Korean Dual Citizenship

academy2026

USNA '26
Joined
Dec 4, 2021
Messages
26
Greetings,

I am a Korean American high school senior who was born in the US. According to South Korean law, I believe I automatically have dual citizenship (American + South Korean) due to both my parents being Korean nationals. Again, I was born in the US and I have never been issued a non-US passport and have only been to Korea twice to visit family, as the only reason I think I have Korean citizenship is due to Korea's "jus sanguinis" policy. Click the following link for more info: https://www.dualcitizenshipreport.org/dual-citizenship/south-korea/

On the posts/threads I've read on SAF, I have been getting the sense that those with dual citizenship will have issues attending a service academy; however, on the Permit to Report packet for the Naval Academy Class of 2025, it states verbatim: "Dual citizenship is not in and of itself, disqualifying for eligibility purposes of obtaining a SECRET clearance. You will NOT have to renounce your non-US citizenship; however, you will no longer be allowed to travel on non-US passports. By doing so, you could lose your clearance. Additionally, you do NOT need to turn over any non-US passports." From here: https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/PermitToReport/a.1.Important_Information_Class_Of_2025.docx_12.pdf

The information on the Permit to Report packet is reassuring and gives me the impression that dual citizenship will NOT prevent me from attending the Naval Academy. Is my assumption correct? Also, what is a "secret clearance?"
 
People in the military and government jobs undergo background checks and are issued security clearances appropriate for work, activities, information and equipment with which they are involved.

The SF-86 (Standard Form) is the government form involved in the eqip process of gathering background information on line. You can google all that for a better idea.

You can imagine that officers reporting to duty after USNA or NROTC or OCS or other officer commissioning paths will need certain levels of security clearance because of the training or work environment they will be in, building on whatever basic clearance they were given at USNA.

Current or recent midshipmen can comment on clearances at USNA.

As for the dual citizenship, Admissions is your primary source for the most current information. They have a live chat widget on the Admissions page. Click on the chat bubble, and it will tell you when the next live chat is scheduled. You can pop up there and ask. If you are a candidate, have your candidate number handy.
 
Last edited:
Greetings,

I am a Korean American high school senior who was born in the US. According to South Korean law, I believe I automatically have dual citizenship (American + South Korean) due to both my parents being Korean nationals. Again, I was born in the US and I have never been issued a non-US passport and have only been to Korea twice to visit family, as the only reason I think I have Korean citizenship is due to Korea's "jus sanguinis" policy. Click the following link for more info: https://www.dualcitizenshipreport.org/dual-citizenship/south-korea/

On the posts/threads I've read on SAF, I have been getting the sense that those with dual citizenship will have issues attending a service academy; however, on the Permit to Report packet for the Naval Academy Class of 2025, it states verbatim: "Dual citizenship is not in and of itself, disqualifying for eligibility purposes of obtaining a SECRET clearance. You will NOT have to renounce your non-US citizenship; however, you will no longer be allowed to travel on non-US passports. By doing so, you could lose your clearance. Additionally, you do NOT need to turn over any non-US passports." From here: https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/PermitToReport/a.1.Important_Information_Class_Of_2025.docx_12.pdf

The information on the Permit to Report packet is reassuring and gives me the impression that dual citizenship will NOT prevent me from attending the Naval Academy. Is my assumption correct? Also, what is a "secret clearance?"
.
I don’t know about the Dual Citizenship thing … but a DoD clearance will give you access to sensitive information that is tagged “Controlled” at different “Classification levels”.

Secret, Top-Secret classifications, etc

Secret background investigation is not nearly as thorough and deep as a Top-Secret background investigation. … There is also TS with Poly-lifestyle and lie detector.

Secret takes a few months to get…
TS takes maybe a year to get …
TS with a poly takes probably more than a year to get …
.
 
Last edited:
Hello,

So I am also a Korean American who until just recently was also a dual citizen. (Exact same situation as you with both parents being immigrants from Korea, but I was born in the U.S.)

While I do not know if having dual citizenship will hinder you or not, I personally heard that there was a possibility it would so what I did was follow a process that allowed me to renunciate my Korean citizenship (did this my sophomore year of high school and with my parents' support of course).

I do not exactly remember what this process was called in Korean; however, it is a thing if you wanted to look into it. This process for me was done at a Consular Office of the Republic of Korea that we have in my state.

Hope this helps and if it's something you're interested in I can ask my parents for more info as well.
 
