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My family situation is complicated. How do I collect the documents from my home country?

Foreigners Employment Support Organization (FESO)　／　Published 14 August 2025　／　Last updated 21 August 2026

This article is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails. Read the Japanese original（日本語版を読む）

Answer

Yes, you are right: you start from the 家族関係証明書 and work back in time, obtaining several 除籍謄本 as you go. What matters is proving your mother's marriage history, and the fact that your siblings have different fathers, with objective documents. Asking a specialist to do this for you is also worth considering.

What is this enquiry about?

An enquiry from a person with a complicated family situation, who is worried about how to obtain the home-country documents for a naturalisation application.

Subject: naturalisation (普通帰化, ordinary naturalisation)
Situation: The enquirer is a Korean national who holds a permanent residence visa and is single. His family situation is complicated. His mother had her eldest daughter while unmarried. She then had the enquirer with her first husband, and a younger brother with her second husband. His mother and her second husband are still married.
Question: With this complicated family situation, is it right to obtain the 除籍謄本 (certified copies of removed family registers) needed for the naturalisation application by starting from the 家族関係証明書 (family relation certificate) and working back in time?

Is it right to start from the 家族関係証明書 and work back?

Yes, that is right.

If you do not know the exact 登録基準地 (registered place of family relation) or the exact head of the household, you have little choice but to obtain the documents little by little, in order, using the information written in each register. You have to submit documents that cover your personal status from birth up to the present without gaps. When the family situation is complicated, no single document can prove every relationship, so you must combine several documents and set them out in order of date.

The Korean family register system changed to the 家族関係登録制度 (family relation registration system) on 1 January 2008. Because of this, personal status matters up to 31 December 2007 are proved by a 除籍謄本, while matters from 1 January 2008 onwards are proved by certificates such as the 家族関係証明書 or the 婚姻関係証明書 (marriage relation certificate).

First obtain the 家族関係証明書 (from 1 January 2008 onwards).
Using the information written on the 家族関係証明書, such as your parents' dates of birth, obtain the 除籍謄本 (up to 31 December 2007).
To prove your mother's earlier marriage history, work back and obtain every 除籍謄本 that concerns her.

What should I watch out for when the family situation is complicated?

Proving all of your mother's marriages, and proving that your siblings have different fathers, are especially important.

Proving all of your mother's marriages: if your mother had children with more than one man, you need every 除籍謄本 that records each marriage and divorce and the birth of each child.
Proving siblings with different fathers: if the eldest daughter's father is not the same man as the father of the enquirer and his younger brother, the relationships must be made clear with a 除籍謄本 or 家族関係証明書 that records the births. If the mother had the eldest daughter while unmarried, you also need the 除籍謄本 that records that fact.
Proving the younger brother's father: that the younger brother's father is the mother's second husband must also be proved by the brother's 家族関係証明書 or 除籍謄本.
Checking with the Korean authorities: the 家族関係登録制度 is different from the head-of-household system used before 2008, so you may need to check with the Korean authorities how to obtain a document and what it contains.

How can I obtain the home-country documents?

You can go in person, apply by post, use an agent, or apply through a mission abroad.

Go to the municipal office in person and obtain them yourself
Apply by post (this can take time)
Ask a gyoseishoshi or lawyer in your home country to do it for you
Obtain them through the embassy or consulate-general in Japan

When family relationships are complicated, obtaining every document yourself without missing one can be very hard. Missing or faulty documents can delay the screening badly, or lead to a denial. It is therefore worth considering asking a specialist who is familiar with home-country documents to do this for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do I use a Korean 除籍謄本, and when do I use a 家族関係証明書?

Personal status matters from 1 January 2008 onwards are proved by the 家族関係証明書. Matters up to 31 December 2007 are proved by the 除籍謄本.

If my mother married more than once, what do I have to prove?

You have to obtain every 除籍謄本 that records each marriage and divorce, and the birth of each child, and prove those facts.

Do I have to obtain the home-country documents myself?

You can obtain them in person, but you can also apply by post, ask a gyoseishoshi or lawyer in your home country to do it, or obtain them through a mission abroad.

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This article provides general information. Immigration rules change, and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Please check the Immigration Services Agency website or consult a qualified specialist.
This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.