You cannot register for EPS-TOPIK (EPS한국어능력시험) on any Korean government website. HRD Korea (한국산업인력공단), the Korean agency that administers the exam, says so on its own registration page: application forms are accepted by the sending agency (송출기관) in your country, and anything to do with online registration is handled on that agency's own website. HRD Korea publishes the schedule, the exam rules, and free study materials at epstopik.hrdkorea.or.kr, but the application form and the fee go to your own country's agency.
Find your country's sending agency
HRD Korea's online-registration page (온라인접수안내, ollain jeopsu annae) lists the designated sending agency for every one of the 17 sending countries, with the agency's own website. This is the list to start from, because it is HRD Korea naming each agency directly.
| Country | Sending agency (as named by HRD Korea) | Agency website |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) | boesl.gov.bd |
| Cambodia | Manpower Training and Overseas Sending Board (MTOSB) | mtosb.gov.kh |
| China | Investment Promotion Agency of Ministry of Commerce (CIPA) | cipainvest.org.cn |
| Indonesia | Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI) | kp2mi.go.id |
| Kyrgyzstan | The Center for Employment of Citizens Abroad (CEC) | migrant.kg |
| Laos | Department of Employment of Lao PDR (DOE) | Facebook page only |
| Mongolia | General Office for Labour and Welfare Service (GOLWS) | hudulmur-halamj.gov.mn |
| Myanmar | Public Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) | Facebook page only |
| Nepal | Department of Foreign Employment (DOFE) | epsnepal.gov.np |
| Pakistan | Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) | oec.gov.pk |
| Philippines | Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) | dmw.gov.ph |
| Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) | slbfe.lk |
| Thailand | Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour (DOE) | doe.go.th |
| Timor-Leste | National Directorate of Overseas Employment (NDOE) | none listed |
| Uzbekistan | Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers (AELM) | migration.uz |
| Vietnam | Center of Overseas Labour (COLAB) | colab.moha.gov.vn |
| Tajikistan | Agency of Overseas Employment (AOE) | none listed |
Two practical notes on that list. HRD Korea's page carries a small typo in the Indonesian address (it prints "ww.kp2mi.go.id"); the working address is kp2mi.go.id. And Indonesia's body was reorganized: the site now identifies itself as the Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI), so a bookmark or a search result pointing at the older BP2MI domain may no longer load.
Where the registration office actually is
A second HRD Korea page, the registration-office table (접수처 안내, jeopsucheo annae), gives a street address and phone number for each sending country. Every usable address in that table is in a sending country, never in Korea.
HRD Korea's own table carries a disclaimer: registration offices may change according to local conditions in that country. Always confirm the current address with your agency before traveling to any office, and check the live table before each new registration round.
Two rows on that table you should not trust as printed
Thailand: the Thailand row currently shows the same Dhaka, Bangladesh address and phone number as the Bangladesh row. This looks like a copy-paste error on HRD Korea's page rather than a real shared office. Do not travel to that address as a Thai applicant. HRD Korea's own agency list names Thailand's Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour (doe.go.th) as the sending agency, so confirm your registration office there or at eps.go.kr.
Tajikistan: the Tajikistan address field on that table holds a single character, "1", rather than an address, and HRD Korea's agency list gives no website for its Agency of Overseas Employment (AOE). Contact the EPS Foreign Worker Counseling Center at 1577-0071, open 09:00 to 18:00, or check eps.go.kr, rather than relying on the printed field.
Documents you need to register
HRD Korea's application-form guidance page lists what the official application form (응시원서, eungsi wonseo) asks for:
- Full name: exactly as it appears in your passport, in English block capitals
- Date of birth: in DDMMYYYY format (HRD Korea's own example: born 3 June 1980, write 03 06 1980)
- Sex
- Passport number: or an ID card number if you do not have a passport
- Sector preference: mark the job category you are applying for
- Phone number
What you hand in is one application form with two passport-style photos attached, plus a copy of your passport or ID card. The photo spec is front-facing, no hat, taken within the last 6 months, 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm, clear enough to identify you.