Shouldn't be a problem. Call admissions for final assurances. More of an issue for a 1/C trying to get Intel, but you can cross that bridge when you get there. Probably advantageous for you to renounce it as soon as it is convenient, but up to you.

On the other end, ROK gets tricky with dual nationality and who they consider a Korean citizen (and thus, who needs to be conscripted)--different from the US. Contact the consulate for information. https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/us-en/brd/m_4503/view.do?seq=713251. Not really an issue if you don't plan on visiting South Korea.

Info on clearance and background investigation processes: https://www.dcsa.mil/mc/pv/fso/faqs/. As a MIDN, you'll need a SECRET clearance to access restricted areas on summer cruise. You may be granted a higher clearance for some internships and training opportunities, but you'll know the process when you get there, and USNA is equipped to guide you through.

The full USNA experience may still be had without a clearance, just a lot more time spent in nice warm engineering spaces instead of cold ones filled with computers. There are foreign MIDN in every USNA class that go on summer cruise with the rest of them.

Best thing to have with these clearance investigations is patience. Submit the paperwork on time, but once you submit the paperwork, it's largely outside of your control. Just wait. Even if it doesn't work out, the Navy will still find a way to keep you gainfully employed.

.
Secret background investigation is not nearly as thorough and deep as a Top-Secret background investigation. … There is also TS with Poly-lifestyle and lie detector.

Secret takes a few months to get…
TS takes maybe a year to get …
TS with a poly takes probably more than a year to get …
.
Not true, timeline depends on individual circumstances. Polygraphs are a separate process from the clearance investigation, and are conducted by individual agencies (i.e. NCIS for USN) rather than OPM/DCSA. Officers can go through an entire career without needing to do one. Some unfortunate souls can end up doing one every couple of years.
 
Last edited:
I can't speak to USNA in particular, but I can address the GOV as a whole. I have held TS/SCI with several additional caveats for over 20 years. My spouse is a dual US/Polish citizen and has TS/SCI for years. She has US and Polish passports and has held them since childhood. With that said, each case is different and can be adjudicated differently. I think the real concern for suitability is your foreign travel/contacts and and foreign holdings. Be completely honest when you complete your 86 in e-quip and try and document all of your travel. What I have done over the years is keep a spreadsheet with all of my foreign contacts so I have them at the ready for my BI.

Good Luck!

-RA
 
Greetings,

I am a Korean American high school senior who was born in the US. According to South Korean law, I believe I automatically have dual citizenship (American + South Korean) due to both my parents being Korean nationals. Again, I was born in the US and I have never been issued a non-US passport and have only been to Korea twice to visit family, as the only reason I think I have Korean citizenship is due to Korea's "jus sanguinis" policy. Click the following link for more info: https://www.dualcitizenshipreport.org/dual-citizenship/south-korea/

On the posts/threads I've read on SAF, I have been getting the sense that those with dual citizenship will have issues attending a service academy; however, on the Permit to Report packet for the Naval Academy Class of 2025, it states verbatim: "Dual citizenship is not in and of itself, disqualifying for eligibility purposes of obtaining a SECRET clearance. You will NOT have to renounce your non-US citizenship; however, you will no longer be allowed to travel on non-US passports. By doing so, you could lose your clearance. Additionally, you do NOT need to turn over any non-US passports." From here: https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/PermitToReport/a.1.Important_Information_Class_Of_2025.docx_12.pdf

The information on the Permit to Report packet is reassuring and gives me the impression that dual citizenship will NOT prevent me from attending the Naval Academy. Is my assumption correct? Also, what is a "secret clearance?"
Hi, I used to be a dual citizen. So I was talking to my Mom about it, as she knew the process, but it depends if your parents registered with the Korean government that you were born, that is how you get the dual citizenship. However if you were born overseas there’s a chance that your parents didn’t inform the government and you’re not a dual citizen. I’m actually pretty sure that you have to choose one or the other once your 18, as you have to serve in the Korean Army if you are a Korean citizen. According to Korean law you are not permitted to have dual citizenship. So once a child is 18 they are given an option to choose. Hope this helps! 화이팅!
 
Last edited:
My son is US-born and had Israeli citizenship because his mom is Israeli. There wouldn't have been any issue except that when we went to Israel when he was two, he had to fly with an Israel passport. Therefore regardless of what Israel thought about the matter, now that he had an Israeli passport, the US considered him dual citizenship. It was highly suggested that he get rid of his Israeli citizenship when he was in Rotc especially as he got a pilot spot. Getting rid of Israeli citizenship isn't easy because the number #1 reason to do so is to avoid the Israeli draft. When we applied to renounce his citizenship, it was explained that he would be serving in the US military and there was a good chance he couldn't get Top Secret Clearance as a US/Israeli citizenship. They were understanding and it was accepted. Lets just say that while the two countries are tight allies, one doesn't trust the other one very much.
 
