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Korean administrative vocabulary: the words on the forms
Verified · terminology reference
Counter staff may help you in English. The form in front of you probably will not. You do not need to read Korean to get through a public office — you need to recognise about sixty written words. These are they.
The gap that costs people time is narrower than it looks. It is not conversation. It is standing in front of a directory board, or a two-page form, and not being able to tell which of eight similar-looking lines is the one that concerns you.
Every term below is grouped by where you will physically meet it: on a building sign, on a form field, on a document you are asked to produce, or in an outcome you are told. Match the hangul, not the romanisation — the hangul is what is printed.
Who this applies to
Anyone dealing with Korean public administration in a language other than Korean. Nothing here is specific to a visa category or a nationality. If you already read Korean comfortably, this page has nothing for you.
On the building and the directory board
| Korean | English | What it means at the counter |
|---|---|---|
| 출입국·외국인청chulipguk-oegugincheong | Immigration office | Decisions about your stay status. The larger regional body; a smaller branch is 사무소 (samuso). |
| 민원실minwonsil | Civil affairs room | The public-facing hall in almost any public building. If you are lost, this is the room you want. |
| 행정복지센터haengjeong bokji senteo | Community service centre | The neighbourhood counter. Formerly and still commonly called 주민센터 (jumin senteo). |
| 구청 / 시청gucheong / sicheong | District office / city hall | District-level administration, one tier above the neighbourhood centre. |
| 접수jeopsu | Reception, filing | Where an application is handed in. The most useful single word on any sign. |
| 번호표beonhopyo | Queue ticket | Take one on arrival. Choosing the wrong category on the machine is a common way to lose an hour. |
| 창구changgu | Counter, window | Numbered service windows. Your ticket calls you to one of these. |
| 예약yeyak | Reservation | For some services this is mandatory rather than optional. Establish which before travelling. |
| 무인발급기muin balgeupgi | Self-service issuing machine | Issues common certificates without queueing. Not all documents are available this way. |
Documents you may be asked to produce
| Korean | English | What it means at the counter |
|---|---|---|
| 외국인등록증oegugin deungnokjeung | Alien registration card | Your identity document in Korea. Carry the original card, not an image of it. |
| 여권yeogwon | Passport | Frequently required alongside the card, not instead of it. |
| 외국인등록사실증명oegugin deungnok sasil jeungmyeong | Certificate of alien registration facts | The paper proof of what is recorded about you. Often requested by banks and employers. |
| 주민등록등본jumin deungnok deungbon | Resident registration extract | A household record for Korean nationals. Foreign residents are usually asked for the alien registration equivalent instead. |
| 인감증명서ingam jeungmyeongseo | Registered seal certificate | Proof that a seal impression is the one you registered. Required for certain high-value transactions. |
| 본인서명사실확인서bonin seomyeong sasil hwaginseo | Certificate of signature verification | The signature-based alternative to a registered seal. |
| 등기부등본deunggibu deungbon | Property register extract | Shows who owns a property and what is charged against it. Read this before signing any lease. |
| 임대차계약서imdaecha gyeyakseo | Lease contract | The tenancy agreement itself. |
| 확정일자hwakjeong ilja | Fixed date stamp | A date stamp applied to a lease that establishes its priority against later claims. Obtained at a counter, not from the landlord. |
| 재직증명서jaejik jeungmyeongseo | Certificate of employment | Employer confirmation that you work there. Issued by the employer, not by an office. |
| 원천징수영수증woncheon jingsu yeongsujeung | Withholding tax receipt | The record of income and tax withheld. Frequently requested as proof of income. |
| 통장 사본tongjang sabon | Copy of bankbook | Proof of an account in your name, for refunds and payments. |
| 수입인지suip inji | Revenue stamp | A stamp bought to pay certain official fees. Where required, cash in your pocket is not a substitute. |
| 아포스티유apostiyu | Apostille | Authentication of a foreign document. Obtained in the issuing country, before you arrive. |
| 번역 공증beonyeok gongjeung | Notarised translation | A translation certified for official use. A personal translation is generally not accepted. |
Fields on the form
| Korean | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 성명seongmyeong | Full name | Write it exactly as romanised on your passport. |
| 생년월일saengnyeonwolil | Date of birth | Year, month, day, in that order. |
| 국적gukjeok | Nationality | |
| 체류자격cheryu jagyeok | Status of stay | Your visa category, as printed on your card. |
| 체류기간cheryu gigan | Period of stay | The permitted duration, distinct from the expiry date printed on the card. |
