Alien registration (residence card) in Korea: who must register, deadline, fee and documents
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
If you will stay in Korea for more than 90 days, you must register as a foreign resident at the immigration office that covers your address, within 90 days of entry. The fee in the law is KRW 35,000 (Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Article 72, in force from Sep. 15, 2026; HiKorea still shows KRW 30,000), and you bring your passport, a form, one 3.5 cm × 4.5 cm photo and proof of where you live. HiKorea's pages do not print how many days the card takes to arrive, so confirm that with the 1345 contact centre.
90 daysRegister within 90 days of entry (stays over 90 days)
KRW 35,000Card fee in the law (HiKorea page: KRW 30,000)
14 daysTo apply for a replacement of a lost or damaged card
1345Immigration Contact Center, Mon–Fri 09:00–22:00
Do you need to register?
| Your situation | What HiKorea says |
|---|---|
| You plan to stay more than 90 days after entry | You are subject to foreigner registration and must register within 90 days of entry. |
| You were granted a new status or a status change while in Korea | Register immediately after being notified of the new status. |
| Diplomatic (A-1), official (A-2) or conventions/agreements (A-3) status, and their family | Exempt from registering. |
| Canadian citizen staying under 6 months on D-1, D-6, F-1, F-3 or G-1 | Exempt. The page gives an example: a Canadian on B-2 who applies for a status change after five months must register when applying. |
| Staying 90 days or less | Not described as subject to registration on the page; the rule is written for stays over 90 days. |
Step by step
- Count your 90 days from the day you entered. Do not wait for the last week, because appointment slots can run out (see step 3).
- Collect the documents in the checklist below. Your status decides the extra papers: a student (D-2) brings a certificate of studentship; an E-2 language instructor brings a business-registration or school paper, a medical-institution physical exam with a drug test, and in some cases a criminal-records certificate; a dependant (F-3) brings a copy of the spouse's or parent's alien registration card.
- Book a visit on HiKorea. The site has a "Reserve Visit" service. It warns that booking is only an appointment and "does not mean a 'receipt of your petition'". Book a date before your period of stay or the statutory reporting period ends. If no date is available in time, go to your jurisdictional immigration office before the reporting period ends; arriving after it may bring a penalty or fine.
- Go to the immigration office with jurisdiction over your address and hand in the documents and the card fee (KRW 35,000 in the law; HiKorea still says a KRW 30,000 revenue stamp). The officer may ask for extra papers after the first screening.
- Collect the card. HiKorea says cards are issued at the immigration office under appropriate jurisdiction. If you hold an IC card you can later add a mobile residence card yourself in the mobile ID app; without an IC card you visit the office and scan a QR code.
- Carry ID. All foreigners must carry a passport, visa or foreigner registration card while in Korea (under-17s are exempt from this duty).
Documents checklist
The last item comes from the visit-reservation notice. E-2 instructors who spent more than 3 months abroad since entry, or who skipped a criminal-records certificate at the visa stage, must add one when registering.
After you have the card
| Event | Deadline and rule |
|---|---|
| Card lost, stolen, damaged, full, or name/sex/birth date/nationality changed | Apply for reissue within 14 days; fee KRW 35,000 in the law (KRW 30,000 on HiKorea); bring passport, form, a reason statement and a photo (needed if your photo is over 6 months old). |
| Change to passport number, issue or expiry date, or to the organisation you belong to (student, trainee, press, religious, corporate statuses) | Report to the local immigration office (see the disagreement below on 14 vs 15 days). Bring passport and card plus the report form; an agent may go for you. |
| Child turns 17 and is on a parent's card | Separate card within 60 days; passport, 2 photos and the card. |
| Final departure | Return the card to the immigration office. Not returning it on time results in fines. |
Where the official sources disagree
| Topic | One source says | Another source says | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card fee | HiKorea documents page: KRW 30,000, government revenue stamp | Law (Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Art. 72 item 10, in force Sep. 15, 2026): "3만 5천원" (KRW 35,000); Art. 73: paid in "현금 또는 현금 납입을 증명하는 증표" (cash or proof of cash payment) | The law is newer and binding; the HiKorea page has not caught up. See the full immigration fee list. |
| Reporting changes to card details | "within 15 days from its occurrence" | "within 14 days of the change" (the line that explains the fine) | Treat 14 days as the safe deadline until the agency fixes the page. |
Mobile residence card
HiKorea says a mobile residence card is a valid ID, equal to the physical card, and can be issued to a phone registered in your own name. This section of the site shows "Last updated: 2024.10.04".
HiKorea's other pages print no revision date; they were read on 2026-10-19. Call 1345 (overseas: +82-2-1345) if your status is unusual. This page is a summary, not legal advice: confirm with the immigration office before you act.
Official sources
- National Law Information Center — Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Articles 72 and 73 — residence card fee KRW 35,000 and payment method; version in force from Sep. 15, 2026 (Korean) (checked 2026-10-19)
- HiKorea — Persons subject to Foreign Resident Registration and the Period — who must register, 90-day rule, exemptions; no revision date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
- HiKorea — Documents for Foreign Resident Registration — common documents, KRW 30,000 fee, status-specific papers (checked 2026-10-19)
- HiKorea — Residence Card Issuance/Re-issuance/Grant — issuing office, 14-day reissue rule, separate card at 17 (checked 2026-10-19)
- HiKorea — Residence Card Return/Carry/Present — return at departure, duty to carry ID (checked 2026-10-19)
- HiKorea — Reporting changes in Foreign Resident Registration — report-changes deadline (15 days and 14 days both appear) (checked 2026-10-19)
- HiKorea — Issuance of mobile residence card — mobile card; page says last updated 2024.10.04 (checked 2026-10-19)
- HiKorea — Visit Reservation Application — how the visit reservation works and what it is not; no revision date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.
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