Residence Card (ARC) in Korea: How to Apply, Renew and Replace It

After your passport, your residence card is the most important thing in your wallet. You'll need it to open a bank account, get a phone, see a doctor, prove your status at work and use many government services. This guide covers who must apply, how, what it costs, and what to do when you move, change details or lose the card.

Who needs one

Under the Immigration Act, anyone staying in Korea more than 90 days must apply for foreigner registration within 90 days of entry. When you register, you get a residence card. The Korea Immigration Service says it has the same legal weight as a Korean citizen's ID card.

That covers E-9, E-7, E-10, H-2 and most other long-stay visas. A few groups are different. Diplomats and their families don't register. Overseas Koreans on F-4 make a residence report instead. Children under 17 may not get a card.

You'll still hear “ARC” — short for Alien Registration Card. In 2020 the Ministry of Justice renamed it Residence Card in English, the first name change in 54 years. Same card, new name.

Your 90 days, step by step

1. Book on HiKorea. Go to www.hikorea.go.kr, open Reserve Visit, and choose the office for the area where you live. Our HiKorea guide walks through the booking screens.
2. Gather your papers. The Korea Immigration Service lists your passport, proof of where you live, one photo, and the documents for your visa type. Workers usually also need papers from the employer, such as a contract or employment certificate.
3. Get the photo right. 3.5 × 4.5 cm, taken in the last 6 months, white or plain background, face 2.5 to 3.5 cm long. A photo shop near the immigration office will know the size.
4. Pay the fee. Since January 1, 2025 it's 35,000 won.
5. Go to your appointment. Bring originals. Officers may take your fingerprints and a photo.
6. Collect your card. Ask when and how it'll be ready. Keep your receipt until you have the card in your hand.

Many E-9 workers register together with others who arrived at the same time, with help from the employer or training center. Even so, check your name, date of birth and passport number when the card arrives. A typo now causes trouble later — at the bank, the hospital and immigration.

The 2025 IC-chip card

From January 1, 2025, Korea started issuing residence cards with an IC chip, and the fee went from 30,000 to 35,000 won. Permanent residence cards and residence report cards changed the same way. Already have an older card? It stays valid until it expires. You can swap to an IC card if you want; that also costs 35,000 won. The chip makes it easier to set up a mobile card.

The mobile residence card

Since January 10, 2025, you can carry a mobile residence card on your phone. It lives in the government's Mobile ID app (모바일 신분증). There are two ways to get it:

• IC-chip card: tap your card on your phone inside the app.
• QR code: visit an immigration office and scan a QR code there.

Your phone generally needs to be in your own name. Hospitals and some banks began accepting the mobile card in 2025 — see our health insurance guide for the hospital ID rules. Acceptance is still growing, so keep the plastic card with you too.

Using your card day to day

Once you have the card, you'll show it more often than you expect.

At the bank. Opening an account, getting a debit card or setting up mobile banking usually starts with your residence card. Some banks also ask for proof of your job, so bring your employment papers the first time.

For a phone. A contract phone plan in your own name generally needs the card. A prepaid SIM may be possible with a passport, but a plan in your own name makes many apps and verifications easier.

At the clinic. Hospitals must check ID now, and the card is the simplest way.

At work. Your employer will ask for a copy when you start and after any change, such as an extension.

Day to day. Carry the card with you. Police or immigration officers can ask to see it. A clear photo on your phone helps if it's lost, but it doesn't replace the card.

One last tip: check the stay date printed on the card, or on HiKorea, every few months. It's easy to forget, and an overstay of even a few days can cause problems later.

Changes you must report

Late address reports can mean a fine. Got a new passport? Update your record — your card is linked to your passport number.

If you lose it

Say you leave your wallet on the bus on a Friday night. Here's what to do on Monday — or sooner.

1. Report the loss. HiKorea has a menu for reporting a lost residence card. If you think it was stolen, tell the police (112) too.
2. Book a reissue visit. The deadline after a loss is short, so don't wait. Not sure? Call 1345.
3. Bring the papers. Usually a reissue application, your passport, a photo and the fee. A reissue costs the same as a new card.
4. Fix your mobile card. If you used one, check whether it needs to be set up again with the new card.

Leaving Korea for good

When you leave permanently, you're generally required to hand your card back. In practice you do it at the immigration desk at the airport on departure day. Just going home for a short trip within your permitted stay? Keep the card and bring it with you.

Before that final flight, check the rest of your paperwork too: last wages, severance pay, E-9 departure insurance, health insurance and your phone contract. Our severance pay guide has a checklist for your last days at work, and our help lines guide tells you who to call if something's missing.