How do you register or change your address in South Korea in 2026?

When applying for foreigner registration, show where you actually stay in the jurisdiction of that immigration office. A current lease, dormitory evidence, accommodation receipt, or host-supported Confirmation of Residence/Accommodation can establish the address. If the lease is not yours, the host may need to sign the confirmation and supply identification plus proof that the host owns or rents the property.

This evidence helps immigration issue the Residence Card, the identity card for a qualifying registered foreign resident. It does not replace the lease report or fixed-date steps that may protect a housing deposit. It also does not create immigration status; your approved status must already support registration.

The current Immigration Act and Government24 service, checked in May 2026, require a registered foreign resident to report a new place of stay within 15 days of moving in. Older English guides may still say 14 days because the law changed in December 2020.

Report to the regional immigration office responsible for the new address, or to the relevant city, county, gu (urban district), or eup/myeon/dong (township, rural district, or neighbourhood local office). Eligible applicants can instead use HiKorea, the government's immigration portal. Online filing is for the applicant personally; when accepted online, the new address need not be written on the back of the physical card.

For a personal application, Government24 lists a passport or Residence Card plus occupancy evidence. Accepted examples include a current lease, Confirmation of Residence/Accommodation, utility-payment receipt, dormitory-fee receipt, or official mail warning that the registered stay period will expire.

If a host provides the home, prepare the signed accommodation confirmation and the host or property documents requested by the receiving office. A representative needs authority and relationship evidence in addition to identity documents. Keep the online completion notice or the endorsed card as proof. If the 15 days have passed, report promptly and follow the immigration office's instructions rather than trying to backdate the move.

Moving from Seoul to Incheon, or between any two immigration jurisdictions, does not require a separate old-office departure filing. Use the authority for the new address so the record can be transferred.

An immigration address update does not automatically correct every private or public record. Check the National Health Insurance Service, bank, carrier, employer, school, and postal arrangements separately. A wrong address can delay premium notices, replacement cards, and bank compliance mail.

For a Korean housing lease, ask the local office how the foreign-resident residence report supports opposing power and fixed-date protection. Do not blindly copy the Korean-citizen resident-registration route: use the residence-report route that applies to your status and card.