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ChangeCourt statement draft
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ChangeCourt statement draft
Changing your legal name in Korea.
A name change needs family court permission, and the application needs a written statement of reasons. That statement is where almost everyone stops. The procedure below is free.
The six steps FREE
1Prepare the documents
📍 Community service centre (주민센터) · Internet Registry Office (인터넷등기소) · Supreme Court electronic family relationship registration system (대법원 전자가족관계등록시스템)
The basics are the basic certificate, detailed (기본증명서 상세), the family relationship certificate, detailed (가족관계증명서 상세) and the resident registration abstract (주민등록초본). For a minor, the parents’ consent form and a family relationship certificate are added.
If you have supporting evidence (소명자료) for your reasons (certificate of employment, graduation album, SNS screenshots, medical records, etc.), submit it as well.
If you have supporting evidence (소명자료) for your reasons (certificate of employment, graduation album, SNS screenshots, medical records, etc.), submit it as well.
2Write the application for permission to change your name (개명허가 신청서) + the statement of reasons (개명 사유서)
📍 You write it yourself
★ This is where most people get stuck. The set form is on the court website, but you have to write the body of the statement of reasons yourself.
A judicial scrivener (법무사) usually charges KRW 300,000–500,000. With a draft, most people can do it themselves.
A judicial scrivener (법무사) usually charges KRW 300,000–500,000. With a draft, most people can do it themselves.
3File with the family court that has jurisdiction
📍 The family court (가정법원) for your address (if there is none, the family branch of the district court, 지방법원 가정지원)
You can file in person or through e-litigation (전자소송, ecfs.scourt.go.kr). The stamp fee (인지대) is around KRW 1,000, and the service-of-documents fee (송달료) is charged separately.
It must be the court for your own address — if you file with another court, the case is transferred and it only takes longer.
It must be the court for your own address — if you file with another court, the case is transferred and it only takes longer.
4Review · waiting for the result
📍 Court (법원)
It usually takes 1–3 months. Some courts take longer. If you receive a correction order (보정명령, a request for more material), you must submit it within the deadline.
The result comes by post.
The result comes by post.
5★ Report the name change (개명신고) within 1 month of permission
📍 Community service centre (주민센터) or city/county/district office (시·군·구청)
You must report it within 1 month of the day you receive the permission decision (허가결정문) (Act on the Registration of Family Relationships, 가족관계등록법). Your name actually changes only when you report it. Permission alone, without the report, has no effect.
If you are late, a fine (과태료) may be charged.
If you are late, a fine (과태료) may be charged.
6Change the name on your other records
📍 Banks, mobile carriers, insurers, your workplace, etc.
You need to update, one by one, your resident registration card (주민등록증), driving licence, passport, bank accounts, cards, insurance, real estate registration, vehicle registration and workplace personnel records.
Your resident registration number stays the same, so in most cases your ID card and basic certificate (기본증명서) are all you need.
Your resident registration number stays the same, so in most cases your ID card and basic certificate (기본증명서) are all you need.
Cases the court tends to refuse
· If the purpose appears to be avoiding debts or hiding credit records, it will not be permitted.
· It is difficult if you are facing an investigation or trial, or if there are signs of trying to hide a criminal record.
· If you have already changed your name several times, correspondingly more specific circumstances are needed.
· Writing anything untrue in the statement of reasons works against you. It is better to write things as they are.
· If the purpose appears to be avoiding debts or hiding credit records, it will not be permitted.
· It is difficult if you are facing an investigation or trial, or if there are signs of trying to hide a criminal record.
· If you have already changed your name several times, correspondingly more specific circumstances are needed.
· Writing anything untrue in the statement of reasons works against you. It is better to write things as they are.
Please read: general guidance, not legal advice, and we cannot predict whether your application will be granted — that is the court’s decision on your individual circumstances. Confirm with the court or Korea Legal Aid Corporation (132).
✍️ A draft of your statement: tell us what happened in your own words and we shape it into the format the court expects — with brackets where you still need to add specifics. First use is free.
😞
I have been teased because of my name
The name sounds funny or became a nickname, and it went on for a long time
⚧
People take me for the opposite gender
Your gender is repeatedly mistaken on documents, on the phone or when meeting people for the first time
📖
The meaning of the hanja is not good
The meaning of the Chinese characters (hanja) in your name is negative, or does not fit the family generation name (항렬) or naming principles
👥
Someone else has the same name
Someone in your family, among relatives or at work has the same name and it causes real confusion
📝
I have actually used a different name for a long time
You have actually used a common name, childhood name or professional name for a long time
🙏
For religious or personal reasons
Religious reasons, or wanting a fresh start after the name change
👨👩👧
Because of a change in family relationships
Remarriage, adoption or similar has made the name awkward within the family
✍️
Other circumstances
Personal circumstances not listed above
Not decided yet? name generator can help.
Write it as you would say it. We do not invent facts — we only shape what you wrote.