Seal Registration for Foreigners (Making a Registered Seal)

Things to Know First

• You must register a seal before you can be issued a seal certificate.
• A person who has completed alien registration reports the seal to the certifying authority (mayor, county head, or district head) with jurisdiction over the place of stay.
• As a rule, you report in person, orally. A written report (by proxy) is an exception.

What Is Engraved on the Seal

Source: Ministry of the Interior and Safety “2024 Signature Verification and Seal Certification Office Manual” p.179.

• Another example in the manual: John Maynard Keynes → JM Keynes or John M Keynes.
• The name you report is the name entered in the alien registration record. A report under a different name is refused.
• Even if the alien registration card of a person who used Chinese characters abroad shows only an English name, the manual states that the report is accepted if supporting documents such as a family relation register show the Chinese characters or the Korean-script rendering of the original pronunciation.
• The seal must be at least 7mm and at most 30mm in both width and height.
• Materials whose impression changes easily, such as copper plate or rubber, are not allowed. A seal that no longer matches the seal file because of wear or damage is also not allowed.

Where to Register

• Applications are accepted at the eup, myeon, or dong community center with jurisdiction over your place of stay. The law says “the certifying authority with jurisdiction over the place of stay”, and in practice this is delegated to the eup, myeon, and dong.
• Check with the competent office before you visit.

What to Bring

• ID: an alien registration card, or a certificate of alien registration facts (only when you visit in person).
• Passport: the passport number is checked against the passport.
• The seal to be used as your registered seal: a seal that meets the size and material rules above.

Registration Steps

• First prepare a seal that meets the standards above, then visit the community center with jurisdiction over your place of stay with your ID and passport.
• You make the report orally: you state your address and place of stay in Korea, name, date of birth (if you have no resident registration number), and passport number (for foreigners).
• You stamp your thumbprint (무인).
• Once registration is complete, you can be issued a seal certificate.

Fees and Time Needed

• Ask the competent office about the fee before you visit.
• For reference, issuing a seal certificate costs 600 KRW per copy, and a seal change report costs 600 KRW per report.
• The time needed is about 30 minutes (based on field experience; it varies by agency). It is not a time set by law.

After Registration

• If your place of stay changes, the seal register is transferred to the certifying authority for the new place of stay.
• A company (corporate) seal certificate does not follow this procedure. It is applied for by the person who submitted the seal to the registry office (such as the representative). See the corporate seal certificate guide.

Laws may be amended.