Government of Canada services and information in Busan, Republic of Korea

Refer to International adoption.

Adoption

Signed The Hague Convention of 1993 on Inter-Country Adoption in 2013, and has not yet been ratified.

Central authority:

• Ministry of Health and Welfare, Division of Child Welfare Policy

International adoption agencies:

• Eastern Social Welfare Society
• Holt Children Welfare Society

Surrogacy

Illegal in Korea

Refer to Children born outside of Canada.

Birth registration in Korea

The processing of citizenship applications is the responsibility of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

To register your child as a Canadian citizen, refer to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

The hospital birth certificate, the Canadian citizenship application, and the Family Relations certificate (i.e. Ga-jok-gwan-gye-Jeung-myeong-seo, 가족관계증명서, if applicable) must bear the same name of the child.

The Supreme Court of the Korean government can issue the Certificate of Family Relations in English. The certificate can be obtained for free from a nearby community centre in Korea, and online at the Electronic Family Relation Registration System.

Translations

Supporting documents that are in a language other than English or French must be accompanied by an official translation of the original document, or of a certified copy of the original document in English or French. That translation must be

• of the original document, or
• of the certified copy of the original document, and
• certified by a certified translator, or in the event that the translation cannot be provided by a certified translator, it must be accompanied by an affidavit, and
• included with the application

If the other parent is a Korean citizen, the following additional documents will be required:

• Official hospital birth certificate indicating the child and both parents' names and their date of birth (must be accompanied with its certified translations into English or French.)
• Government issued birth certificate (i.e. Family Relations Certificate issued in English under the child’s name – Ga-jok-gwan-gye –Jeung-myeong-seo - 아이이름으로 발급된 가족관계증명서) indicating relationship of the child and both parents
• Proof of Canadian citizenship from the Canadian parent: Original Canadian birth certificate or Canadian citizenship certificate
• Canadian parent's passport
• Other parent’s identification document confirming his/her personal details and signature (i.e. passport)

If the other parent is not a Korean citizen, in addition to the requirements above, the following documents will be required:

• Official hospital birth certificate indicating the child and both parents' names and their date of birth (must be accompanied with its certified translations into English or French.)
• Proof of Canadian citizenship from the Canadian parent: Original Canadian birth certificate or Canadian citizenship certificate
• Canadian parent's passport
• Other parent’s identification document confirming his/her personal details and signature (i.e. passport)

To register your child as a Canadian citizen with the Korean Immigration Authorities, you will need a Canadian passport for the child.

Registration should be done within 90 days of their birth. Failure to register the child may result in paying a fine to the Korean Immigration Authorities.

Processing time: 15 months (add 3 to 4 months to account for mailing time)

Refer to Marriage outside Canada.

Getting married in Korea

If you wish to get married while in Korea, you can obtain a civil marriage under Korean law. Marriage is a civil procedure in Korea, and performing only a religious ceremony does not constitute a legal marriage. For your marriage to be legally recognized in Korea and legally recognized in Canada, you and your fiancé(e) must be free to marry, and must report and register your marriage to the appropriate civil authorities.

Procedures

You must take the following steps to get married in Korea.

1. Make an appointment to appear in person at the Embassy of Canada in Seoul or the Consulate of Canada in Busan.
   1. Complete one copy of the Affidavit of Eligibility of Marriage. You should also provide a piece of identification (i.e. passport and/or birth certificate).
2. Bring the notarized copy of the Affidavit of Eligibility of Marriage to your local district office (Gu Cheong) to report and register your marriage.
   1. You will need to provide information on yours and your wife’s witnesses such as their names, date of birth, ID numbers and addresses, and their personal seals or signatures.

The Korean district office will issue the following:

• a filing receipt on the day of report;
• a verification certificate, which has similar effect as the Korean marriage certificate (3~5 days required); or
• marriage certificate (family register), issued when the marriage is between a Korean citizen and a foreign resident alien (7 days required).

Note: For a marriage between two foreigners, the verification certificate will be issued on the same day.

Required documents

• Affidavit of Eligibility of Marriage (1 copy)
• Canadian passport
• Proof of termination of any prior marriage(s) such as an original or certified divorce certificate, annulment or death certificate of your previous spouse (when applicable)

Note: If your fiancé(e) is not Korean they should contact their embassy in Korea and seek advice on requirements on getting married in Korea.

Canadian immigration and citizenship regulations

Marriage to a Canadian citizen does not automatically confer permanent resident or citizenship status on the Korean spouse. To obtain permanent resident status, the Canadian partner must complete an undertaking to sponsor his/her spouse at a Canadian Immigration Centre in Canada. The Korean national must then meet all civil and medical requirements before a visa can be issued. Processing times vary according to individual circumstances, and the applicant is normally required to remain in Korea until such time as the Visa can be issued.

Refer to Benefits for Canadians living abroad and Retiring abroad.

Same-sex marriage is illegal in Korea.

Refer to Studying abroad and EduCanada.

Korean organisations sometimes require that foreign documents be authenticated before they will accept them. Having a document authenticated is a two step process:

1. Document authentication by Global Affairs Canada
2. If required, you should then have your document authenticated by a Korean diplomatic mission in Canada.

Related sites

• Universities Canada - Represents Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities and university-degree level colleges
• Colleges and Institutes Canada - Represents colleges and institutes to government, business and industry, both in Canada and internationally
• Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) - An International Referral Gateway for information on studying and working in Canada, and foreign academic credentials assessment and recognition. CICIC is a unit of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC).
• Languages Canada - Offers information on English and French language programs and schools

Refer to Voting in an election while outside Canada.