How do you get a South Korean Residence Card in 2026?

Article 31 of the Immigration Act requires a foreign national who intends to remain in South Korea for more than 90 days from entry to register within 90 days of entry, unless a statutory exception applies. People granted a status in Korea or approved for a change of status may have registration completed with that decision instead. A short-stay visitor cannot demand registration simply by planning to stay longer.

Use HiKorea, the government's immigration portal, to reserve a visit at the regional immigration office or branch with jurisdiction over your Korean address. HiKorea warns that the reservation itself must be made before the legal deadline; an appointment after the deadline can still expose you to enforcement. Call the Immigration Contact Center at 1345 if the office finder or your status route is unclear.

The common file is the integrated application form, valid passport, one recent colour photograph measuring 3.5 by 4.5 centimetres, proof of your place of stay, and the current fee. A lease can prove your address. If an employer, university, hotel, friend, or family member houses you, use the HiKorea Confirmation of Residence/Accommodation and the supporting host or property evidence the form requests.

Your status controls the remaining documents. A student may need enrolment evidence; an employee may need an employment contract and employer documents; a dependant needs relationship evidence. HiKorea updates a status-by-status manual and expressly says changes can reach the manual late, so check the current manual and 1345 before attending. Applicants subject to biometric collection provide fingerprints and a facial image. Different rules can apply to children under 17.

The Residence Card is the current official English name for the identity card issued after qualifying foreigner registration. Older websites and searches may call it an Alien Registration Card. HiKorea currently estimates about two to three weeks to collection, but the office receipt controls your actual collection or delivery route.

Registration also creates your foreigner registration number, the personal number assigned through registration. Check that the card's romanised name matches the immigration record before using it for the National Health Insurance Service, a bank, or a mobile carrier. Those organisations make separate eligibility decisions.

The card helps prove registered identity and status, but it does not permit unrestricted work. Your status and any activity or workplace permission still control employment. Report required passport, name, status, or address changes through the correct immigration service, and seek reissue if the card is lost, damaged, or materially incorrect.