| 외국인등록번호oegugin deungnok beonho | Alien registration number | The thirteen digits on your card. Functions as your identifier almost everywhere. |
| 주소juso | Address | The registered address, not necessarily where you are staying tonight. |
| 연락처yeollakcheo | Contact number | A Korean mobile number in your own name is expected. |
| 신청인sincheongin | Applicant | |
| 대리인daeriin | Agent, proxy | Only where the procedure permits one. |
| 위임장wiimjang | Letter of delegation | The document authorising an agent to act for you. |
| 서명 / 날인seomyeong / nalin | Signature / seal impression | Some forms specify which of the two they require. |
| 해당 없음haedang eopseum | Not applicable | Write this rather than leaving a field blank. |
| 동의dongui | Consent | Usually the personal data consent block. Unsigned, the application stalls. |
Words in the outcome
| Korean | English | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 처리중cheorijung | In process | Received and being handled. No action needed yet. |
| 보완bowan | Supplementation required | Something is missing. The case is paused until you supply it, and the clock may not be running in your favour. |
| 반려ballyeo | Returned | The application was returned rather than decided. Usually procedural, and usually refilable. |
| 불허bulheo | Not permitted | A refusal on the merits. Different from 반려 and more serious. |
| 허가heoga | Permission granted | |
| 발급balgeup | Issuance | The document has been produced and is ready. |
| 수령suryeong | Collection | Picking it up. Check whether collection is in person or by post. |
| 기한gihan | Deadline | The word to look for on any notice you receive. |
| 과태료gwataeryo | Administrative fine | A penalty for a procedural failure, such as a late report. |
| 신고singo | Report, notification | Telling an office something has happened. Distinct from 신청, which asks for a decision. |
| 신청sincheong | Application | Asking an office to decide something. |
Costs and timing
None apply. This page is a terminology reference and lists no fees, deadlines or processing times. Where a figure matters to your case, take it from the office with jurisdiction — this page shows which office that is.
Where people get sent home
- Producing 등본 when 초본 was named, or the reverse. The documents look alike and are not interchangeable.
- Leaving form fields blank instead of marking them 해당 없음. A blank reads as unanswered rather than as inapplicable.
- Signing where a seal impression was required. Where a form specifies 날인, a signature may not satisfy it.
- Reading 반려 as a final refusal. It usually is not, and treating it as one means abandoning a case that could have been refiled.
- Missing a 보완 notice. The notice goes to your registered address and your registered number. If either is out of date, you will not see it.
FAQ
Do I need to speak Korean to complete a procedure?
Not to speak it. Recognising the written form of the terms above changes the experience considerably, because forms and directory boards are frequently Korean-only even in offices where staff can assist in another language.
Why does the romanisation differ between sources?
More than one romanisation system remains in circulation, and place names and personal names often keep spellings from earlier conventions. This is why every term on this site carries the hangul alongside the romanisation. Match the hangul — it is what is printed on the sign.
Can I ask for an English version of a form?
Bilingual forms exist for some procedures and not for others. Where a bilingual version exists, the Korean text is normally the operative one, and the English is provided for comprehension rather than as the legal text.
Are translation apps good enough at the counter?
For general conversation, frequently. For document names, less so — the pairs above are the ones that machine translation flattens into the same English phrase, which is precisely how people arrive with the wrong certificate.
12 August 2026. This page contains no fees, deadlines or processing times, and no figure on it can go out of date. The terms listed are standard administrative vocabulary appearing on Korean public forms, counter signage and official notices.
Sources consulted:
- Published Korean-language application forms and civil affairs service listings on Government24 (정부24 · jeongbu-isipsa)
- HiKorea published application forms and service categories for foreign residents
- Romanisation follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, with the hangul given so that readers can match the printed form directly
Korea Life Admin is an independent publication. It is not a government body and does not provide legal, tax or immigration advice. Translations here describe how each term functions in practice and are not certified translations; where a document must be translated for official use, a notarised translation is normally required. The office with jurisdiction over your case makes the final decision. Found a term that misled you? Tell us and we will correct it.