Document Guides

Documents for foreigners in Korea: what to bring and where to go.

Entry and Stay
Housing and Administration
Finance and Telecom
Tax and Insurance
Work and Study
Family
Driving
Daily Life Guides

Entry and Stay

Alien Registration (New) Immigration office, foreigner office, branch or sub-office with jurisdiction over the place of stay (Ministry of Justice)
Alien Registration Card Reissue Immigration and foreigner office (branch or sub-office) with jurisdiction over the place of stay Reissue fee, where to apply, what to bring
Certificate of Alien Registration Facts Immigration and foreigner offices, city, county or district office, eup, myeon or dong community center Issuance and viewing fees, where to get it, who can apply, and Government24 online
Report of Change of Place of Stay (Move-in Report) City, county or district office, or eup, myeon or dong community center for the new place of stay, or an immigration and foreigner office Report within 15 days of moving, where to report, what to bring, and the link to the fixed date
Extension of Period of Stay Permit Immigration and foreigner office with jurisdiction (permission of the Minister of Justice) Statutory fee and online reduction, where to apply, what to bring, and when to apply
Change of Status of Stay Permit Immigration and foreigner office with jurisdiction (permission of the Minister of Justice)
Re-entry Permit and Re-entry Permit Exemption Immigration and foreigner office (branch or sub-office) with jurisdiction, airport immigration office
Domestic Residence Report Card (F-4) and Certificate of Residence Report Facts Immigration and foreigner office (branch or sub-office) with jurisdiction
Report of Change in Registered Details Immigration and foreigner office with jurisdiction over the place of stay
Certificate of Entry and Exit Facts Immigration and foreigner offices, city, county or district office, eup, myeon or dong community center, overseas missions Fee, where to get it, who can apply, and the link to driver license exchange
Grant of Status of Stay (Children Born in Korea, etc.) Immigration and foreigner office with jurisdiction (Minister of Justice)

Housing and Administration

Seal Registration for Foreigners (Making a Registered Seal) Eup, myeon or dong community center with jurisdiction over the place of stay How to write the name on an English seal, where to register, what to bring, seal size, and time needed
Personal Seal Certificate Issuance City, county and district offices nationwide, eup, myeon and dong community centers Issuing locations nationwide, requirements for self and proxy issuance, purposes, statutory fee, and the Signature Verification Certificate
Corporate Seal Certificate: Issuing Locations Nationwide Registry offices nationwide Any registry office nationwide regardless of jurisdiction, fees, a table of registry offices by city and province, and self-service kiosks
Resident Registration Abstract (Foreigners Listed in a Korean Household) Eup, myeon or dong community center, Government24
Fixed Date for a Housing Lease Fixed-date granting bodies (community center, registry office, court, notary office, etc.)
Report of Real Estate Acquisition by a Foreigner Reporting authority where the property is located (city, county or district)

Finance and Telecom

Joint Certificate and Financial Certificate Certification bodies such as banks, securities firms, and the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute

Tax and Insurance

Income Amount Certificate National Tax Service (tax office)
Tax Payment Certificate and Payment History Certificate National Tax Service (tax office)
National Pension Enrollment Certificate National Pension Service
National Pension Lump-Sum Refund for Foreigners National Pension Service

Work and Study

Certificate of Enrollment and Certificate of Graduation The school concerned
Apostille (Korean Documents and Foreign Documents) Overseas Koreans Agency, Ministry of Justice (for foreign documents, the body designated by the issuing country)
Consular Legalization (for Non-Apostille Countries) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseas missions
Employment Certificate Employer
Criminal Record Report (Korea, for Stay and Visa Purposes) Korean National Police Agency
Foreign Criminal Record Certificate (for Stay Permits) Competent authority of the country of nationality
Business Registration (Foreign Business Owners) Tax office with jurisdiction (National Tax Service)

Family

Family Relation Certificate and Basic Certificate (Including English Issuance) City, district, eup, myeon or dong community center (family relation registration office), overseas missions
Marriage Report, Certificate of Marriage Eligibility, and Marriage Relation Certificate City, district, eup, myeon or dong (the certificate of marriage eligibility comes from the foreigner’s home country authority or its embassy in Korea)
Birth Report (Child of a Korean and a Foreigner / Both Parents Foreigners) City, district, eup, myeon or dong (if both parents are foreigners, the grant of status of stay is handled by an immigration and foreigner office)
Divorce Report City, district, eup, myeon or dong (confirmation of divorce by agreement is by the family court)
Marriage Immigration (F-6) Visa Invitation Documents Overseas missions, immigration and foreigner offices

Driving

Exchanging a Foreign Driver License for a Korean License Driver license test center (Korea Road Traffic Authority)
Driving in Korea with an International Driving Permit Issuing body in the foreign country

Daily Life Guides

Bank account & overseas remittance FSS · FSC What foreigners need to open a bank account, and how overseas remittance and its limits work.
Childcare and school enrollment Education offices, local governments Daycare and kindergarten applications and school enrollment for foreign families
Foreign driver license exchange Korea Road Traffic Authority Who can swap a foreign license for a Korean one, documents, fees and steps
Emergency and helpline numbers Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Justice and others Emergency reporting for fire and crime, and helplines for stay, tourism and multicultural families, with language support
Permanent residence (F-5): counting the stay period Immigration offices (Ministry of Justice) The 90-days-per-trip and 180-days-per-year rule, and dividing the period into 365-day blocks back from the application date
Health insurance premiums NHIS When foreigners join, the average premium, reductions and the effects of arrears
Hospitals and care in your language E-GEN, HIRA, Immigration Contact Center Finding ERs, hospitals and pharmacies, and interpreting lines when you cannot communicate
Renting a home and your deposit Community centers, registry offices, HUG Protect your deposit after renting: change-of-residence report and fixed date
Mobile phone and ID check MSIT, KAIT IDs for opening a phone line, ID checks and a free identity theft prevention service
Pension lump-sum refund on departure National Pension Service National Pension refund for foreigners leaving Korea: eligibility, documents, airport payment
Pregnancy and birth support NHIS, immigration office Pregnancy medical voucher, status of stay for foreign babies, child benefits
Severance pay & departure insurance MOEL · HRD Korea Severance pay and departure-expiry insurance for foreign workers: how to claim, documents, timing
Transit cards and Climate Card Seoul City, MOLIT Seoul subway and bus fares, transfers, Climate Card and Moduui Card (K-Pass)
Unpaid wages and work injuries MOEL, COMWEL How to file a wage petition, claim a substitute payment or apply for workers’ compensation
Waste sorting City/county/district office How to dispose of general waste, recyclables, food waste and bulky waste
Year-end tax for foreign workers National Tax Service Year-end tax settlement steps and how to apply for the flat rate