Daycare, Kindergarten and School Enrollment for Foreign Children

At a glance

• Daycare admission and kindergarten admission are applied for on the integrated childcare portal (유보통합포털). The former kindergarten admission system Cheoeum Hakgyo-ro (처음학교로) and the daycare application portal i-Sarang (아이사랑) were merged into it from 1 November 2024.
• Guardians of foreign children and students can apply to the principal of an elementary school in their residential school district for admission or transfer, and to the competent superintendent of the education office or a middle school principal for middle school admission, transfer or re-admission.
• Government childcare fee support covers children aged 0–5 who validly hold Korean nationality and a resident registration number, and multicultural childcare fees are also limited to children with Korean nationality (as of 2026).
• Seoul separately supports childcare fees for foreign children (aged 0–5); valid alien registration is required (as of 2026).

Who needs to do this

• Instead of the general admission and transfer procedure, guardians of a foreign child or student can apply for admission or transfer to the principal of an elementary school within the school district of their residence.
• Guardians of foreign children and students can also apply for middle school admission, transfer or re-admission to the competent superintendent of the education office or a middle school principal.
• Daycare fee support covers infants and children aged 0–5 who use a daycare center and validly hold Korean nationality and a resident registration number; overseas Koreans registered and managed under the Resident Registration Act are also included (as of 2026, Central Childcare Support Center).
• Multicultural childcare fees cover children of multicultural families aged 0–5 before elementary school, regardless of the guardian's income, but only children with Korean nationality (multicultural childcare fee guide).
• The state and local governments may support state-funded childcare for children of multicultural families, considering their circumstances and characteristics, as set by Presidential Decree.
• Seoul separately supports childcare fees for foreign children (aged 0–5). Valid alien registration is required, and children staying without registration are not covered (as of 2026, Seoul guide).

Where to apply

• Daycare and kindergarten applications are made on the integrated childcare portal. You can also search capacity, current enrollment, number of staff, vehicle service and more for daycare centers and kindergartens nationwide (Korea.kr policy briefing).
• Elementary school: apply to the principal of an elementary school within the school district of your residence.
• Middle school: apply to the superintendent of the education office (district office of education) with jurisdiction over middle schools in the school group of your district's elementary school, or to a middle school principal within the middle school district; the superintendent designates and assigns the school.
• The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education says that for admission of returning and foreign students, you apply to the school for elementary school and to the competent district office of education for middle school (Seoul Office of Education guide).
• Example: the Seoul Jungbu District Office of Education accepts in-person applications at the 1st-floor civil service office on weekdays 09:00~18:00 (except 12:00~13:00) and also by fax (02-708-6641) (Jungbu District Office guide).
• Multicultural students may also, as the superintendent of education decides, enter or transfer to an elementary or middle school with a special class for multicultural students.

What to bring

• The school principal (or superintendent) checks the certificate of entry and exit facts or the certificate of alien registration facts through shared administrative information.
• If the guardian does not consent to this check, attach one of the following: a document proving entry/exit or alien registration facts, or a document confirming residence such as a lease contract or a neighbor's guarantee of residence (인우보증서).
• Documents listed by the Seoul Jungbu District Office of Education for middle school re-admission: certificate of entry and exit facts (1 copy each for father, mother and student), vaccination certificate (translated, notarized and confirmed by a public health center), foreign school enrollment and grade documents (if applicable), alien registration card or proof of residence in Korea.
• To receive Seoul childcare fee support for foreign children, you need valid alien registration and a National Happiness Card (국민행복카드).

Cost

• Government support rates for daycare fees (basic care, monthly, as of 2026): age-0 class KRW 584,000, age-1 class KRW 515,000, age-2 class KRW 426,000, age 3–5 class KRW 280,000. These apply to children holding Korean nationality and a resident registration number (Central Childcare Support Center).
• Seoul childcare fee support for foreign children (as of 2026): 50% of the fee for ages 0–2 and 70% for ages 3–5.
• Seoul's monthly support amount depends on the facility type: KRW 213,000~292,000 for ages 0–2 and KRW 196,000~352,310 for ages 3–5 (Seoul guide).

Procedure

• Step 1 (daycare, kindergarten): search for a facility on the integrated childcare portal and apply for the waiting list or admission. Kindergarten general recruitment has been held every November (2024 example: priority recruitment November 1–5, general recruitment November 20–22).
• Step 2 (childcare fees for foreigners living in Seoul): get a National Happiness Card and pay the childcare fee with it; Seoul covers its support share.
• Step 3 (elementary school): go to the elementary school in your residential district and apply for admission or transfer; consent to the alien registration check, or if you do not consent, submit documents confirming residence.
• Step 4 (middle school): apply to the competent district office of education, and the superintendent designates and assigns the school.
• The Seoul Jungbu District Office of Education processes applications within 7 days and sends the assignment result by text message.

Common sticking points

• Even without alien registration, you can still apply for elementary or middle school admission. Documents confirming residence such as a lease contract or a neighbor's guarantee of residence can be used instead.
• Nationwide government childcare fee support is for children who validly hold Korean nationality and a resident registration number, so children of foreign nationality do not meet this requirement. Multicultural childcare fees are also limited to children with Korean nationality.
• Seoul childcare fee support for foreign children does not cover children staying without registration.
• Some district offices of education say a foreign vaccination certificate must be translated, notarized and confirmed by a public health center, so prepare it in advance.

This guide is general information and does not assess individual eligibility. Laws and support amounts can change, so check the original text via the official links and with the competent authority.