U.S. states

Documents that Must Be Ordered from the Department of State in Washington

Consular Report of Birth Abroad
A document issued by an American embassy or consulate reflecting the facts of a birth abroad of a child acquiring U.S. citizenship at birth through one or both parents. This record, also known as an FS-240, along with the Certification of Birth, DS-1350, are acceptable as proof of birth and U.S. citizenship for all legal purposes.

Please go to the State Department's web page on consular records for complete details on obtaining a copy of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad.

Report of the Death of an American Citizen
A document issued by an American embassy or consulate reflecting the facts of a death abroad of an American citizen. The document is based upon the local death certificate.

Please go to the State Department's web page on consular records for complete details on obtaining a copy of a Report of Death of An American Citizen.

Certificate of Witness to Marriage
A document issued by an American embassy or consulate reflecting the facts of a marriage abroad in which at least one party is an American Citizen. A consular officer must have attended the ceremony. This accommodation was discontinued in 1987.

Please go to the State Department's web page on consular records for complete details on obtaining a copy of a Certificate of Witness to Marriage.

Documents that Must Be Obtained from the Korean Government

Report and Certificate of Marriage
A certified copy of your Report and Certificate of Marriage may be obtained by writing the specific ward office in which your marriage actually took place. A certified check or money order for the marriage certificate should be made payable to the specific ward office. For your information, most Americans in Korea registered their marriages at the Citizen Affairs Section, Chongroku Ward Office near the American Embassy in Seoul. The address is 146-2 Soosongdong Chongroku, Seoul 110-701 Korea, (Tel: 82-2-731-0640).

If your marriage was registered before January 31, 1995, this copy may be obtained by writing the Citizens Secton, City Hall, 31 Taipyungro 1-ka Chungku, Seoul 100-101 Korea (Tel: 82-2-731-6439). A certified check or money order for the marriage certificate should be made payable to City Hall, Seoul, Korea.

The charge is $9.00 per copy. Be sure to include complete information on names, place, and date of marriage.

Divorce Decrees
Korean divorce decrees may be obtained by writing the Family Court in Korea where the divorce was filed. The charge is $3.00 per copy. A certified check or money order for the divorce decree should be made payable to the Family Court concerned. Be sure to include complete information on the docket number, decree date, location, and court name. The address of Seoul Family Court is 1700-1 Seocho 3-dong Seochoku Seoul, Tel: 530-2530/2461.

If the divorce decree is to be submitted to the U.S. Government, you must also provide an English translation which the Family Court will not do. A list of attorneys is also attached. You may make arrangements through the office of one of these attorneys to obtain an English translation.

Korean Family Census Register
Korean Family Census Register(births, marriages, divorces, deaths and adoptions) may be obtained by writing the specific ward office in which the Family Census Register is filed. To facilitate locating the Family Census Register in the ward office files, the following must be provided:

Name of the head of family written in either Korean or Chinese characters;
Family's permanent address in Korea. The family register is compiled for each family unit when the family head has established a permanent address within the jurisdiction of the ward office.

The charge is $3.00 per copy. A check or money order should be made payable to the ward office concerned.

Documents that Must Be Obtained from a U.S. State

Vital Records are documents such as birth, death or marriage certificates. In the U.S., such records are usually held by state, county or city governments, depending on location. Here is some information to assist you in obtaining copies of such records.

Follow this link for an on-line source of more information about obtaining vital records in the U.S., such as birth certificates.

There are also on-line services that will help you obtain records for a fee.

One such service is VitalChek (800-255-2414), which allows you to request birth, death, and marriage certifications online, by phone, or by fax.

Another service called usbirthcertificate.net can help you obtain or amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, in addition to obtaining a birth certificate. You must have a physical street address to use this service (no APO's, FPO's, or PO Boxes).

You can also download a booklet with addresses and contact information for vital records, such as birth, death and marriage certificates, held by all 50 U.S. states.

To view this booklet you will need Acrobat Reader. The latest Acrobat software (version 4.0) is available for a free download.

For Americn Citizen Services (ACS) inquiries, please e-mail us at : seoul_acs@state.gov.

The basic information on American Citizen Services may also be obtained by calling 02-397-4114. Our FAX number is 02-397-4101.

This is an official U.S. Government source for information on the WWW. Inclusion of non-U.S. Government links or information does not imply endorsement of contents.

The U.S. Embassy is closed on both U.S. and Korean holidays.

Updated July 26, 2002

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Documents that Must Be Ordered from the Department of State in Washington

Documents that Must Be Obtained from the Korean Government

Documents that Must Be Obtained from a U.S. State

Updated July 26, 2002 wwwh3011.html

Updated July 26, 2002

wwwh3011.html