HiKorea Guide: Check Your Stay, Book an Immigration Visit and Apply Online

Sooner or later, nearly every foreign worker in Korea needs HiKorea. You'll use it to check your stay date, book a visit to immigration, report a new job or change your address. The site has a lot of menus, and some are only in Korean. So people often ask a friend to “just do it for me.” This guide answers the questions workers ask most, so you can handle the common jobs yourself.

HiKorea or the Visa Portal?

Korea has two immigration websites, and mixing them up wastes time. HiKorea is the Ministry of Justice's immigration e-service site for people already in Korea. The Korea Visa Portal (visa.go.kr) handles visa guides, online visa applications and visa status checks, mostly before or as you enter.

Common questions, answered

How do I check when my stay ends?

Open the Information Lookup menu on HiKorea and use the expiry date check. Your residence card also shows your period of stay. If they don't match, call 1345.

Do I need an account?

For most online applications, yes. HiKorea has “Log in” and “Create your account.” Some things, like checking a visit booking, work without logging in.

What can I do online with e-Application?

Online applications and reports for registered foreigners, such as reports and some extension requests. What you can do online depends on your visa and the task. If the menu doesn't show your task, book a visit instead.

Can I check if my residence card is still valid?

Yes. The Information Lookup menu has “Check registration card validity.” There's also a menu to report a lost card.

Can my friend book a visit for me with their own card number?

No. HiKorea warns that using someone else's residence card or passport number to book can lead to criminal penalties. Book with your own details.

Booking a visit to immigration

1. Find your office. It depends on where you live. Use the office directory on HiKorea.
2. Open Reserve Visit. Pick your office, the task and a free time slot.
3. Use your own details. Your own residence card or passport number — nobody else's.
4. Fill in your job information if asked. When you book for an extension or a change of status, the employment information screen pops up first. Fill it in before you can continue.
5. Get your papers ready. Passport, residence card and the documents listed for your task. They differ by visa, so check the task guide or call 1345.

Say your stay ends on April 30. Don't book for April 28. Busy offices can be full for weeks, so book as soon as you know you'll need a visit.

On the day of your visit

A first trip to the immigration office can feel stressful. It's usually just a long wait and a short talk. Here's how the day tends to go.

Arrive early. Give yourself time to find the building and the right floor. Offices are often busy in the morning, and late arrivals may lose their slot.

Show your booking. Have the reservation screen on your phone or printed. Staff at the entrance will point you to the right counter or ticket machine.

Wait for your number. Bring something to read and a charged phone. Waits can be long, even with a booking.

Hand over your papers in order. Passport first, then your residence card if you have one, then the documents for your task. If something is missing, the officer will tell you what to bring next time. Ask them to write it down.

Pay the fee if there is one. Some tasks have a fee. The officer will tell you how to pay.

Keep your receipt. It shows what you applied for and when. If you're waiting for a new card, the receipt is your proof until it's ready.

Don't understand a question? Say “I don't understand, can you write it?” in English, or call 1345 and ask for interpretation. That's normal. Officers deal with it every day.

The online job report (new in 2026)

From January 2, 2026, foreigners who earn money in certain visa statuses must report their job information online through HiKorea. The Korea Immigration Service guide lists E-1 to E-10, F-2, F-4, F-6, H-2, D-7, D-8 and D-9. That covers most foreign workers.

• You can do it while booking a visit, or through e-Application using the “Employment Information (Change) Report.”
• It's free.
• If your job information changes, report within 15 days.
• Paper reports were only allowed during a pilot in the first half of 2026. Now it's online only.

Changing workplace on E-9? The job center process for the change is separate from this immigration report. Do both. Our EPS guide explains the job center side.

Moving? Report your new address

Report your new address within 15 days of moving in. You can do it at your local community service center, the city or district office, the immigration office, or online. Miss the deadline and you could face a fine of up to 1 million won under the Immigration Act. Moving from one company dorm to another counts as moving too.

Residence card basics

Staying more than 90 days? You must apply for alien registration within 90 days of entry at the office for your area, and you'll get a residence card. Use HiKorea to check the card is still valid. If it's lost or stolen, report it right away. Our residence card guide covers fees, documents and reissue.

Mistakes that cost people time

• Booking too late. Slots fill up. Book the day you know you'll need one.
• Using a friend's account. Mixed-up reports are hard to undo.
• Doing only half the job change. Job center process and HiKorea report.
• Not saving proof. Screenshot or download every receipt.
• Following old advice. Reports changed in 2026. Tips from a few years ago may be wrong now.

Where to get help

The Immigration Contact Center (1345) takes calls on weekdays from 9:00 to 22:00, except public holidays. The Ministry of Justice says it covers 20 languages, but after 18:00 only Korean, English and Chinese. From outside Korea, call +82-2-1345. Normal call charges apply.

Write down the date, the time and what you were told, especially deadlines. For other numbers, like 1350 for job problems, see our help lines guide. And if you're not sure your visa allows a certain job, check our visa types guide first.