Guides
Korea guides for foreign residents
Trusted guides for every stage of life in Korea: housing, banking, healthcare, taxes, and everyday essentials.
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ArrivalARC Registration Guide: How to Get Your Alien Registration Card in Korea
How to apply for your Alien Registration Card (ARC) in Korea, which immigration office to visit, what documents to bring, and what to do while you wait.
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Rental systemHow to Get Your Rental Deposit Back in Korea
What happens at the end of a Korean lease, how to get your deposit returned, what landlords can deduct, and what to do if they refuse to pay.
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VisasE-9 Visa in Korea: The EPS Worker's Practical Guide
Your full guide to Korea's E-9 non-professional employment visa. The EPS process, your rights, wage protection, changing jobs, and claiming your pension refund on exit.
Read guideVisasF-2 Korean Resident Visa: How to Upgrade From Your Work Visa
Your practical guide to Korea's F-2 resident visa: the points system, eligibility, rights, and the path to F-5 permanent residency.
Read guideVisasF-4 Overseas Korean Visa: The Gyopo's Return Guide
Your practical guide to the Korean F-4 visa for overseas Koreans. Eligibility, military service, taxes, banking, and the path to F-5 permanent residency.
Read guideVisasF-6 Marriage Migrant Visa: Your Rights as the Foreign Spouse
Your practical guide to Korea's F-6 marriage migrant visa. Eligibility, rights, what happens in divorce, and how to protect yourself if the marriage goes wrong.
Read guideFirst Month in Korea: Your Housing Timeline from Arrival to Signed Lease
A step-by-step housing timeline for foreigners arriving in Korea, from landing to ARC, bank account, apartment search, and signed lease.
Read guideRental systemHow Jeonse Works: the Risks to Know Before Signing
Jeonse is Korea's unique deposit-only lease system. Learn how it works, what the risks are, and how to protect your deposit.
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Scam preventionHow to Avoid Jeonse and Deposit Scams in Korea
Jeonse and wolse deposit fraud is a real risk in Korea. Learn the most common scam types, the five checks to run before signing, and how to protect your deposit.
Read guideArrivalHow to Open a Korean Bank Account as a Foreigner
Step-by-step guide to opening a bank account in Korea as a foreigner. Which banks accept expats, what documents you need, and how to avoid common rejections.
Read guideKorea Apartment Types Explained: Officetel, Villa, Apartment, Goshiwon
Korea has four main housing types foreigners encounter: officetels, villas, apartments, and goshiwon. Learn what each one is, who it suits, and what to watch for.
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MoneyBuilding Korean Credit as a Foreign Resident
How Korean credit scores actually work for foreigners: which bureaus matter (KCB, NICE), how to check your score, how to build credit from scratch, why many banks reject foreigners with good home-country credit, and practical steps that move your score in 6 to 12 months.
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Daily lifeGetting a Korean Driver's License as a Foreign Resident
How to get a Korean driver's license: converting a foreign license (reciprocal countries vs written-test countries), the full test path for new drivers, IDP rules, required documents, costs, and the driver's license centres (운전면허시험장) foreigners can use.
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HealthcareEmergency Rooms in Korea: What to Do in a Medical Emergency
How Korean emergency care actually works for foreign residents: 119 vs 1339, when to go to an ER versus an urgent care clinic, what NHIS covers, upfront costs, English-language hospitals, and what to bring.
Read guideKorea Housing FAQ for Foreigners: 15 Most Common Questions Answered
Answers to the 15 most common questions foreigners ask about renting in Korea, jeonse, wolse, deposits, contracts, scams, and the ARC.
Read guideRental systemKorea Apartment Lease Documents Checklist for Foreigners
A complete checklist of documents you need to rent an apartment in Korea as a foreigner, what to prepare, what to verify, and what to sign.
Read guideHealthcareKorean Pharmacies for Foreign Residents: Prescription Drugs, OTC, and English-Friendly Options
How Korean pharmacies work: what's OTC (over the counter) vs prescription, which medications are strictly controlled, finding English-labeled equivalents for common Western drugs, after-hours pharmacies, and NHIS pharmacy coverage.
Read guideMoneySeverance Pay (퇴직금) in Korea for Foreign Workers
What foreign workers in Korea need to know about severance pay: who qualifies, how the 30-day formula works, DB vs DC vs IRP plans, the 14-day payment rule, common employer traps, and how to claim unpaid severance through the Ministry of Employment & Labor.
Read guideMoneyYear-End Tax Settlement (연말정산) for Foreign Residents in Korea
How Korea's year-end tax settlement works for foreign residents: the January-February timeline, the 19% flat rate vs. progressive brackets decision, deductions most foreigners miss (including overseas dependents), and what to do if you leave Korea mid-year.
Read guideMoneyLeaving Korea: The Complete Departure Checklist for Foreign Residents
A month-by-month timeline for leaving Korea: pension refund, severance, final taxes, bank accounts, lease termination, shipping, ARC cancellation, pets, and the order things must happen in to avoid costly mistakes.
Read guideHealthcareMental Health Care in Korea for Foreign Residents
How to find English-speaking psychiatrists, therapists, and crisis help in Korea: what NHIS actually covers, the insurance-record question, multilingual crisis hotlines, and costs at international clinics.
Read guideHealthcareKorea National Health Insurance (NHIS) Guide for Foreign Residents
How Korea's National Health Insurance works for foreigners, who is covered, the 6-month wait rule, how to enroll as an employee or freelancer, dependent enrollment, what's covered, and what to do if you're not yet eligible.
Read guideHealthcarePregnancy and Childbirth in Korea for Foreign Residents
How to navigate pregnancy and childbirth in Korea as a foreign resident: NHIS maternity coverage, the ₩1 million Happiness Card subsidy, prenatal visit schedule, hospital choice, delivery costs, 산후조리원 postpartum care, and birth registration for dual-national babies.
Read guideRental systemWolse Explained: Korea's Monthly Rent System for Foreigners
Wolse is Korea's monthly rent system. Learn how deposits work, what's typical to pay in each district, and whether wolse or jeonse is better for your situation.
Read guideBrowse by topic
Arrival
ARC, banking, SIM card, first-week essentials
Visas
E-9, F-2, F-4, F-6, renewals, status changes
Rental system
Jeonse, wolse, deposits, lease terms
Scam prevention
Fraud risks and how to avoid them
Documents
What to prepare and what to check
Guides coming soon
Agents
How agents work and what they charge
Guides coming soon
Finances
Fees, taxes, and financial planning
Guides coming soon
Healthcare
NHIS enrollment, English doctors, dental
- Finding English-Speaking Doctors in Korea
- Emergency Rooms in Korea: What to Do in a Medical Emergency
- Korean Pharmacies for Foreign Residents: Prescription Drugs, OTC, and English-Friendly Options
- Mental Health Care in Korea for Foreign Residents
- Korea National Health Insurance (NHIS) Guide for Foreign Residents
- Pregnancy and Childbirth in Korea for Foreign Residents
Money
Tax, pension refund, sending money home
- Building Korean Credit as a Foreign Resident
- Income Tax in Korea for Foreign Residents
- Korea Pension Refund Guide: Claiming Your NPS Lump Sum When Leaving
- Severance Pay (퇴직금) in Korea for Foreign Workers
- Year-End Tax Settlement (연말정산) for Foreign Residents in Korea
- Leaving Korea: The Complete Departure Checklist for Foreign Residents
Daily life
Utilities, delivery apps, transportation, community
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