Government of Canada services and information in Seoul, Republic of 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, only when the child was issued a Korean passport. The certificate can be obtained with a fee of KRW1,000 from a nearby community centre in Korea, and online at the Electronic Family Relation Registration System free of charge.

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)

Check processing times online.

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.

Adoption and surrogacy

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

The Hague Covention on International Child Abduction

The Repiblic of Korea joined the Convention on December 13, 2012 and its Act on Implementation of the Hague Child Abduction Convention entered into force on March 1, 2013.

More information available at the Ministry of Justice website.

Complete your citizenship application.

Pay your application fees online and provide a copy of your online payment receipt with your application.

Citizenship applications can be submitted:

• In person at the Embassy: Book an appointment online before visiting the Embassy in Seoul.
  • Please cancel your appointment in the confirmation email if you are unable to make it.
• In person at the Honorary Consulate in Busan: Call 051-204-5581 to book an appointment to present your documents.
• By mail: Send your application by traceable mail to:

Embassy of Canada to the Republic of Korea

Attention: Consular Section

21 Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04518

• Drop-off: Place your application in the drop-off box at the Embassy reception during business hours.

Check processing times online

For RCMP criminal record check, refer to Criminal record checks.

For Korean criminal record check, application for background check (criminal records) certificate is available at the local police website.

You may refer to the information on Death abroad and Death Abroad factsheet at www.travel.gc.ca.

The Embassy also can provide a list of local undertakers. Please contact the consular section at seoul-cs@international.gc.ca for more information.

Please refer to the information on Divorce Porceeding guidlines on the Seoul Family Court website.

List of lawyers are available upon request.

List of lawyers are available upon request.

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.

The office provides the following notarial services, by appointment only, to Canadian citizens and, in limited cases, to non-Canadian citizens if the documents are intended for use in Canada. Note: Documents must be in English or French, or accompanied by an official translation in English or French.

Authentication/Attestation (certify the document signature, the position of an official and the seal are genuine):

• Documents issued in Canada must be authenticated by Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa before the office will certify the documents (fees apply).

• Witness a signature on a Statement in lieu of certificate of non-impediment to marriage abroad form (fees apply).
• Clients requiring information about authenticating documents while outside of Canada, refer to Authentication of documents.

Certified copy (certify the document is a true copy of the original):

• Documents presented by a Canadian citizen or a non-Canadian citizen for use in Canada; exceptions apply (fees apply).
• Government-issued identification requiring a certified true copy (fees apply).

Witness a signature (consular officer witnesses a signature):

• Documents presented by a Canadian citizen or a non-Canadian citizen for use in Canada; exceptions apply (fees apply).
• Government-issued identification requiring a witnessed signature (fees apply).

Note: Complete all documents before booking an appointment. Sign all documents in front of the consular officer.

Complete your passport application by selecting an appropriate application:

• Adult Abroad Simplified Renewal passport application (PPTC482)
• Adult Abroad General passport application (PPTC040)
• Child Abroad General passport application (under 16 years of age) (PPTC042)

Pay your application fees online and provide a copy of your online payment receipt with your application.

Passport applications can be submitted:

• In person at the Embassy: Book an appointment online before visiting the Embassy in Seoul.
  • Please cancel your appointment in the confirmation email if you are unable to make it.
• In person at the Honorary Consulate in Busan: Call 051-204-5581 to book an appointment to present your documents.
• By mail: Send your application by traceable mail to:

Embassy of Canada to the Republic of Korea

Attention: Consular Section

21 Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04518

• Drop-off: Place your application in the drop-off box at the Embassy reception during business hours.

Processing times: 20 business days from the completed application date with all required supporting documentation.

Do not contact the Embassy during the 20 business days of processing time. Unnecessary enquiries may delay processing. Please make sure your phone number, email address and mailing address are accurate. We will contact you if any additional information or document is required.

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 Travel documents – Visas.

• Apply to travel, study, work or immigrate to Canada.
• Find a visa application centre (VAC) to book an appointment to give your biometrics (fingerprints and photo).
• Submit an enquiry using the IRCC web form to contact a visa office.

Permanent residents of Canada: Find out how to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD).

Refer to Voting in an election while outside Canada.