How to get your residence card in Korea, step by step

2026-10-21

Ox1997cow / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

If you move to Korea to study, work or join family, the first piece of paperwork that really matters is your residence card: 외국인등록증 (oegugin deungnokjeung). In English it used to be called the Alien Registration Card (ARC), and you will still hear "ARC" everywhere. Without it, opening a bank account, signing a phone contract or using most online services is difficult or impossible.

Here is how the process works, as of October 2026. Rules and fees can change, so check HiKorea or your school or employer before you go.

Who needs one, and by when

You need to register if you plan to stay in Korea for more than 90 days. The deadline is 90 days from your date of entry. If you miss it, you can be fined, and the fine goes up the later you are. In practice, appointments can take weeks to get, especially in March and September when new students arrive, so book as soon as you have an address.

Many universities run a group application for their international students. If yours does, use it: it saves you a trip and a hunt for an appointment.

Step 1: Book an appointment on HiKorea

Most immigration offices only accept residence card applications by reservation. Go to the government portal HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr), find the visit reservation menu, choose the immigration office for your address, and pick "foreigner registration." The office is called 출입국·외국인청 (churipguk oegugincheong) or 출입국·외국인사무소 (churipguk oegugin samuso), depending on its size. Save the reservation confirmation.

If you see no free slots, check again early in the morning; cancelled slots often reappear.

Step 2: Prepare your documents

The exact list depends on your visa, but most people need:

• Passport – 여권 (yeokgwon), plus a copy of the photo page and visa page
• Application form – 신청서 (sincheongseo), the "integrated application form," downloadable from HiKorea or available at the office
• One colour photo taken within the last six months, passport style, white background
• Proof of address: a lease contract, dormitory certificate or similar
• Visa-specific documents: certificate of enrolment for students, employment contract or business registration copy for workers, family documents for spouse visas
• A tuberculosis test certificate if you are from a country on Korea's TB screening list and didn't submit one for your visa
• The fee: 35,000 won (raised from 30,000 won in January 2025, when a chip was added to new cards). Some visa categories are exempt.

Bring an extra copy of everything. Offices differ, and having spares can save you a second visit.

Step 3: At the immigration office

Arrive a little early, take a number or show your reservation, and wait to be called. At the counter, the officer checks your papers, takes your 지문 (jimun) – fingerprints – and gives you a receipt. Keep this receipt – 접수증 (jeopsujeung) – safe; you need it to collect the card.

Useful lines at the counter:

• 외국인등록 하러 왔어요. (oegugin deungnok hareo wasseoyo.) – I'm here to register as a foreign resident.
• 10시에 예약했어요. (yeol-si-e yeyakaesseoyo.) – I have a reservation at 10.
• 영어로 말씀해 주실 수 있어요? (yeongeoro malsseumhae jusil su isseoyo?) – Could you say that in English?

Step 4: Collect your card

Processing usually takes several weeks, and longer at busy times. Depending on the office, you either pick the card up in person on the date given (bring the receipt and your passport) or choose delivery by post. Newer cards carry a chip, and registered foreigners can add a 모바일 외국인등록증 (mobail oegugin deungnokjeung), a mobile residence card, to their phone.

After you get it

• Moving house? Report your new address – 체류지 변경 신고 (cheryuji byeongyeong singo) – within 15 days of moving. You can do this at your local community service centre, at immigration, or online via HiKorea. (Some older guides still say 14 days; doing it in the first week is safest.)
• Lost it? Apply for a 재발급 (jaebalgeup), reissue, within 14 days.
• Visa extension or change is a separate application, but your card number is the key to all of them.

Your 13-digit registration number will be asked for constantly, from bank apps to delivery apps, so learn to recognise the word 외국인등록번호 (oegugin deungnok beonho), foreign registration number.

Korean you can use

The card takes a little patience, but once it is in your wallet, the rest of life in Korea gets much easier.