Independent publication · Counters checked in Daejeon
The procedure you face depends on why you are in Korea. A worker on an employment permit, a spouse, and a student are sent to different offices, hand in different papers, and have different amounts done for them. These guides are sorted that way.
Immigration paperwork in Korea is not one system. Which office you report to, which forms you sign, and how much of it someone else does on your behalf all change with your status. Pick the track that matches your situation.
장업 · chwieop
Employment permit holders, skilled workers, and anyone whose stay is tied to a job. Part of this track runs through the employment centre rather than immigration — these guides set out which part, and where you still have to appear yourself.
In preparation노동 · nodong
Contracts, insurance, severance, and unpaid wages. Separate from your visa, and handled by a different ministry. Knowing which office hears which complaint decides whether anything happens.
In preparation결혼이민 · gyeolhonimin
Spouse status, the marriage registration itself, and the longer path towards permanent residence. Two separate systems that have to be done in the right order.
In preparation유학 · yuhak
Student status, part-time work permission, and what happens at graduation. Universities file a great deal of this for their students — which makes it easy to reach graduation without knowing what was filed.
In preparationNothing is published here until the figures in it have been confirmed with a named authority and the date of that confirmation is recorded. Titles marked in preparation are scheduled, not drafted.
| Guide | Korean term | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Booking an immigration appointment on HiKorea | 하이코리아 방문예약 | In preparation |
| Alien registration card, first issuance | 외국인등록증 | In preparation |
| Extending a stay before expiry | 체류기간 연장 | In preparation |
| Reporting a change of address | 체류지 변경신고 | In preparation |
| Opening a bank account and a phone line | 계좌 개설 · 휴대폰 개통 | In preparation |
| Guide | Korean term | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Who files what: the employment centre and immigration | 고용센터 · 출입국사무소 | In preparation |
| Changing workplace on an employment permit | 사업장 변경 | In preparation |
| Permission to work outside your status | 체류자격외활동 허가 | In preparation |
| Re-entry and leaving the country mid-contract | 재입국 허가 | In preparation |
| Guide | Korean term | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Reading your employment contract before signing | 근로계약서 | In preparation |
| The four insurances, and which ones apply to you | 4대보험 | In preparation |
| Severance pay and departure guarantee insurance | 퇴직금 · 출국만기보험 | In preparation |
| Filing a complaint over unpaid wages | 임금체불 진정 | In preparation |
| National pension refund on departure | 반환일시금 | In preparation |
| Guide | Korean term | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Registering a marriage, and what immigration needs afterwards | 혼인신고 | In preparation |
| Spouse status: applying and extending | 결혼이민 체류자격 | In preparation |
| The route towards permanent residence | 영주권 | In preparation |
| Guide | Korean term | Status |
|---|---|---|
| What your university files for you, and what it does not | 대학 국제처 | In preparation |
| Part-time work permission for students | 시간제취업 허가 | In preparation |
| After graduation: job-seeking status | 구직 체류자격 | In preparation |
| Guide | Korean term | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Lease deposit protection, step by step | 확정일자 · 전입신고 | In preparation |
| Reading a lease contract before signing | 임대차 계약서 | In preparation |
| Employer-provided housing and what is deducted | 기숙사 · 숙박비 | In preparation |
Procedures are national, but counters are local. Opening hours, appointment rules, and which window handles what differ between offices. One office below has been used in person, repeatedly, on behalf of employees. Everything else is documented from national sources and marked as such inside each guide.
Every fee, deadline, and processing time published here comes from one of four places, and the guide says which one and when it was confirmed.
| Source | Korean | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| HiKorea | 하이코리아 | Immigration procedures, application forms, appointment booking |
| Immigration contact centre, 1345 | 외국인종합안내센터 | Case-specific confirmation by phone, in English |
| Government24 | 정부24 | Civil documents and certificates issued online |
| District office counters | 구청 · 주민센터 창구 | What actually happens at the window, in person |
If a figure has not been confirmed, it is not printed. No fee, deadline, or processing time on this site is an estimate. Where a rule branches by visa category, nationality, or district, the guide names the branches instead of averaging them.
Rules change without announcement in English. Each guide carries a Last verified date and the authority that confirmed it. Treat anything older than the date shown as unconfirmed.
Korea Life Admin is written by an employer in Korea who takes foreign workers through these offices in person. That means these guides are written from the queue rather than from a policy document: the forms that get handed back, the questions asked at the window, and the trips that turn out to have been unnecessary. It exists because English guidance on Korean administrative procedure tends to stop at "visit your local immigration office" — which is exactly where the difficulty begins.
This is not a government website. Korea Life Admin is independent and has no affiliation with, endorsement from, or authority delegated by the Ministry of Justice, the Korea Immigration Service, any local government, or any other public body.
This is not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Only the office handling your case can decide it. Where a decision is discretionary, the guides say so and name the office that holds the decision.
If a fee, form, or counter has changed, or a guide sent you to the wrong window, please write. Corrections are dated and noted on the guide itself.