How to Get a Dual Citizen Baby Passport in Korea (Keeping the Middle Name)

• 日本語
• 한국어

Raising a multicultural child in South Korea is a beautiful journey, but it comes with its fair share of bureaucratic hurdles. The very first administrative task we tackled after our baby was safely discharged from the NICU was getting her official passports.

If you are part of a multicultural family, you might assume you should get the Korean passport first. However, we did the exact opposite: we visited the embassy to get her South African passport first. There is a very specific, crucial reason for this, and if you are applying for a dual citizen baby passport in Korea, you need to know about the “Middle Name Rule.”

The Problem: Korea Does Not Have Middle Names

In most English-speaking countries, a full name consists of a first name, a middle name, and a last name. However, the Korean naming system does not have a concept of middle names.

Because the systems are fundamentally different, the English name automatically generated for a standard Korean passport will omit the middle name entirely. My foreign wife deeply wanted to preserve our daughter’s full English name across all her legal documents. Having completely different legal names on two passports might not be an issue when traveling as a baby, but it can cause massive administrative headaches, visa issues, and background check problems when she grows up.

As a native Korean, I had never thought about this issue before. But as a father to a dual-national child, I want her to navigate the world seamlessly. Figuring out this paperwork felt just as daunting as when I was helping my wife navigate the complex bureaucracy of the local driving exam, but fortunately, there is a legal workaround.

The Solution: Issue the Foreign Passport First

To keep the exact same English name (including the middle name) on her Korean passport, you must issue the foreign passport first.

Once you have the passport from the English-speaking country (e.g., South Africa, USA, UK, Canada, Australia) with the full name officially recorded, you bring it with you to the Korean passport office. The Korean immigration and passport officials will then allow you to manually match the English spelling on her Korean passport to match the foreign one.

The Golden Rule: The requested English name must still contain the phonetic pronunciation of the registered Korean name. For example, if her registered Korean name is “Hana” (김하나), the foreign English name must include “Hana” somewhere in it, such as “Kim Michelle Hana.” If the English name sounds completely disconnected from the Korean registry, the Korean passport office will reject the match.

Required Documents and Passport Fees

Once we had her South African passport in hand, we prepared for our visit to the local city ward office. Here is exactly what you need to bring:

• Both Parents’ IDs: ARC (Alien Registration Card), Resident Registration Card, Passport, or Korean Driver’s License.
• The Foreign Passport: The physical passport showing the child’s full English name.
• Passport Photo: One standard passport photo taken within the last 6 months. Be very careful with the photo rules—white background, no colored lenses, and the baby’s face must be fully visible.If you’re struggling to get a good photo of a newborn, check out my guide on how to easily take and print your baby’s passport photo at home before your appointment. [Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Passport Photo Regulations]

Calculating the Costs

For a baby (under 8 years old), you can choose a 26-page or 58-page passport. I chose the 26-page option for 30,000 KRW. A baby will likely only travel a few times for family holidays or to experience, so 26 pages are more than enough for the 5-year validity period.

I also requested the registered mail delivery service for an additional 5,500 KRW, bringing the total to 35,500 KRW.

Important Note: Starting in March 2026, the Korean government increased the passport service fee by 2,000 KRW.

Visiting the Hwaseong City Ward Office

We visited the newly built Hwaseong City Ward Office. The facility is massive, with plenty of free parking. If you are visiting, just be careful at the gates, as they have strict “exit only” and “entrance only” lanes.

Inside, the office is incredibly accommodating. If you happen to forget a supporting document, they have public computers and printers available for free use—which is a lifesaver, much like knowing where the public printers are when you are studying or handling paperwork at the local library. They also have pristine baby feeding rooms and changing tables, making the wait much easier on new parents.

The Application Process

You must fill out two forms: the Passport Application Form and the Statutory Representative Agreement Form.

Pro Tip: Do not pull a waiting number ticket immediately. The rules explicitly state you must fill out all the paperwork before taking a number. We waited about 30 minutes, but the actual time at the counter took only 15 minutes.

Because my daughter has a first name, a middle name, and a hyphenated barrel surname, her name physically could not fit inside the tiny character boxes on the application paper. The officer kindly told me to just write outside the boxes, explaining that their digital system has an “extra-long name” setting specifically for multicultural citizens.

Receiving the Passport

The delivery process is incredibly fast. Even with a public holiday in the middle of the week, the passport arrived at our door via registered mail in just 3 business days.

Please note that the mail carrier must verify your ID and face; you must receive a passport delivery in person. If you are out, say, taking your baby for a refreshing afternoon stroll along the river, the post office will send you a text message to arrange redelivery or allow you to pick it up at the local post office.

Getting your baby’s paperwork sorted can be stressful, but seeing both passports perfectly matching makes it entirely worth it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Can I add a middle name to a Korean passport if my baby doesn’t have a foreign passport yet? A: Generally, no. The Korean passport office requires the physical foreign passport as proof that the middle name is a legally established part of the child’s identity in their other country of citizenship.

Q2: Does the baby need to be present at the passport office? A: No. As long as you have the proper statutory representative forms, IDs, and the baby’s passport photo, the parents can apply on behalf of the infant without bringing them to the office.

Q3: How long is a Korean baby passport valid? A: Passports for minors under the age of 8 are only valid for a maximum of 5 years, as their facial features change rapidly as they grow.