[Korean Law Insights] Age Limit for Dual Citizenship

[Published on September 30, 2025 edition of the "Korean Law Insights" column in the Korea Daily’s Economic Expert Section]

- Recently, a bill was introduced in Korea to lower the age limit for dual citizenship to 50

- For exchanges with and contributions to the home country, it should be lowered further

Korea’s Nationality Act, in principle, adheres to a single nationality principle. The rule was that if a person acquired a foreign nationality, they would lose their Korean nationality, and only exceptionally, special contributors, overseas adoptees, and outstanding talents were allowed to have dual citizenship. However, through the 2011 revision, the door was opened for elderly retirees aged 65 and above to also be permitted dual citizenship, marking the beginning of change in the system. Nevertheless, there was much criticism that the standard of 65 years was not effective.

The system of allowing nationality recovery only after retirement had symbolic meaning, but in reality, the benefits were limited in terms of exchanges with Korea, economic contributions, and maintaining family ties. The system was criticized as being detached from reality since dual citizenship was permitted only at an age when social activity had already greatly diminished.

Overseas Korean communities have long expressed that this was an inconvenience. Many Koreans living abroad, including in the United States, still have family and property in Korea, and they have experienced inconveniences with nationality issues in processes such as inheritance, asset management, and use of medical services. Furthermore, it has been argued that if dual citizenship were allowed during the younger and more active years, exchanges with the home country would become more fruitful, and the experiences and resources accumulated by overseas Koreans would have greater potential to contribute to Korean society. For these reasons, overseas communities and parts of the political sphere have continuously demanded that the permissible age for dual citizenship be lowered to 60, 55, and even further to 50 or 40.

Amid such demands, the bill to partially revise the Nationality Act introduced this past September contains provisions to lower the permissible age for dual citizenship from 65 to 50. Fifty is still an age when social activity is actively carried out, and it is the time when overseas Koreans can actually realize exchanges with and contributions to the home country. Therefore, this is seen as a more realistic change.

However, even this amendment has its limits. The voices insisting that dual citizenship must also be allowed in the 40s or even younger ages, when economic activity is at its peak, remain valid. In fact, this is the very time when the capacity to return technology, capital, and networks to Korean society is greatest. Therefore, in order to maximize the effectiveness of the system, it is necessary to move in the direction of lowering the age standard even further.

Of course, within Korean society itself, there is also considerable opposition to the expansion of dual citizenship. According to a recent public opinion poll, the majority of citizens still responded that it is preferable to maintain the standard of “65 years and older,” and there are great concerns that the expansion of dual citizenship could lead to burdens on welfare finances or reverse discrimination against domestic citizens. Some even view that overseas Koreans might enjoy only the benefits through dual citizenship while evading obligations. Such emotional barriers are a realistic factor that makes further revisions of the system difficult.

Nevertheless, lowering the age to 50 is a meaningful first step. It has value in that it relaxes the rigidity of the system and establishes a foundation for strengthening the link between overseas Korean communities and the home country. However, this cannot be the final answer. Going forward, it is necessary to broaden social consensus, design conditions and procedures with precision to ease public concerns, and at the same time move toward allowing dual citizenship at even younger ages. For Korea and overseas Koreans to build a truly mutually beneficial relationship, this amendment must serve not as the end, but as a new starting point.

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Jin Hee Lee/K-Law Consulting Korean Attorney

[Reference link in original Korean] 

https://www.koreadaily.com/article/20250930235257610