S. Korea to simplify passport reissuance process from June

Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Seoul. (The Korea Herald)

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry will simplify the passport reissuance process starting next month, allowing applicants to request a new passport in person without bringing their existing passport, even if it is still valid.

The ministry said Thursday that from June 1, South Koreans applying for passport reissuance before their current passport expires will no longer be required to present their existing passport.

Until now, applicants seeking to reissue a passport with remaining validity had to bring their existing passport and either surrender it at the time of application or go through a temporary return procedure, which allowed them to use the passport until receiving the new one.

The requirement had caused inconvenience for applicants who arrived without their passports and had to make an additional visit. Some applicants also reportedly filed false loss reports for their existing passports to expedite the reissuance process.

The ministry said the change was made to ensure consistency between online and in-person application procedures. For online reissuance applications, applicants are not required to submit their valid passport in advance and may return it when collecting the new one.

The simplified procedure will apply only to Korean citizens with no record of passport loss in the past five years. As with online applications, applicants must surrender their existing passport on-site when receiving the newly issued one.

However, those who wish to receive their new passport through individual postal delivery must continue to submit their existing passport at the time of application, as required under current procedures.