Suggested citations
AGLC4 | 공민등록법 2015 [Citizen Registration Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2015)] [tr Daye Gang].
Bluebook | Gongmindeunglogbeob 2015 [Citizen Registration Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2015)] translated in Law and North Korea by Daye Gang, https://www.lawandnorthkorea.com/.
Adopted on November 26, Juche 86 (1997), as Decision No. 102 of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on November 19, Juche 87 (1998), as Directive No. 160 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended on July 24, Juche 89 (2000), as Directive No. 1676 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on May 11, Juche 99 (2010), as Directive No. 835 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on October 27, Juche 104 (2015), as Directive No. 750 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Article 1 (Objectives of Citizen Registration Law)
The Citizen Registration Law of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea shall strictly adopt systems and order in commanding and registering citizens, and shall serve to protect their rights and interests.
Article 2 (Subjects of regulation of Citizen Registration Law)
The Citizen Registration Law shall regulate the process and method of the births, residence, and vacation of citizens.
Article 3 (Citizens registration institution)
Citizen registration shall be done by the people’s safety institutions in residential areas. The registration of citizens of the Republic living in other countries shall be done by the consular institutions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Article 4 (Residence registration of citizens)
Citizens must do residence registration in the people’s safety institutions in the areas they live in. In these cases, they must submit a residence registration application. A residence registration application must state things like the name, gender, birthdate, birthplace, and address.
Article 5 (Registration of citizens who have obtained citizenship of the Republic)
In cases where a citizen who has been expelled from the citizenship of other countries and own citizenship of the Republic seek to reside in our country, citizen registration shall be done.
Article 6 (Resident register)
People’s safety institutions must register citizens on the resident register without exception. In these cases, things like name, gender, birthdate, birthplace, addresses and job, and marriage or divorce relationships shall be correctly stated.
Article 7 (Subjects of issue of birth certificate, citizen card, Pyongyang city resident card)
Birth certificates, citizen cards, and Pyongyang city resident certificates are approval documents that confirm the state of being a citizen of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Citizens who have done birth registration shall be given a birth certificate, citizens over the age of 17 years shall be given a citizen card, and citizens over the age of 17 years residing in Pyongyang City shall be given a Pyongyang City resident card.
Article 8 (Issuing institution for birth certificates, citizen cards, Pyongyang City resident cards)
Birth certificates, citizen cards, and Pyongyang City resident cards shall be issued by the people’s safety institutions in the area where the citizen resides in the name of the Ministry of People’s Security of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Article 9 (Birth registration)
Birth registration shall be done within 15 days of the birthdate. In these cases, the birth registration application shall be submitted to the people’s safety institution of the residential area. In a birth registration application shall be stated the name, gender, birthdate, birthplace, address, and race.
Article 10 (Issue application for citizen cards, Pyongyang City resident cards)
Citizens must submit application documents for the issue of citizen cards and Pyongyang City resident cards to the people’s safety institution of the residential area within 15 days of the day they reach 17 years. Application documents for the issue of citizen cards and Pyongyang City resident cards shall state things like the name, gender, birthdate, birthplace, and address.
Article 11 (Time limit for issue of birth certificates, citizen cards, Pyongyang City resident cards)
A people’s safety institution that has received an application document to issue things like birth registrations and citizen cards must review it within 15 days and must issue birth certificates, citizen cards, Pyongyang City resident cards.
Article 12 (Management of birth certificates, citizen cards, Pyongyang City resident cards)
Citizens must carefully handle birth certificates, citizen cards, and Pyongyang City resident cards and must not lose it or cause it damage. Birth certificates, citizen cards, and Pyongyang City resident cards must not be lent out.
Article 13 (Return and recovery of birth certificates, citizen cards, Pyongyang City resident cards)
In cases where a citizen has entered the Korean People’s Army, Korean People's Internal Security Forces, or a people’s security, safety and defence institution, or died, or has fallen into a state of mental illness, or has been expelled from the citizenship of the Republic, his or her birth certificate, citizen card, and Pyongyang City resident card shall be submitted to the people’s safety institution in the area where he or she resided. In cases where a person has received a life-time term of reform through labour or limited term of reform through labour upon the judgment of a court, his or her birth certificate, citizen card, or Pyongyang City resident card shall be recovered. However the birth certificate, citizen card, or Pyongyang City resident card of a person who has received a judgment to defer implementation shall not be recovered.
Article 14 (Vacation registration)
Citizens seeking to move their domicile to a different area must do a vacation registration. In these cases, a vacation registration application shall be submitted to the people’s safety institution in that residential area. A vacation registration application shall state things like name, gender, birthdate, birthplace, address, and destination after vacation.
Article 15 (Residence registration period)
Citizens who have done vacation registration must do residence registration within 15 days of the day of the vacation registration.
Article 16 (Change in particulars filled out in birth certificates, citizen cards, Pyongyang City resident cards)
Citizens may not change the name, gender, birthdate, and birthplace registered in their birth certificates, citizen cards, Pyongyang City resident cards. In cases where name, gender, birthdate or birthplaces are sought to be changed due to inevitable circumstances an application document for permission to change identity to the people’s safety institutions. The people’s safety institutions shall correctly review the application document and permit or reject it, and in cases where the gender is sought to be determined differently, an analysis must be requested and received from the State forensic medicine analysis institution.
Article 17 (Expulsion of citizen registration)
In cases where a citizen has died or has abandoned citizenship of the Republic, he or she shall be expelled from citizen registration.
Article 18 (Guidance for citizens registration work)
Standardized guidance for citizens registration work shall be done by the central people’s safety guidance institution. The central people’s safety guidance institution shall correctly adopt a guidance system for citizens registration work and must normally command and guide citizens registration work.
Article 19 (Administrative or criminal responsibility)
Responsible workers of institutions, enterprises and organizations and individual citizens who have caused grave consequences to citizens registration work by violating this law shall have administrative or criminal responsibility imposed depending on the gravity.
Last updated 25 October 2020