Greetings,

I am a Korean American high school senior who was born in the US. According to South Korean law, I believe I automatically have dual citizenship (American + South Korean) due to both my parents being Korean nationals. Again, I was born in the US and I have never been issued a non-US passport and have only been to Korea twice to visit family, as the only reason I think I have Korean citizenship is due to Korea's "jus sanguinis" policy. Click the following link for more info: https://www.dualcitizenshipreport.org/dual-citizenship/south-korea/

On the posts/threads I've read on SAF, I have been getting the sense that those with dual citizenship will have issues attending a service academy; however, on the Permit to Report packet for the Naval Academy Class of 2025, it states verbatim: "Dual citizenship is not in and of itself, disqualifying for eligibility purposes of obtaining a SECRET clearance. You will NOT have to renounce your non-US citizenship; however, you will no longer be allowed to travel on non-US passports. By doing so, you could lose your clearance. Additionally, you do NOT need to turn over any non-US passports." From here: https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/PermitToReport/a.1.Important_Information_Class_Of_2025.docx_12.pdf

The information on the Permit to Report packet is reassuring and gives me the impression that dual citizenship will NOT prevent me from attending the Naval Academy. Is my assumption correct? Also, what is a "secret clearance?"
Hey, I recently gave up my Korean citizenship. I formally registered for dual citizenship first (about 4 months ago) before surrendering last month. Registration should’ve happened when I was younger, but there’s no problem with that. It seems like you’re in the same situation as me. The law changed for dual citizenship, so the process is a little arduous. If you’re female, there aren’t hard requirements and you’ll need documents including your birth certificate, parents’ passports, and more. If you’re male, the documents get into tedious territory and it’s time sensitive because of the service requirement. I’m aware you need your parents’ proof of residency/visas. Get your parents and the NAVER Papago translator and take a look at this:


I can’t find the English version currently. The Korean term and main document you need to complete for surrendering your citizenship is 국적이탈 신고서. This is just my opinion, but I highly recommend giving up your citizenship ASAP. The documents are really difficult to complete because of the confusing language (I think they were translated from Japanese documents decades ago). You need both of your parents to help and complete the process. I have ROTC as a back up plan, so I decided to give it up now to avoid the headache later on. Since the documents take 6 months to process, I can provide evidence that I completed the process for security clearance if I end up going to an academy. I’m not an expert on this, but I hope this is a good starting place. Good luck!!
 
Hey, I recently gave up my Korean citizenship. I formally registered for dual citizenship first (about 4 months ago) before surrendering last month. Registration should’ve happened when I was younger, but there’s no problem with that. It seems like you’re in the same situation as me. The law changed for dual citizenship, so the process is a little arduous. If you’re female, there aren’t hard requirements and you’ll need documents including your birth certificate, parents’ passports, and more. If you’re male, the documents get into tedious territory and it’s time sensitive because of the service requirement. I’m aware you need your parents’ proof of residency/visas. Get your parents and the NAVER Papago translator and take a look at this:


I can’t find the English version currently. The Korean term and main document you need to complete for surrendering your citizenship is 국적이탈 신고서. This is just my opinion, but I highly recommend giving up your citizenship ASAP. The documents are really difficult to complete because of the confusing language (I think they were translated from Japanese documents decades ago). You need both of your parents to help and complete the process. I have ROTC as a back up plan, so I decided to give it up now to avoid the headache later on. Since the documents take 6 months to process, I can provide evidence that I completed the process for security clearance if I end up going to an academy. I’m not an expert on this, but I hope this is a good starting place. Good luck!!
Okay, I’m updating this with key points you need to do. If you're male and you're 18 years old, you need to rush to register your Korean birth certificate (I mentioned this as registering for dual citizenship) and complete the documents to surrender your Korean citizenship. I looked into this and I can't stress enough on how time sensitive this is. Once you pass 18, there is zero leniency on giving up your Korean citizenship. Recently, I think there was a Korean-American who was enlisting in the Navy and got denied by the Korean government to give up their citizenship because they’re older than 18. If you're female, you have until 22 I believe. Regardless, here are the steps you need to do:

1. Call the nearest Consulate General. My parents and I contacted the San Francisco one because it's closer to us. Tell your situation and you should be able to do both your birth certificate and the citizenship documents at the same time. The names of these processes are 출생신고 (birth certificate) and 국적이탈 (surrendering your citizenship).

