Living in Korea, from your first week to settled-in
Setting up a life in Korea follows a chain: the Alien Registration Card unlocks a bank account, which unlocks a phone and a lease, and health insurance and utilities follow. Here is the order, and a guide for each step.
Guides
If you are arriving, work top to bottom. If you are already here, jump to the piece you still need to sort out.
Moving to Korea Checklist
The chronological playbook from 60 days before arrival through your first 30 days: every deadline and first step.
Read guideAlien Registration Card (ARC)
The 90-day deadline, where to go, what to bring, and why the ARC unlocks almost everything else.
Read guideOpening a Bank Account
Which banks work for foreign residents, what documents you need, and the foreigner-friendly options.
Read guideGetting a Phone and SIM
Prepaid vs contract, the carriers, what an ARC changes, and how to get connected on day one.
Read guideHousing and Apartment Types
Jeonse, wolse, officetels, and one-rooms: the rental system and the vocabulary before you start looking.
Read guideCost of Living
What it actually costs to live in Korea: rent, utilities, NHIS, food, and realistic monthly budgets.
Read guideSetup is a chain, and the ARC is the first link
Almost everything in Korean daily life keys off your registration:
- The Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증) comes first, within 90 days of arrival. Most other steps need it.
- A bank account and a phone usually need the ARC, and a lease and utilities usually need both.
- Health insurance and a registered address follow, and from there daily life gets a lot simpler.
New here? Start with the moving-to-Korea checklist for the full timeline, then the ARC guide for the first real deadline.
Once you are set up
Health insurance, utilities, and community are the next layer after the essentials are in place.
Health Insurance (NHIS)
How national health insurance enrollment works for foreign residents and what it covers.
Read guideSetting Up Utilities
Electricity, gas, water, and internet: how to set them up and what the management fee covers.
Read guideFinding Your Community
The communities, services, and hotlines (like 1330) that make daily life in Korea easier.
Read guide