Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Issue 5-Year Multiple Passports to All Unfulfilled Military Service Members

Abolition of the Single Passport System for Those Who Have Not Completed Military Service

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 5th that it plans to issue 5-year multiple-entry passports uniformly to all individuals who have not completed their military service.

On the same day, a partial amendment to the Passport Act was promulgated, abolishing the single-entry passport system for those aged 25 and over who have not completed military service, and introducing passport sanctions for those who violate the obligation to obtain overseas travel permission.

Until now, individuals who have not completed military service and are aged 18 to 24 were issued passports valid until the age of 24, and those aged 25 and over were given passports with limited validity periods of about one year depending on the overseas travel permission period. However, going forward, 5-year multiple-entry passports will be issued to all individuals who have not completed military service, regardless of whether they have obtained overseas travel permission.

Additionally, since the existing overseas travel permission system by the Military Manpower Administration for those who have not completed military service will continue, such individuals must obtain prior permission from the head of the Military Manpower Administration separately from passport issuance when traveling abroad.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that for those who do not obtain overseas travel permission or who remain abroad beyond the permitted period, an order to surrender their passport will be issued, and if the passport is not surrendered within the designated period, the passport will be invalidated.

This improvement in the passport issuance system for individuals who have not completed military service is expected to enhance the convenience of overseas entry and exit for young people who previously had to obtain a new passport each time they traveled abroad with a passport of limited validity, and to contribute to supporting overseas advancement.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "The Ministry prepared this improvement as part of proactive administration to resolve public inconvenience and protect the rights of youth," adding, "We will continue efforts to improve and expand passport administrative services centered on the public."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.