2. Do your forms. They'll direct you to the necessary websites for all the documents you need. Right now because of COVID, you can do these forms online.

3. Schedule the in-person appointment to complete both of these processes with any Consulate office. You need both parents present and you might need to go to one of the locations. It's possible they might send out representatives from the offices to your state every now and then.

4. I have to clarify that it takes nearly a year or over for everything to process. If they're in before you turn 19 (for males), you're fine.

5. Call the Consulate office if you have any questions filling the forms out as you go.

Again, good luck!!
 
Greetings,

I am a Korean American high school senior who was born in the US. According to South Korean law, I believe I automatically have dual citizenship (American + South Korean) due to both my parents being Korean nationals. Again, I was born in the US and I have never been issued a non-US passport and have only been to Korea twice to visit family, as the only reason I think I have Korean citizenship is due to Korea's "jus sanguinis" policy. Click the following link for more info: https://www.dualcitizenshipreport.org/dual-citizenship/south-korea/

On the posts/threads I've read on SAF, I have been getting the sense that those with dual citizenship will have issues attending a service academy; however, on the Permit to Report packet for the Naval Academy Class of 2025, it states verbatim: "Dual citizenship is not in and of itself, disqualifying for eligibility purposes of obtaining a SECRET clearance. You will NOT have to renounce your non-US citizenship; however, you will no longer be allowed to travel on non-US passports. By doing so, you could lose your clearance. Additionally, you do NOT need to turn over any non-US passports." From here: https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/PermitToReport/a.1.Important_Information_Class_Of_2025.docx_12.pdf

The information on the Permit to Report packet is reassuring and gives me the impression that dual citizenship will NOT prevent me from attending the Naval Academy. Is my assumption correct? Also, what is a "secret clearance?"
My DS is in his second year at USAFA and us parents can breathe a sigh of relief and say we successfully were able to renounce.
My DS was born in the USA, as was I...My husband is 1.5 generation Korean American, (he came here in middle school and educated here). Naturally, we didnt really think much about Korean Dual Citizenship Laws because we are American....that is, until we saw an article in the Korean-American newspapers forewarning us of the possible obstacles that our DS could face during his military career (all outcomes were really saddening).
Korea has Military Conscription. That means between the ages of 18-37 the Korean goverment has rights to "force" you into military service if you step foot on Korea, and decide to do background research on you. According to Korean Law, my son, although born in the USA is considered a Korean "citizen" because my husband was born there, as was his grandparents (both maternal and paternal)!!! Now, how the Korean Government can prove this without us telling them is beyond me, but as parents we wanted to do everything to make sure nothing is standing in our DS's way.

We were a hot mess!!

Korean Law dictates that if a young person wants to renounce their Korean nationality it MUST be done BEFORE March 31 of the year you are turning 18.
Sounds simple enough right?
Well, every one's case is different, BUT let me tell you, I nearly had a stroke while processing my DS's renunciation!!! Seriously!!

If both your parents were born and educated (partially or entirely) in Korea, and YOUR birth is on record, the renunciation process is not terribly difficult and can be done simply enough by filling out paperwork and submitting by March 31 of the year you turn 18. The one thing you must keep in mind is that because you are a minor, your parents will need to also renounce their Korean citizenship. Our case was entirely different, atypical and logistically very difficult in such a short period of time (3 months). Had we actually known about this convoluted renunciation process we would have started it WAY in advance.

Unfortunately, even on this forum there is no real answer to this specific question...I did a lot of research and didnt really find any actual answers that made us feel that we could just dismiss the possible negative outcomes of not going through this renunciation process.

The admissions at USAFA told my son it wasn't necessary to formally renounce to the Korean Government as an American, however if the Korean Government considers all men and women with Korean blood ancestry as Korean, regardless of where they are born, then we are also (unknowingly of course) breaking Korean conscription law...even if they don't even know some of us even exist (because we aren't on family records having been born in America)...very complicated and in some ways REALLY messed up, but if you have bad luck and decide to visit Korea, or do an exchange program or business between the ages of 18-37....there is that chance that the Korean government can legally conscript you regardless of whether you are born here or not.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck and hope you get your appointment.

If you have any questions feel free to message directly and I am more than happy to share the greusome details of our renunciation process.
 
Back
Top