With a growing economy, better living conditions, and a promising future, South Korea has become the next relocating favorite. There is a rapid increase in the number of foreigners visiting South Korea in previous years. With the rising popularity of the Korean culture, along with the beautiful Korean destinations, several people have been thinking about settling in South Korea and getting Korean Citizenship.
Relocating to a new country is never easy. You have to keep a lot of things in mind. These things include residence, education, health, employment, etc. Once you are sure of all these things, you can apply for Korean citizenship. With newer immigration laws, it has become easier to settle in Korea and get Korean Citizenship. Although the process to get Korean citizenship is still difficult, now you can easily get a work or student visa to South Korea. This makes it easier for you to obtain Korean citizenship later.
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There are some requirements you must fulfill to settle in Korea. You have to follow a complete process so you can start a new chapter of life in a different country. Scroll down to read all the important steps you have to follow to get Korean citizenship.
Donโt forget to visit Seoul City Wall while you are in Korea.
Why Getting Korean Citizenship Instead of Permanent Visa?
As mentioned above, getting Korean citizenship can be difficult. A lot of people suggest going for a permanent resident Visa in Korea. But it has its own sets of cons. It can be annoying, as every time you would have a major change in your lifestyle, you would have to inform the authorities within 14 days. The lifestyle change can be anything from a new job to a house shifting. This can become difficult after some time. That is why we suggest applying for Korean citizenship in the long-run. Even if the process of getting Korean citizenship is difficult.
For permanent resident visa holders, there are a lot of traveling hurdles involved too. If you have a permanent resident visa in South Korea, every time you leave the country or enter it, you would have to get a Re-Entry Permit. If you are someone that travels often, this process can be quite tiring for you. To avoid this and travel freely, you can get Korean Citizenship. Korean Citizens can travel freely to outside the country, without any such hassle.
Check out these top 5 apps to learn Korean.
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Types of Korean Citizenship
There are several types of Korean citizenship.
General Naturalization Citizenship
This is the most common type of citizenship. You can apply for this citizenship if you fulfill certain conditions. The conditions include:
- You should have never obtained Korean citizenship in the past.
- Also, you shouldnโt have any Korean blood relatives.
- You should be living in Korea for the past consecutive 5 years.
- You should have the address of your Korean house on your file.
- In addition, you should have a Korean job or business, or any possible job or business in Korea, or any past job or business based in Korea.
- You should have an Alien Registration Card.
- You must be over 20 years of age.
- Furthermore, you shouldnโt have any criminal record.
- You should have the basic knowledge about South Korean culture, language.
- You should be independent or have a family member that you can be dependent on.
Simple Naturalization Citizenship
To get simple naturalization citizenship in Korea, you must fulfill the following conditions.
- Firstly, you must fulfill all the requirements of general citizenship except residing consecutively for 5 years.
- Secondly, you should be living in Korea for the past 3 years.
- Lastly, you should either have a parent who was a past South Korean Citizen, or you should be an adopted child of a South Korean Citizen or be married to a South Korean citizen for at least 2 years.
Special Naturalization
There are many types of special naturalization. They are not utilized until some special case occurs. We wonโt be discussing their requirements in this article as the requirements can only be known or needed when the special case occurs. The requirements vary from one case of special naturalization to another case of special naturalization.
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Applying For Korean Citizenship
You need to include the following things in your application for getting Korean citizenship.
- An application letter in Korean
- A passport-sized colored picture of you
- Your Alien Registration Card
- Your written statement applying for Korean citizenship
- Statement of identity, and itโs one copy
- Copy of citizenship papers of a family member (only in simple naturalization)
- A document showing family members who are dependent on you
- Proof of financial stability (Bank certificate showing that you have an account balance of at least 30,000,000 won and a certificate of employment)
- Two letters of reference from a professional Korean citizen
- Fees of 100, 000 won
Once you have submitted all the necessary documents, you will have a written test of 20 MCQs on Korean culture. If you passed that, you will go through an interview, where the interviewer will evaluate your Korean language and your attitude and views towards South Korea.
Once you are done with both, you will get citizenship in a few days.
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