Can I change my passport English name later?
Only for one of 11 legal reasons (a legal name change, a one-time change after age 18, a spouse’s surname, matching family, a name used abroad, etc.). Preference alone is not enough.
How to Romanize Your Korean Name for a Passport
Choosing the English spelling is the trickiest part of getting a Korean passport, because the same Korean name is spelled differently from person to person. This guide covers the passport name rules and the spellings people actually use most.
Why choose carefully
A passport English name is very hard to change once registered. It requires a specific reason and proof, and a mismatch with already-issued tickets, visas, or overseas accounts can cause problems.
So match your family and follow the most common spelling from the start.
Passport name rules
Korean passport names follow these principles.
- Order: surname first, then given name.
- Join: two-syllable given names are joined (GILDONG) or hyphenated (GIL-DONG), not spaced.
- Uppercase: passports print names in all caps.
- No assimilation: names are romanized syllable by syllable, e.g. 한복남 → HAN BOKNAM (not BONGNAM).
Surname spelling — the most common forms
For surnames, the conventional spelling far outweighs the official romanization. Gim (RR) is rarely used; 99.8% use Kim. Below are the most common spellings from passport statistics.
| Surname | Most common | Others |
|---|---|---|
| 김 | Kim (99.8%) | Gim |
| 이 | Lee (98.4%) | Yi · Rhee |
| 박 | Park (97.3%) | Bak · Pak |
| 최 | Choi (88.5%) | Choe |
| 정 | Jung (41%) | Jeong · Chung |
| 강 | Kang (95.9%) | Gang |
| 윤 | Yoon (49%) | Yun · Youn |
| 임 | Lim (62%) | Im · Yim |
Given name — common vs official
There are no statistics for given names, so it is your choice. The conventional spelling often differs from the official Revised Romanization (RR).
| Hangul | Common | Official (RR) |
|---|---|---|
| 영 | Young | Yeong |
| 현 | Hyun | Hyeon |
| 준 | Joon | Jun |
| 수 | Soo | Su |
| 우 | Woo | U |
| 경 | Kyung | Gyeong |
Keep family surnames consistent
If parents, children, and siblings spell the surname differently, proving family relationships abroad becomes harder. Use the same surname spelling across the family.
If a family member already has a passport, follow their spelling.
Common mistakes
- Paraphrasing the name with a translator — use the romanization directly.
- Reversing surname/given order — surname comes first.
- Spacing the given name — join or hyphenate it.
- Using a different surname spelling from family — keep it consistent.
Frequently asked questions
Should I join or hyphenate the given name?
Both are allowed, e.g. GILDONG or GIL-DONG. Keep tickets and documents consistent once you decide.
Must I use the official Gim or Bak spelling?
No. Conventional spellings like Kim and Park are used far more often. Without a specific reason, follow the most common spelling.