U.S. Applicant Advisory

Home / Programs for Americans / U.S. Applicant Advisory

Note: The Korean Government utilizes the words “national/nationality” as opposed to “citizen/citizenship” in most official documentation in English. These words can be viewed as interchangeable for the purposes of this advisory. 

All Fulbright Awardees to Korea MUST obtain an A-3 visa and enter the country on a U.S. passport. 

Candidates who are nationals of Korea will NOT be permitted to undertake Fulbright Awards to Korea. 

Individuals of Korean heritage may have dual U.S.-ROK nationality unbeknownst to them or their family due to Korea’s jus sanguinis nationality laws.  

It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to determine whether they have dual nationality and how it impacts their eligibility for a Fulbright Award to Korea. 

Fulbright Korea requires all American applicants of Korean heritage to provide written proof that they do not have Korean nationality before they accept their Fulbright Award. 

To obtain the required written proof, all candidates are advised to follow the below steps as soon as they have established their interest in applying for a Fulbright Award to Korea: 

STEP 1 – Determine if you have Korean heritage.  

If you have a biological parent or grandparent who is or was a Korean national at any point in their life, you are of Korean heritage. If you are of Korean heritage, you must continue on to Step 2 (Locate your local Korean Consulate or Korean Embassy) to check your Korean nationality status.  

STEP 2 – Locate your local Korean Embassy or Korean Consulate.  

Korean embassy/consulate locations and contact information can be found on the website of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the USA: https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/us-en/index.do Applicants must contact the consulate for their U.S. region (state). 

STEP 3 – Share your family documentation with your local Korean Embassy or Consulate. 

Documentation may be shared via email or via an in-person consultation with the embassy/consulate. You will need to submit an explanation of your family history and the following documents:   

  • For individuals born in Korea: Applicant’s Basic Certificate (기본증명서), naturalization documentation, and Korean renunciation documentation; if you never officially renounced your Korean nationality, you must renounce it to be eligible for a Fulbright Award to Korea.  
  • For individuals born in Korea and adopted outside of Korea: Applicant’s Basic Certificate (기본증명서) or adoption records, naturalization documentation, and Korean renunciation documentation; if your Korean nationality was never officially renounced, you must renounce it to be eligible for a Fulbright Award to Korea.  
  • For individuals born outside of Korea: Personal records of the applicant and any predecessor (parent or grandparent) of Korean heritage; these may include a Basic Certificate (기본증명서), Family Relations/Register Certificate (가족관계증명서), birth certificate, naturalization documentation, Korean renunciation documentation, etc. An applicant should provide as much information and documentation to the consulate/embassy as possible to assist the consulate in verifying their Korean nationality status.  
  • If an applicant’s parent(s) or grandparent(s) were naturalized, the applicant should provide to the consulate their naturalization documentation and Korean renunciation documentation.  

STEP 4 – If offered a Fulbright Award to Korea, submit written proof of not having Korean nationality to Fulbright Korea.  

From the time a candidate is offered an award, they have approximately two weeks to return a decision and submit official written verification that they do not have Korean nationality/citizenship. Failure to provide written verification before the award acceptance deadline is grounds for award withdrawal. Additionally, at the time of or after award acceptance, if any individual is found 1) to have failed to disclose they are of Korean heritage or 2) to have dual nationality with Korea, their award offer will be withdrawn. Since candidates only have two weeks to submit written verification, this documentation should be procured in advance.  

Official written verification may take the form of: 

  • Family records such as a “basic certificate” (기본증명서), “family relations/register certificate” (가족관계증명서), etc. 
  • Loss or renunciation of Korean nationality records such as a “loss of nationality notice” (국적상실 허가 통지서), “renunciation of nationality notice” (국적이탈 허가 통지서), etc. 

In all instances, documentation must clearly indicate that the applicant does not have Korean nationality for it to be accepted as written proof.  

STEP 5 – Wait for Fulbright Korea to determine your eligibility to receive an award.  

All documentation will be checked by Fulbright Korea to determine whether it satisfies eligibility requirements.  

To Learn More 

As an individual’s Korean nationality status is contingent upon specific personal and family history, all applicants of Korean heritage should contact the nearest Korean Embassy or Consulate as early as possible once they have established their interest in the Fulbright Program in Korea to confirm their Korean nationality status and acquire appropriate documentation. 

More information about Korean nationality law can be found at: 

General questions regarding this requirement may be addressed to the Korean-American Educational Commission (Fulbright Korea) via email. Fulbright Korea is not a U.S. or R.O.K. government or immigration agency and thus cannot answer specific inquiries.