Registration is individual and in person as a rule. HRD Korea's in-person registration page states that registration by a proxy or as a group is not permitted, and that the form is issued to you at the registration desk after you pay the fee. Some agencies also run online registration through their own website, which is why HRD Korea points you to the agency site rather than handling it centrally.
Your sending agency may ask for more than the form itself lists. Confirm the full list directly with your agency before the registration window opens.
The registration fee
HRD Korea publishes one standard registration fee rather than leaving it to each country. Its in-person registration page states the fee as USD 28, or the equivalent amount in local currency, with one published exception: USD 24 for the Philippines.
You pay it to your own country's registration desk, in local currency, and the application form is issued to you after payment. Because it converts to local currency at the rate your agency uses, ask your agency for the exact local amount for your round rather than converting it yourself.
Two more things HRD Korea's own guidance makes clear about the fee:
- Without the fee, registration cannot be completed and you cannot sit the exam. The same rule applies if you do not attach the photo or do not use the official application form.
- If you cancel your registration during the open registration window, your sending agency confirms your identity and refunds the fee in full. A refund is also possible after the window closes for anyone found ineligible to sit the exam.
Do not pay any amount above what your agency's official announcement states. EPS is a government-to-government system: under the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers, anyone other than the employment center is prohibited from intervening in the selection, brokerage, or hiring of foreign workers, and doing so carries up to 1 year of imprisonment or a fine of up to ₩10 million.
Why the exam date is different for every country
EPS-TOPIK does not run on a single global calendar. There is no one date on which all 17 countries sit the exam together.
HRD Korea's exam-round schedule page lists each round as a separate row with its own country, registration window (접수기간, jeopsu gigan), exam start date, and result date. As of August 2026, the live schedule included:
- A Vietnam-only round for Skilled Workers Specialized in Root Industry Occupations (welding): registration window April 15 to April 17, 2026; exam start September 21, 2026; results October 30, 2026
- Two Myanmar-only rounds for the 8th recruitment of the point system, one for agriculture and livestock and one for construction: registration window August 6 to August 10, 2026, with exam and result dates still listed as undetermined
HRD Korea's schedule page carries its own note: the above exam schedule is subject to change.
Why are the calendars separate? Korea plans its foreign-worker intake by industry and by scale, and each exam round selects candidates in score order up to that round's own planned intake number. Each country's sending agency then runs its own registration and processing calendar in consultation with Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor. Because each round is planned and allocated independently, a Vietnam round and a Myanmar round do not need to align, and in practice they rarely do. That is Seoulstart's reading of how the pieces fit together, not a sentence HRD Korea prints.
The practical result: there is no single "EPS-TOPIK season" to plan around. Check the live schedule at epstopik.hrdkorea.or.kr and confirm the current window with your own agency. Many future rounds show exam and result dates as undetermined until closer to opening.
After you register: getting ready for exam day
Free study materials
HRD Korea publishes free official EPS-TOPIK study materials at epstopik.hrdkorea.or.kr: the standard textbook (한국어 표준교재) in two volumes with listening audio files, collections of open past questions, and country-specific self-study booklets. The E-Book edition of the self-study booklets covers 7 languages (English, Thai, Sinhala, Lao, Vietnamese, Burmese, and Uzbek), and further countries including Bangladesh and Cambodia have downloadable PDF booklets with audio.
Download them as soon as you confirm your exam round. The exam runs 50 minutes and carries 40 questions worth 100 marks in total, split evenly between reading and listening, and it tests practical workplace Korean: safety warnings, work instructions, everyday communication, and how Korean workplaces operate.
For a full overview of the exam format, scoring, and how to prepare, see the EPS-TOPIK Guide.
What to bring and what not to bring on exam day
HRD Korea's application guidance lists the rules for the exam room:
Bring:
- Your admission ticket
- Your passport or official ID card
- A marker pen and a ballpoint pen (사인펜, 볼펜)
Do not bring:
- A mobile phone or smartphone
- Wireless earbuds or other electronic devices
These items are not permitted inside the exam room. If you lose your admission ticket before the exam, go to the test site's administration desk (시험본부) with your passport or ID card and ask for assistance there.
Cheating carries a 4-year ban. Anyone caught cheating has that exam voided and cannot sit EPS-TOPIK for 4 years from the date of the violation.
