Korean Job Discussion Forums

[silence163]

Thought I would write this to help others. I recently went through and received my F4 Visa from the Atlanta Korean Consulate. Was a fairly simple process. The only problem was trying to get my �Ki Bon Jung myong seo� and �Ga jok gwan gye jung myong seo� (Korean Family Census Registry). You can only obtain this in Korea in person by either yourself, or through a family relative. If none are available, there is the option of giving power of attorney to someone in Korea and have them obtain it for you. I was lucky enough to have a family relative obtain mine and email it to me.

Since I fell under these requirements:
� You must be over 21 years of age.
� Your parents must now be U.S. citizens.
� You may have been born in either Korea of the U.S.
� You must give up your Korean citizenship

I had to provide these forms:
1. Application for losing Korean citizenship- see attachment
2. 2 copies of Certificate of Naturalization- yours and your parents
3. 2 forms of verification of identity only if English name of the certificate of naturalization is not the same as the Korean name
4. 2 copies of the applicant�s �Ki Bon Jung myong seo� and �Ga jok gwan gye jung myong seo� (Korean family census registry)
5. Valid passport
6. Visa application- please see attachment
7. $45.00 processing fee- cash or money orders ONLY
8. Passport size photo
9. Postage paid self-addressed EXPRESS MAIL envelope for return of your documents & visa

I was able to email my �Ki Bon Jung myong seo� and �Ga jok gwan gye jung myong seo� to the consulate on a Thursday and I received my visa that following Monday.

Hope this helps.

[nicmunny]

Thanks for this post - we are beginning the F4 visa process for my husband.

He has family in Korea, so getting the family census shouldn't be a problem.

I am wondering about a couple of things though... first, where did you get the information to do this? Did you call your consulate? We've researched some online and it gives a general outline of what to do, but your post is much more detailed. I tried our consulate's website and it is not helpful. We probably just need to call. Also, it only took from Thursday to Monday?! That is really quick. And does the F4 permit multiple entries? or do we need to do something else to get a multiple entry F4?

Thanks again, your info was helpful

[Murakano]

[silence163]

I was able to get in contact with the korean embassy that covered my region in the US, which was the Atlanta office. Here's their website: http://usa-atlanta.mofat.go.kr/eng/am/usa-atlanta/Affair/visa/index.jsp

From there I found their email address and asked them what specifically I needed for the F4 visa. They provided me in email the documents I needed to submit (visa application/Lose Korean citizenship, etc.) and some guidance on what to put on the documents. PM me for more specifics.

Once I got the documents together and mailed in, to my surprise it was quick. I'm not quite sure about the mutliple entries, but I would assume its ok.

[Yaya]

If you are an able-bodied Korean male with a foreign passport, having an F-4 DOES NOT excuse you from Korean military service. If your name is on your family register, you CAN be drafted by the Korean army if you are under age 35.

Adoptees and biracials are exempt, however.

[sunghwan34]

I have a F-4 visa question.
I'm already in Korea and also called the Immigration office in Seoul.
These are their requirements:
US Passport
Copy of US Passport
Copy of US Citizenship
1 Color Photo
Byung-Juhk-Jeung-Myung-Suh (병적증명서): Exemption from Military Service
Dae-Jeuk-Deung-Bohn (대적등본): Renouncing Korean nationality *See next line below*
Ho-Jeuk-Deung-Bohn (호적등본) I think thats what they meant
Documentation of Name Change
60,000 Won
Visa will take 7 to 10 days

I know the US Citizenship certificate explicitly states DO NOT COPY, but how can you get a copy of it?

*Edited due to incorrect spelling*

[lalala84]

Hello~
how do i get the �Ki Bon Jung myong seo� and �Ga jok gwan gye jung myong seo� ????
i live in the us at the moment~ and i have nooooo idea how to get these documents... any help would be appreciated~

[Yaya]

[pkang0202]

[akfusion]

OP, I'm going through the F4 visa process through the Atlanta consulate also! My process is identical to what you stated. =)

[yik101]

Hello all. Well, I just came back from Changwon Immigration in Gyeongnam. They said I do not qualify for a F4 visa. Even though all the websites I checked said I qualify for a F4 visa, Changwon Immigration proved otherwise.

According to a new stipulation which was passed in 2009, any male that's 22 years or older had to have been added to the Ga jok gwan gye jung myong seo� (Korean family census registry). If you're not on the census registry and you're over 22 years old, then you're out of luck.

For everyone else that's under 22 years old, I would suggest finding out how your name can be added to the family registry. If you have to serve the Korean military then that's your call.

You should really ask yourself, is this F4 visa really worth it?

*by the way, I was born in the US and lived there all my life and only my mother has US citizenship.

[pkjh]

yik101, check your messages.

[yik101]

It appears that the immigration offices in Seoul know more than the other local immigration offices. Well this is what some people have told me.
How can this be possible? All the documents, databases and what have you should be all interconnected to one source. So how can Seoul have more information or better yet how can Seoul help me and the people at Changwon can not?

[yik101]

Hello everyone, hope you're staying cool in this extremely warm weather.
Well, I just spoke with the Immigration Contact Center in Seoul, telephone number 1345 and they told me why I can not obtain a F4 visa. (1) When I was born, my father had to report my birth to the Korean government. In my case, no mention of my birth was made to the Korean government. (2.) By my 18th birthday, if my birth was reported and my name was on the family registry in Korea, I could have chosen to obtain full Korean citizenship, meaning I would of had to serve the military. Now this applies only to my circumstances. The representative was very kind and explained everything very thoroughly. So if you're in Korea call 1345 before you make any trips to your local immigration office. And for everyone else outside of Korea, please verify if your name is on the family registry-it appears that this registry deal is the most important part in obtaining the F4 visa. Thanks for your time and best wishes!

[pkjh]