Alien Registration Card in Korea: How to Apply and Renew

Anyone staying in Korea for more than 90 days gets an alien registration card (ARC), and then carries it for years: at the bank, the hospital, the phone shop, at work, and eventually into the naturalization interview room. This post covers what to bring the first time, the deadlines you must keep afterwards, and what people actually mean when they search for "ARC renewal".

Who and when: 90 days from the day you arrive

The Immigration Control Act requires any foreign national who intends to stay longer than 90 days to register at the immigration office that covers their address, within 90 days of entering the country. Short-term visitors who leave within 90 days do not register, and a few statuses such as diplomats are exempt. If you came to study, work, or as a marriage migrant, assume it applies to you.

Once registered you receive a 13-digit alien registration number. It has the same shape as a Korean resident registration number, and the first six digits are your date of birth. This number is what almost everything else runs on: health insurance, a bank account, a phone contract, even your KIIP application. You will often need the number before the card itself arrives, so write it down as soon as you have it.

What to bring

The basic set is the same for almost every status. On top of it, each status adds its own papers: students bring school documents, workers bring employer documents, marriage migrants bring documents about the spouse. Look up your own status in the Hi Korea guide for that list.

• Your original passport
• One passport-size photo, recent, white background
• The integrated application form, available at the office or downloadable from Hi Korea
• Proof of your address, such as a lease contract or a dormitory certificate
• The extra documents for your visa status
• The fee. Check the current amount on Hi Korea

One more thing to check. Nationals of countries that Korea designates as high-risk for tuberculosis must submit a TB screening certificate for certain visa statuses. The list of countries and the statuses it applies to change, so confirm on Hi Korea whether your country and status are covered. The screening is done at designated public health centers or hospitals and takes a few days, so sort it out first if you want to make your appointment date.

Step by step: start with a Hi Korea appointment

Immigration offices work by appointment. If you walk in without one you will often not be served that day, so the first step is booking a date on Hi Korea. In busy areas the next open slot can be weeks away, so book early while counting toward your 90-day deadline.

• On Hi Korea (hikorea.go.kr), choose the office for your address and book a visit
• Go on the booked day with your documents. After intake, your fingerprints and a facial photo are recorded
• You receive a receipt. Until the card is issued, this is what proves you applied
• Collect the card: return to the office, or choose registered mail at application time and it comes to your home

Since January 2025 there is also a mobile alien registration card. It lives in the government mobile ID app and has the same legal effect as the physical card. A newer card with an electronic chip can be issued straight from the app; with an older card you first visit an immigration office once and verify your identity by scanning a QR code. Follow the Hi Korea guidance for eligibility and steps.

Deadlines after you have the card

Getting the card is not the end. When registered details change you must report them, and each report has a deadline. People miss these far more often than the first registration, because a move happens every few years and a passport changes once a decade.

• When you move: report the change of address within 15 days of moving in. At an immigration office, or at the city, county, district office or community service center for your new address
• When you get a new passport, or your name or nationality changes: report the change within 15 days
• When the card is lost or damaged: apply for reissue within 14 days. A loss can also be reported online on Hi Korea
• When you leave Korea for good: hand the card in at departure immigration. If you leave temporarily with re-entry permission, you keep it

Missing a deadline means a fine. But there is something that matters more: when you later apply for permanent residency or naturalization, the examiner reviews your stay history. A record of repeatedly missed deadlines can count against you at that point. For someone planning to naturalize, these deadlines are not a fine problem but a years-later examination problem.

"Renewal": what you are actually doing is one of two things

Many people search for "ARC renewal", but the card itself has no renewal procedure. What they usually need is an extension of their period of stay. Apply for the extension on Hi Korea before the period printed on your card ends; the registration is updated with it, and you either keep the card or receive a new one. The extension must be filed before expiry and is accepted from a few months ahead, so put the expiry date in your calendar and book early.

There is one exception. The permanent resident card issued to holders of F-5 status is valid for 10 years and must be reissued before that. This rule dates from September 2018, so if you received permanent residency before then, it is worth checking the validity of your own card once.

It comes up in the interview too

You must bring this card to the naturalization interview for identity verification, and the interview questions touch on it as well. Among the practice questions we have compiled are these:

외국인종합안내센터의 대표 전화번호는 무엇입니까? — 1345

대한민국의 입국·출국과 외국인의 체류 등을 규정한 법은 무엇입니까? — 출입국관리법

One easy mix-up is worth flagging. An interview question says a change of residence must be reported "within 14 days of moving", but that is the Resident Registration Act deadline for Korean citizens. For a registered foreigner, the Immigration Control Act gives 15 days. Keep 15 days now, and answer 14 days after you naturalize.

Our service lets you hear questions like these in an interviewer's voice and practice answering out loud. Knowing the answer and getting it out of your mouth in the interview room are two different things, and this is where the gap gets closed.

This post is not legal advice. Deadlines and procedures change when the law is amended, and fees and documents change more often. Before you visit, confirm the current guidance on Hi Korea (hikorea.go.kr), by calling the 1345 Immigration Contact Center, or at your local immigration office.