What comes next after you pass
Passing is a gate, not a placement. Your pass is valid for 2 years from the date results are announced.
Getting onto the Worker Roster (구직자명부, gujigja myeongbu) takes two more steps after the exam: you pass a health check, and you submit a job-seeker application during your country's application window. Your sending agency then compiles the completed roster and sends it to HRD Korea, which converts it, checks the basic requirements, and manages it. Korean employers hire from among the people registered on that roster, so there is no fixed timeline from passing to receiving a job offer.
For the full pipeline from Roster entry to arriving in Korea, see the EPS Korea Guide. For what to expect on the day of the exam itself, see the EPS-TOPIK Exam Day Guide. For what happens after you pass and how the Roster and job-matching work, see the After Passing EPS-TOPIK Guide.
FAQ
Where do I register for EPS-TOPIK?
Registration goes through your own country's designated sending agency, not through a Korean website. HRD Korea's own online-registration page names the sending agency and its website for each of the 17 sending countries, and a separate page lists a physical registration-office address and phone number for each country. Find your country on those pages, then contact your agency directly to confirm the current registration window and required documents.
Can I register for EPS-TOPIK directly on eps.go.kr or epstopik.hrdkorea.or.kr?
No. HRD Korea's own registration page states that application forms are accepted by the sending agency in your country, and points you to that agency's website for anything to do with online registration. The Korean portals publish the exam schedule, your score, and study materials.
What documents do I need to register for EPS-TOPIK?
The official application form asks for your full name exactly as it appears in your passport in English block capitals, date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, sex, your passport number (or an ID card number), a marked sector preference, and a phone number. You submit one form with two passport-style photos attached (3.5 x 4.5 cm, front-facing, no hat, taken within the last 6 months) and a copy of your passport or ID card. Your sending agency may require more. Confirm the full list before the registration window opens.
Does my name on the EPS-TOPIK application need to match my passport exactly?
Yes. HRD Korea's own guidance states that a mismatch in name or date of birth between your application and your passport can block your entry to Korea, even after you pass the exam. Fill in your name exactly as it appears in your passport.
How much does EPS-TOPIK cost to register?
HRD Korea publishes the registration fee as USD 28, or the equivalent in local currency, with a stated exception of USD 24 for the Philippines. Your sending agency collects it in local currency, so ask your agency for the exact local amount for your round. Cancellations during the open registration window receive a full refund.
Why is the EPS-TOPIK exam date different from a friend in another country?
Each country runs its own separate exam rounds, each with its own registration window, exam date, and result date. Korea divides its annual EPS quota by country and sector, and each sending agency runs its own calendar in consultation with Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor. A Vietnam round and a Myanmar round can be open at the same time and close on completely different dates.
How do I find out when the next EPS-TOPIK round opens for my country?
HRD Korea publishes a live exam-round schedule at epstopik.hrdkorea.or.kr showing registration windows, exam start dates, and result dates for each current and upcoming round by country. Your sending agency also announces windows through its own channels. Future rounds often show dates as undetermined, and HRD Korea notes the schedule can change.
Are free EPS-TOPIK study materials available?
Yes. HRD Korea publishes free official study materials at epstopik.hrdkorea.or.kr, including the standard textbook with listening audio, past open question collections, and country-specific self-study booklets. The E-Book edition covers 7 languages, and more countries have downloadable PDF booklets. Download them as soon as you confirm your exam round.
What happens if I cannot sit the exam after registering?
If you cancel during the open registration window, your sending agency confirms your identity and refunds the fee in full. A refund is also possible after the window closes for anyone found ineligible to sit the exam. Contact your sending agency for the cancellation process in your country.
What happens after I pass EPS-TOPIK?
Passing is the first step, not automatic placement. Your pass is valid for 2 years from the results announcement date. To reach the Worker Roster (구직자명부), you also need to pass a health check and submit a job-seeker application during your country's application window; your sending agency then compiles the roster and sends it to HRD Korea. Korean employers hire from among the people registered on that roster. See the EPS Korea Guide for the full pipeline from Roster to arriving in Korea.