Worried about applying for your Foreigner Registration Card with your E2 Visa? You received your E2 visa in order to move to Korea, but now you need to take that visa to immigration and apply for your Foreign Registration Card which allows everyone to integrate into Korean social and government systems.
Let’s walk through what needs to be done to establish your residency in South Korea and get your Foreigner Registration Card so that you can get your bank account and smartphone.
About Residency in South Korea
When you work in South Korea as an educator you will need to apply for Korean residency unless you work for the DODEA and then you will live in Korea under the SOFA agreement with the choice of applying for a Foreign Registration Card. The Foreign Registration Card (aka FRC) was once called the Alian Registration Card (ARC). However, the English name changed due to international residents feeling the use of the term ‘Alien’ in English felt uncomfortable.
The FRC allows residents access to South Korean social systems such as medical, pensions, banking, and taxation systems. All long-term residents should apply for their FRC. Let’s look at this process for educators.
Applying for the Korean Foreign Registration Card
You want to apply for your FRC as soon as possible. South Korea allows one month for you to apply, however, you should not get a regular phone until you have your FRC and you can’t get a bank account until you have your FRC. You want to apply for this within weeks of arriving in Korea.
Health Check Needed Prior to Your Immigration Appointment
In order to apply for an FRC card, all applicants must complete a full medical exam at a designated E2 visa hospital in their city. It is best to make an appointment in advance with your hospital. For a list of participating E2 medical exam hospitals please click here.
How to Make an Immigration Appointment
You make your appointment for your FRC on the HiKorea website. You may make this appointment yourself using the passport or ID that you used to enter the country. HiKorea allows users to sign up for an appointment as either a “Member” or a “Non-member”. Using the “Non-member” option may be the best way to make your first appointment.
You will want to make this appointment immediately. It may take a few weeks for an appointment. March is a VERY busy time for Korean immigration as E2/E1 and many other visa holders renew at the same time. This means you do NOT want to delay making your visa appointment.
You may make your visa appointment before you get your E2 medical check. Simply be sure that your medical check will be read by the time your Korean Immigration appointment arrives.
Issues that may arise while using HiKorea
Historically speaking, English-speaking websites developed by Korean organizations (especially governmental organizations) have had issues. Specifically, HiKore often has issues. Expect to feel some frustration and confusion such as (but not limited to) the following:
- South Korean government websites often have confusing language. Expect to feel confused and possibly unsure of your next steps. Although the website has an English language interface, sometimes it will not work. In this case, try having a co-worker assist you with using the Korean language version of the website.
- South Korean government websites may not work on Apple products. You may find you need to access a PC and maybe even need to try different browsers. The preferred browser in Korea is Internet Explorer, however, these days Chrome often works as well.
- The HiKorea immigration appointment system links to the passport that you used to enter the country in order to verify your identity. We mention this as some applicants may have more than one passport or nationality. We mention this because issues related to this have happened more often than one might expect.
Selecting Immigration Office Location
Immigration offices exist across South Korea. An applicant’s home address determines which immigration office should be chosen for an appointment. This means all applicants need their home addresses in order to make an immigration appointment.
You may be able to get your home address in Hangul from 1) The school, 2) mail left behind by the previous tenant, or 3) using Naver or Kakao Maps to find your current location when at home.
Day of Appointment
The exact process for visiting the immigration office changes often and varies by location. However, some consistent tips exist such as:
- Make sure that you have cash to pay for your visa.
- Make copies of necessary documents prior to going to the immigration window
- Arrive with photos precut
- Arrive 30 minutes prior to your appointment
- You may need to pay for your visa at a different window or kiosk than the immigration officer who processes your paperwork
At many immigration offices, the appointment time may exist as a rough estimate. If the immigration officers have an efficient day your appointment number could be called up to 20 minutes early. Additionally, if the officers are behind you may need to wait 30 minutes. Keep your schedule clear and give yourself plenty of time.
Since the paperwork for the E2 visa was already submitted to immigration by the employer, those applying for their Resident Card in Korea do not need to bring copies of their employment contract or FBI check to immigration for the Resident Card application.
The following Required Documents list breaks down what you need to take to your first immigration appointment in Korea. The document is listed first followed by notes South of Seoul volunteers feel may help clarify certain details. This list was last confirmed in March of 2022.
Required Documents
| Lists of Documents Required for an E2 Immigration Application |
|---|
| Alien Registration Application Form (This can be downloaded and filled out prior to your appointment or you can arrive early at immigration and they will have the paperwork there for you to complete BEFORE going to your appointment.) |
| 1 Photocopy of School Registration License (The school or hagwon will provide this paperwork for you.) |
| 1 Passport-sized Photo (Rember that passport sizes differ between countries. They want a KOREAN passport-sized photo. Usually, they have a photo booth at immigration that takes won. Have 10,000 KRW cash for photos if you need them.) |
| 1 Sealed Medical Test Results (that includes TBPE & HIV test) (This refers to the medical test previously mentioned in this blog. A medical test you take in Korea after arriving.) |
| 1 Photocopy of Accommodation Contract (Your apartment contract paperwork will be provided by your employer.) |
| 1 Signed Confirmation Letter of Accommodation Residency (You need this since the school holds the actual contract for your apartment and they need to verify that you live in the apartment they have rented for you.) |
| Your Original Passport + 1 Photocopy of passport (Immigration can copy this for around 500 KRW at immigration in the copy kiosk. The copy kiosk will be at immigration but not at the immigration window.) |
| 30,000 KRW Cash (This is to pay for your visa.) |
Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for a Foreign Registration Card
Many international residents have made the following mistakes which create complicated issues when applying for phones and bank accounts later. Two items you MUST have current on your FRC:
- Your name on your FRC must EXACTLY match the name on your passport. This name must match in order for you to open a bank account and register a phone which syncs into Korean social systems. Double-check the paperwork to make sure the name EXACTLY matches. We can not stress the importance of this enough.
- Make sure the address on your FRC is your HOME address and not the address of your school or hagwon. Immigration will hold the FRC holder accountable for the address on their FRC being accurate.
Delivery or Pickup
South Korea allows you to pick up your FRC about 3 weeks after your application. This means that you may have limited access to local systems until you receive your FRC from immigration. This time often feels uncomfortable to new teachers due to the fact it may create a feeling of being “unsettled” as they wait for your residency to process.
Immigration may ask if you would like the FRC sent to you or if you would like to pick it up. Delivery may cost an additional 10,000 – 20,000 KRW cash. Ideally, have them deliver your FRC to your place of employment as it will be easier to have someone sign for it. If you can’t have it sent to your place of employment consider picking up your FRC at immigration. You may have trouble getting your FRC in a timely manner if they send it to your home due to the fact someone needs to sign for the delivery and you will be at work.
Choosing delivery means you need your school’s address or your home address in Hangul. You may need to write your address in Hangul on a form. You may only be given the choice to have the FRC delivered to your home.
Confirm Information with Immigration at 1345
Korean Immigration changes rules and regulations often. They also do this without notifying anyone. This means that all blogs providing information should be considered only a snapshot in time. ALWAYS confirm information with Korean immigration via their hotline at 1345. They have English-speaking agents who can assist you.
Founded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences.
