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Many people count the 90 days from the date printed on their visa. The count starts the day you enter Korea. You must register within 90 days of arrival, and you must do it in person. There is no online option for first-time registration.

This guide puts everything on one page: who has to register, what to bring, what your photo must look like, what it costs, how to book your visit, and what happens at the office. Every fact below comes from Hi Korea (하이코리아), the official portal of the Korea Immigration Service, unless another source is named.

What you cannot do online

Hi Korea runs an online service called e-Application. Several immigration tasks can be done there without visiting an office. First-time foreign resident registration is not one of them.

Here is what the e-Application page lists as available online:

Foreign resident registration does not appear on that list. You have to go to an immigration office in person, so plan for a visit from the start.

Who needs an Alien Registration Card

Hi Korea states the rule this way: foreigners intending to stay in Korea for more than 90 days after entry must register.

Two points often get missed.

The rule is about your intended stay, not how long you end up staying. If your visa allows a one-year stay, you register even if you leave after two months. And if you change your status of stay while you are in Korea, you register at the moment that new status is granted, not 90 days later.

If you are staying 90 days or fewer, you do not register.

When you must apply

You must apply within 90 days of the day you enter Korea.

The count starts on your entry date, the date stamped in your passport at the airport. It does not start on the date your visa was issued, and it does not start on the date your visa becomes valid. This is the single most common mistake, and it can cost you weeks.

If you changed your status of stay inside Korea, the deadline is different. Hi Korea says you register immediately after being notified of the new status.

Book your visit early. The 90 days is the deadline for applying, not for booking. Immigration offices require an appointment, and you cannot book for the same day. Leave yourself room.

What documents you need

Every document you submit must have been issued within the last three months. Hi Korea states this as a blanket rule, so a certificate you collected four months ago will not be accepted.

What everyone must bring

Proof of your address is the item people struggle with most, because the name of the document is broad. Hi Korea gives these examples: a lease contract (임대차계약서), a confirmation that accommodation is provided to you (숙소제공확인서), a notice that your period of stay is about to expire (체류기간만료예고통지문), or a receipt for a utility bill (공공요금납부영수증). The list is not closed, so other documents that show where you live may be accepted.

If you live in a dormitory or in housing your employer arranged, ask that office for the accommodation confirmation. They will usually know the form.

What your visa status adds

On top of the common documents, each status of stay has its own list. Below are five of the most common. Hi Korea publishes the full table for more than 25 statuses, from D-1 to H-2C, and the link is in the sources at the end.

Two of these statuses require a medical exam with a drug test. That exam has to come from a hospital the Ministry of Justice has designated, so you cannot use any clinic. Ask your employer or school which hospital near you is on the list, and book it early. The result takes time.

What your photo must look like

The photo rules are published on Hi Korea, but that page has not been translated into English. Here is what it says.

This is the standard Korean ID photo size. Any photo studio in Korea will know it if you say the size out loud. Photo booths in subway stations print it as well, and they are cheaper.

How much it costs

Registration costs 30,000 KRW.

The office takes cash only. Bring the exact amount, or something close to it, in Korean won. A card will not work, and neither will a transfer from your phone.

There is one exemption. Applicants with a corporate investment status (D-8, 기업투자) do not pay the fee.

Where to apply

You apply at the immigration office that covers the district where you live. It is not your choice. Each office has a fixed jurisdiction, and you go to the one your address falls under.

Hi Korea has a lookup page for this, and it works in English. You can either pick your region from a list of 16, or type in the name of an office. The results show each office’s name, its street address, and the districts it covers. Find your district in that last column.

Check this before you book. If you book at the wrong office, you will have to start again.

How to book your visit

This is the part that catches people out, because the English version of the booking page is much shorter than the Korean one. The rules below come from the Korean page.

You cannot walk in. Since April 2021, every immigration office in Korea runs on appointments. Without a booking, your application will not be accepted, and you will be sent home.

You cannot book for today. Bookings open from the day after you make the request. Same-day appointments are not possible.

You cannot cancel on the day. Cancellations are accepted up to one day before your appointment. On the day itself, the slot is locked.

The booking must be in your own name. Even if someone applies on your behalf, the appointment is made using your personal details, not theirs.

You can book with a Hi Korea account or as a non-member after identity verification. Either route works.

How to apply, step by step

Keep your appointment confirmation and any receipt you are given. You will need them if you have to ask about your application later.

Once your card arrives, the rules do not stop. If you move, change your passport, or lose the card, each of those has its own deadline, and missing one can mean a fine.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources