South Korea (KR)

Required for entry, visa applications, ARC (Alien Registration Card) issuance, banking, SIM registration and all official transactions. Must be valid for at least 6 months for most long-stay visa categories. Keep 2–3 certified copies for administrative appointments.

Required for most long-stay categories (E-2 English teacher, E-7 skilled worker, F-6 Korean spouse visa, D-8 company investor, etc.) before entry. Status changes inside Korea are possible in limited circumstances. Apply at the Korean Embassy or consulate in your home country. Single, double or multiple entry visas have different restrictions.

The foreign registration card (외국인등록증) issued by the Korea Immigration Service (HiKorea — hikorea.go.kr) within 90 days of entry. Mandatory for most foreigners staying more than 90 days. Required for bank accounts, phone contracts, National Health Insurance (NHIS), National Pension (NPS) and many daily transactions. Carry at all times.

Required for E-series work visas (E-2, E-7, etc.), NHIS enrolment, NPS registration, tax filing and housing lease applications. Employment contracts must comply with Korean labour law; bilingual Korean/English contracts are standard in multinational settings. Certified Korean translation required for non-Korean originals.

Required for E-2, E-7, D-8 and many skilled visa categories. South Korea is a Hague Apostille member; foreign degrees from Hague member countries require apostille. Certified Korean translation required. Some visa categories also require degree verification through the Korean Embassy in the issuing country or the KRIVET (Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training).

Mandatory for E-2 (English teacher) visas and important for many other employment-based visas and regulated roles. South Korea is a Hague Apostille member; foreign clearances from Hague member countries require apostille. The certificate must be recent — typically issued within 6 months of visa application. Certified Korean translation required.

Required for family visa applications, school enrolment, dependant registration and nationality procedures. Apostille from Hague member countries; certified Korean translation required.

Required for F-3 (dependent of E-visa holder), F-6 (Korean spouse) visa applications, National Health Insurance dependant registration and tax family deductions. Apostille from Hague member countries; certified Korean translation required.

International and Korean schools require recent academic transcripts, immunisation history and, for older children, Korean-translated records for year-level placement. Korea's school system uses the Hakgyo (학교) system; public schools enrol foreign children based on address registration (세대주 등록).

An IDP is valid for up to 1 year from entry for most nationalities. For licence exchange, holders of licences from countries with bilateral agreements (including the USA, most EU countries, Australia and others) can exchange at the local driver's licence centre (운전면허시험장) with an embassy-verified licence certificate; some require a vision test only. Korea drives on the right.

Bring medical diagnoses, prescriptions with generic drug names and chronic-condition summaries. Some medications are controlled substances in Korea (including certain ADHD, pain and sleep medications) — confirm customs rules for your specific medications before travel. Register with a local clinic (의원 or 병원) using your ARC and NHIS card.

Required for APHIS (Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, QIA) clearance at Korean airports. Core documents: microchip certificate (ISO 11784/11785), current rabies vaccination record, a rabies antibody neutralisation titre test (RNATT) if entering from high-risk countries, a veterinary health certificate and an import notification to QIA (qia.go.kr). Confirm current requirements by country of origin before travel.

Useful for student visa, job-seeker visa, business visa and visa extension applications. Typically 3–6 months of statements from a home-country bank. Korean banks (KEB Hana, Shinhan, Woori, KB) require the ARC, passport and proof of address for account opening.