Adopted from Korea and returning to South Korea: the F-4 visa, your papers and your nationality

Q: What proof do you need?

You have to show two things: That you were Korean. The manual mentions an extract from the Korean family register, a closed register (제적등본 or 폐쇄등록부), or other proof that you were a Korean citizen. When and how you became Dutch. For example the decision or the certificate showing the date and the reason. In addition you hand in a Certificate of Conduct (VOG), with an apostille, no older than six months, and with a translation. This is where the greatest uncertainty lies. Many adoptees have only adoption papers, and sometimes a register that was created for children without known parents. Whether that is enough is not stated literally in the manual: it says "or other proof". Ask the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) in The Hague before you arrange the rest. Do your name or date of birth in the Korean register differ from your Dutch passport? For a related application the manual mentions a statement from the embassy that it concerns the same person, or proof of a change of name. Ask about this too when you apply.

Q: Can you become Korean again?

Yes. Anyone who was Korean can regain the nationality with permission from the Minister of Justice (article 9 of the nationality law). After the permission you take an oath and receive a certificate. Normally you have to give up your other nationality within a year. For adoptees there is an exception (article 10, paragraph 2, item 3): anyone who was adopted by a foreign national before reaching adulthood, thereby acquired another nationality, kept living abroad and then regains Korean nationality may instead pledge not to exercise the other nationality in Korea . In Korea you are then Korean.

If you were adopted from Korea as a child and were Korean at birth, you can live and work in South Korea with the F-4 visa. You do not have to take a Korean language test. You can also regain Korean nationality without giving up Dutch nationality towards Korea. Whether you remain Dutch is something to have confirmed by the IND.

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Written and checked by Auke on 26 October 2026, against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.

If you were adopted from Korea as a child and were Korean at birth, you can live and work in South Korea with the F-4 visa. F-4 is the residence status for overseas Koreans. You do not have to take a Korean language test, because you used to have Korean nationality. If you wish, you can also regain Korean nationality, and you then do not have to give up Dutch nationality towards Korea.

Wanting to go back to the country where you were born is a big step. This article is about the paperwork: what the Korean rules say, what you have to prove, and where things are still uncertain.

What is possible, in short?

What	How it works
Visa	F-4, for anyone who was Korean at birth (F-4-41) and for their children (F-4-42)
Stay per grant	up to 3 years, extendable
Korean language	no proof needed if you used to be Korean
Work	free, except simple manual labour and a few excluded sectors
Reporting after arrival	your residence address within 90 days, a move within 14 days
Korean nationality	can be regained with permission from the Minister of Justice
Dutch nationality	probably kept if you live in Korea; have the IND confirm it

Are you eligible for the F-4 visa?

The F-4 visa is for anyone who had Korean nationality at birth and later acquired another nationality. Many adoptees fall into that group. Your children can also get it, as direct descendants. Since 12 February 2026 there has been a single F-4 status for overseas Koreans from all countries.

Under the current Korean nationality law, anyone adopted by a foreign national who thereby acquires the nationality of their parents loses Korean nationality, unless it is reported within six months that they wish to keep it. Those who became only Dutch in this way are exactly the group the F-4 is meant for.

What proof do you need?

You have to show two things:

That you were Korean. The manual mentions an extract from the Korean family register, a closed register (제적등본 or 폐쇄등록부), or other proof that you were a Korean citizen.
When and how you became Dutch. For example the decision or the certificate showing the date and the reason.

In addition you hand in a Certificate of Conduct (VOG), with an apostille, no older than six months, and with a translation.

This is where the greatest uncertainty lies. Many adoptees have only adoption papers, and sometimes a register that was created for children without known parents. Whether that is enough is not stated literally in the manual: it says "or other proof". Ask the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) in The Hague before you arrange the rest.

Do your name or date of birth in the Korean register differ from your Dutch passport? For a related application the manual mentions a statement from the embassy that it concerns the same person, or proof of a change of name. Ask about this too when you apply.

Do you have to speak Korean?

No. For the F-4 Korea normally asks for proof of Korean language, such as TOPIK level 1. But anyone who used to have Korean nationality is exempt, as is everyone aged 60 and over. With that proof, or with the exemption, you get a multiple-entry visa at the consulate with a stay of two years. In Korea that can go up to three years at a time.

What do you arrange after arrival?

If you stay longer than 90 days, you report your residence address to the immigration office within 90 days. This is called the 국내거소신고 and it counts as your registration. You then get a card as proof. If you move, you report it within 14 days. Beforehand you follow a short introductory course, unless you are 65 or older. With that registration you do not need a separate re-entry permit while your stay runs. See registration and numbers.

You may do almost any work. Not allowed are simple manual labour, gambling and a few other sectors. For a profession that requires Korean recognition, you need that recognition. If you first only want to visit, the rules for overseas Koreans also have a multiple-entry visa for visits of 90 days, valid for five years.

Can you become Korean again?

Yes. Anyone who was Korean can regain the nationality with permission from the Minister of Justice (article 9 of the nationality law). After the permission you take an oath and receive a certificate.

Normally you have to give up your other nationality within a year. For adoptees there is an exception (article 10, paragraph 2, item 3): anyone who was adopted by a foreign national before reaching adulthood, thereby acquired another nationality, kept living abroad and then regains Korean nationality may instead pledge not to exercise the other nationality in Korea. In Korea you are then Korean.

Do you then remain Dutch?

This is the second uncertain point. Under article 15 of the Netherlands Nationality Act, anyone who voluntarily acquires another nationality loses Dutch nationality. There is an exception for anyone who was born in the country of that other nationality and lives there at the moment they acquire it.

If you were born in Korea and regain Korean nationality while living in Korea, then on our reading you fall under that exception. So the order matters: first go to live in Korea, only then the nationality. But this is our interpretation of the law. Have the IND confirm it for your situation before you submit the application. Article 15 also changes on 1 March 2027.

If you have both nationalities and live outside the EU, a thirteen-year clock is running. How to stop it is explained in losing Dutch nationality abroad.

Are you staying for good?

After two years with the F-4 you can apply for permanent residence (F-5). Conditions apply, such as income or assets. For people aged 60 and over, a pension from abroad counts if it is at least as high as Korea's national income per head, in 2025 about 52,410,000 won a year (about € 35,400). What happens to your AOW and pension is in AOW, pension and tax.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 2 of 5 of the journey, step 2.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to South Korea or go straight to step 2.4 in the open plan.

What this rests on

The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.

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