New to Korea? What to do after you arrive, step by step

What do I do first?

1. 1. Alien registration (within 90 days of arrival)

   Book a visit on HiKorea (하이코리아) first. On that day, go to the immigration office (출입국·외국인관서) that covers the area where you live.

2. 2. Check your health insurance

   If you work for a company, your employer enrolls you. If you do not, the start date depends on your visa type. Students and marriage immigrants are enrolled as soon as they register.

3. 3. Bank account and phone

   Use your Residence Card as ID to open a bank account. Each bank and phone company asks for different papers, so ask before you go.

4. 4. If you work: taxes and year-end tax settlement

   Your employer takes income tax out of your pay. In January to February of the next year, the tax is settled again (year-end tax settlement, 연말정산). You may choose a flat 19% tax rate.

5. 5. When you leave: national pension

   Whether you get your pension contributions back in one payment depends on your nationality and visa type. Check before you leave.

How do I register?

If you will stay more than 90 days after the date you entered Korea, you must register within 90 days. This applies to almost everyone, except people such as diplomats.

What to bring

• Integrated application form (통합신청서). The office has it, and you can download it from HiKorea.
• Passport
• One photo
• Proof of where you live, such as a housing contract
• Fee of 35,000 won

Some visa types need more papers. For example, workers on an E-9 visa also bring the company's business registration certificate and a drug test result from a designated hospital. Ask HiKorea or call 1345 to find out what your visa needs.

Your fingerprints and face are also recorded. After you register, you get a foreign resident registration number and a Residence Card (외국인등록증). You can also get a mobile Residence Card on your phone.

What do I report after I register?

There is no fee to report a new passport. If you report late, you may have to pay a fine.

When does health insurance start?

• If you work for a company: once you are registered and working, you become an employee subscriber. You and your employer each pay half.
• If you do not work for a company: you become a local (self-employed) subscriber after you have stayed in Korea for 6 months.
• No 6-month wait: permanent residents (F-5), marriage immigrants (F-6), non-professional workers (E-9), and students and language trainees (D-2, D-4) are enrolled when they register.

Local subscribers who are foreigners usually pay in advance. The law sets the due date as the 25th of the month before. If you leave premiums unpaid for a long time, health insurance will not cover your hospital bills until you pay.

For English help, call the National Health Insurance Service (국민건강보험공단) at 033-811-2000.

How do I open a bank account and get a transit card?

Banks accept your Residence Card as ID. Since March 21, 2025, some banks also accept the mobile Residence Card. Some banks ask for more papers, such as a certificate of employment, so check first.

When the government launched K-Pass (K-패스) in 2024, it said foreigners with a Residence Card can join. K-Pass gives back part of your bus and subway fares if you ride 15 times or more a month. Sign-up includes an address check, so check the current rules on the K-Pass website.

How are taxes paid when I work?

Your employer takes income tax out of your pay every month. In January to February of the next year, the tax is settled again. The schedule and steps are the same as for Korean workers.

You may also choose a flat 19% rate. This means you pay 19% of your total pay as tax.

• Under the current law, you can choose it if you first started working in Korea on or before December 31, 2026.
• If you choose it, you get no deductions or tax credits at all.
• Which way is better is different for each person. Compare both before you decide.
• Daily workers cannot choose it.

The National Tax Service (국세청) runs an English help line for foreigners: 1588-0560.

Do I get my pension back when I leave?

Most foreigners aged 18 to 59 who work in Korea join the National Pension (국민연금). You can get your contributions back in one payment (lump-sum refund, 반환일시금) if one of these applies:

• Your home country pays a similar refund to Korean nationals.
• Your country's social security agreement with Korea includes this refund.
• You worked on an E-9, H-2 or E-8 visa. Then nationality does not matter.

Apply at a National Pension Service (국민연금공단) office before you leave. If you leave from Incheon Airport, you can also collect it in foreign cash on the day you fly. You must apply within 5 years of becoming eligible, or you lose the refund.

Where can I get help?

After 18:00, the 1345 center answers only in Korean, English and Chinese. From abroad, call +82-2-1345. The Ministry of Employment and Labor (고용노동부) also offers counseling and Korean classes for E-9 workers and H-2 visiting workers at Foreign Worker Support Centers (외국인노동자지원센터). Your city or district office website may also have help for foreign residents.