Renting a home in Korea as a foreigner: protect your deposit with a move-in report and a fixed date (확정일자)
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
To protect a rental deposit in Korea you need up to three things, in this order: (1) move in and complete the move-in report (resident registration for Koreans; for a foreign tenant, the equivalent change-of-residence report under the Immigration Act), which gives protection against third parties from the next day; (2) a fixed date (확정일자) stamped on the lease contract, which gives you a right to be repaid ahead of later creditors if the home is auctioned; (3) a lease report if the deposit is over KRW 60 million or the monthly rent is over KRW 300,000, filed within 30 days of signing. The statutory fee for a fixed date is KRW 600 per contract at an official office. This page is a summary of the law and the government's Easy Law English pages, not legal advice.
Read on 2026-10-19: Housing Lease Protection Act "[시행 2026. 1. 2.] [법률 제21065호, 2025. 10. 1., 타법개정]"; fixed-date rules "[시행 2022. 2. 7.] [법무부령 제1022호]"; Act on Report on Real Estate Transactions as shown "[시행 2024. 5. 17.]" with its decree "[시행 2026. 10. 1.]"; Easy Law pages carry a 1997-2023 copyright line and no revision date.
The three protection steps
| Step | What you do | What it gives you | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Move in and report it | Take possession of the home and complete the move-in report. A foreign tenant files a change-of-residence report at the immigration office, the local administrative welfare center (community center) or via HiKorea. | Your lease is effective against third parties from the next day (Act Art. 3(1)). Without it you cannot assert a right to stay or recover the deposit from a new landlord after a sale or auction. | Easy Law: within 15 days of moving in |
| 2. Fixed date | Have the official date stamped on the lease contract, in person at the office or online (see below). | With step 1 done, you are repaid from the sale proceeds ahead of later-ranking creditors (Art. 3-2(2)). Without it you may be unable to recover the deposit ahead of other creditors. | Do it right after step 1 |
| 3. Lease report | Both parties report the lease to the authority for the home's location if above the thresholds. Either side may file alone if the other refuses. | Completing the report is treated as a fixed date if the lease contract is submitted (Real Estate Transactions Act Art. 6-5(3)). A move-in report by the tenant is treated as the lease report (Art. 6-5(1)). | 30 days from signing |
Foreigners. Easy Law says the Act is, in principle, aimed at natural persons of Korean nationality, so foreign nationals are not covered by default. A foreign tenant who has completed alien registration and reported the change of residence may be protected as an exception, citing Article 88-2(2) of the Immigration Act. Overseas Koreans leasing for a long stay are protected under the Overseas Koreans Act. See the alien registration page for registering first.
The fixed date: where and how much
- Where (offline). Act Art. 3-6(1): the eup/myeon office, dong community center, or a branch office of a city or district for the home's location; a district court and its branches; a registry office; or a notary. Easy Law names the administrative welfare center, district court or registry office of the new residence.
- Where (online). Easy Law says a fixed date can also be obtained through the Supreme Court's Internet Registry Office (iros.go.kr). The fee below is for the statutory offices only; check the official source for any online fee.
- Bring. You must appear in person with the original lease contract and an ID that identifies you, listed as a resident card, driver's licence, passport or alien registration card (Rule Art. 2(2)).
- Fee. KRW 600 per case; if the contract is over 4 pages, KRW 100 more for each additional 4 pages. Information-service requests (viewing a home's lease details) are KRW 600 per case, with KRW 50 extra per printed page over 10. Fees under 100 won are not counted. Notaries charge under the Notary Fee Rules instead (Rule Art. 8).
- Lease information. A party who intends to sign a lease may ask the fixed-date office for the home's lease information with the landlord's consent (Act Art. 3-6(4)).
Lease report thresholds
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Must report if | Deposit over KRW 60 million or monthly rent over KRW 300,000 (Decree Art. 4-3(1)). A renewal that only extends the term with no change in deposit or rent is excluded. |
| Deadline | Within 30 days from the contract date (Act Art. 6-2(1)) |
| Who reports | The two parties jointly, to the authority for the home's location; one side alone if the other refuses (Art. 6-2(1), (3)). The authority issues a report certificate. |
| Where it applies | Special self-governing cities and provinces, cities, counties (only those in metropolitan cities or Gyeonggi-do), and autonomous districts (Decree Art. 4-3(2)) |
Small-deposit priority (Easy Law table, undated)
Easy Law lists the maximum deposits under which a tenant who has completed step 1 before the auction request is registered can claim part of the deposit ahead of other secured creditors. The page prints no revision date, and the decree values were not fetched, so treat this as indicative and confirm the current figures.
| Region | Maximum deposit | Preferential repayment limit |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul | KRW 165 million or less | KRW 55 million or less |
| Overcrowding control zones (excluding Seoul), Sejong, Yongin, Hwaseong, Gimpo | KRW 145 million or less | KRW 48 million or less |
| Metropolitan cities (outside those zones and counties), Ansan, Gwangju, Paju, Icheon, Pyeongtaek | KRW 85 million or less | KRW 28 million or less |
| Other areas | KRW 75 million or less | KRW 25 million or less |
Where the sources differ
| Item | Law text | Easy Law English | What we show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move-in report | Act Art. 3(1): protection from the next day after possession and resident registration; a transfer report counts as registration | Foreigners file a change-of-residence report within 15 days; Act in principle for Korean nationals | Both: the Act is the base rule; Easy Law adds the foreigner route and the 15-day period (Immigration Act, not fetched) |
| Lease-report thresholds | Decree Art. 4-3: over KRW 60 million or over KRW 300,000 a month | Same | Agree |
| Act version | The report-law page shows a version "[시행 2024. 5. 17.]" | n/a | Decree is dated 2026-10-01; confirm no later amendment to Art. 6-2 |
If a landlord will not return the deposit, or you suspect fraud, Easy Law points to guarantee products from HUG, HF and SGI and to HUG's fraud-victim support centre; we did not verify their terms. Next steps for living costs: electricity rates, and health insurance (your address is part of registration).
Checked 2026-10-19.
Official sources
- National Law Information Center — Housing Lease Protection Act, Article 3 — protection against third parties from the day after possession and move-in registration; in force 2026-01-02 (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Housing Lease Protection Act, Article 3-2 — priority repayment with the move-in and fixed-date requirements (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Housing Lease Protection Act, Article 3-6 — which offices grant a fixed date; information requests; fees (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Rules on granting fixed dates and providing lease information, Articles 2 and 8 — KRW 600 fixed-date fee and KRW 600 information fee (Art. 8); ID and original contract (Art. 2, fetched separately); in force 2022-02-07 (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Act on Report on Real Estate Transactions, Articles 6-2 and 6-5 — 30-day joint lease report; report treated as fixed date; move-in report treated as lease report (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Enforcement Decree of the same Act, Article 4-3 — thresholds KRW 60 million deposit or KRW 300,000 rent; areas covered; in force 2026-10-01 (checked 2026-10-19)
- Easy to Find, Practical Law — Lease (Lump-sum Deposit Lease) Agreements — English steps after signing, iros.go.kr, HiKorea, small-deposit table; no revision date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Easy to Find, Practical Law — Application of Housing Lease Protection Act — English: foreign tenants who reported a change of residence are protected as an exception; no revision date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
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