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For Korean men turning 25 this year, deadline to file for overseas travel permit is Jan. 15

January 5, 2016

By The Korea Times Los Angeles staff

Are you a male Korean international student studying in the U.S. or a dual citizen born in 1991?

The deadline to file for an overseas travel permit, which would allow men turning 25 years of age this year — considered conscription candidates by the South Korean government — to travel or stay overseas, is in just 10 days, according to the Military Manpower Administration.

Korean men who are international students, undocumented immigrants, permanent residents or dual citizens and who have not completed their 21-month military duty must file for the travel permit in order to go overseas.

Applicants may file through the MMA website or through their local diplomatic offices. The deadline is Jan. 15.

MMA said those who receive U.S. permanent residency and who can prove they have lived with their parents in the U.S. for more than three years after, or undocumented immigrants who can prove they have been living with their parents in the U.S. for more than five years, may receive an extension to be exempt from military service until 37 years of age.

Under current laws, men with dual citizenship are only eligible to renounce their Korean nationality within three months of turning 18 years of age, or when they are 38 years old.

If they do not renounce, they may have an obligation to serve in the Korean military, in particular if found staying in South Korea for more than 90 days.

The overseas travel permit allows men who may be subject to service to push back their compulsory service to 37 years of age.