
How to apply
- Where a person who must file an application or report under the Nationality Act (including acknowledgment-based acquisition under §3 and transitional maternal-line acquisition) is under 15 years of age, a legal representative files on the person's behalf.
Legal basis
Primary statute: 국적법 부칙 제7조 (법률 제5431호; 제6523호). Operative 1998-06-14–2004-12-31. Authority: Minister of Justice (법무부장관); Korea Immigration Service (출입국·외국인정책본부).
Example scenarios
ELIGIBLE via the transitional special acquisition
Addendum Art.7 (Law 5431, extended by Law 6523): maternal-line children born 1978-06-14 to 1998-06-13 could acquire by report by 2004-12-31.
NOT eligible (deadline 2004-12-31 passed)
The transitional window has closed; the person must pursue restoration (Art.9) or naturalization instead.
Still ELIGIBLE at birth (registration is declaratory, not constitutive)
Descent under 국적법 부칙 제7조 (법률 제5431호; 제6523호) operates automatically at birth; late family-registry entry does not defeat the acquired status.
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.