Living in Korea as a foreigner: visas, housing, healthcare, taxes, work, and culture.
A curated list of government portals, community hubs, everyday apps, and guides for the ~3 million foreign residents living in Korea. Maintained by Seoulstart, a multilingual practical-guide site for foreign residents in Korea. Seoulstart's own guides are included where they add plain-language depth; they sit alongside official and community sources, never above them.
Also available in: 한국어 · 日本語 · 简体中文 · 繁體中文 · हिन्दी · Español · العربية · Français · বাংলা · Português · Bahasa Indonesia · Bahasa Melayu · Filipino · Tiếng Việt · ไทย · မြန်မာဘာသာ · Монгол · Deutsch · Italiano · Oʻzbekcha · Русский
- Arrival and First 90 Days
- Visas
- Housing
- Money, Banking, Investing, and Taxes
- Healthcare and Insurance
- Family Life
- Work
- Transportation
- Korean Language and KIIP
- Culture and Society
- Food and Groceries
- Pets
- Communities and Everyday Apps
- Other Government Portals
- Multilingual Editions
- Leaving Korea
- HiKorea - Ministry of Justice immigration portal: ARC, visa extensions, e-Form, and appointment booking. The official source.
- Government 24 (정부24) - National e-government portal; issue civil and residence certificates in English.
- 1345 Immigration Contact Center - Phone counseling on visas, ARC, and residence in about 20 languages. Dial 1345 in Korea.
- Incheon International Airport - Official airport site: arrivals, immigration, transport into Seoul, and lost-and-found.
- Seoul Global Center - Free multilingual settlement help and help desks in central Seoul.
- Seoulstart Directory - Curated, verified directories of English-speaking services: doctors, lawyers, language schools, vets, halal food, and government support centers.
- ARC Registration Guide - The 90-day deadline, documents, and walkthrough at an immigration office.
- Korea Arrival Checklist - ARC, bank account, NHIS, utilities, and the rest of the first weeks, as a checklist.
- Korea Visa Portal (visa.go.kr) - Official Ministry of Justice visa information and e-visa applications. Beware copycat sites.
- Korea Immigration Service - Visa categories, requirements, and where rule changes are announced.
- HiKorea Visa Navigator - Official browser of all 30-plus visa categories.
- K-ETA - Official electronic travel authorization for visa-waiver nationals. Many scam copycats exist; this is the real one.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Embassy and consular visa instructions for applying from outside Korea.
- Permanent Residency (Easy Law) - Government plain-language explainer of F-5 status, eligibility, and how permanent residency (영주권) can be lost.
- Seoulstart Visa Hub - Plain-language guides to every visa type, point systems, and conversions.
- E-7 Specialized Activities Visa - Occupation codes, salary floor, and employer requirements.
- F-2 Long-Term Residency - Point system and eligibility paths.
- F-5 Permanent Residency (영주권) - The common paths, income and KIIP gates, and how F-5 differs from citizenship.
- Korea Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) - The jeonse deposit-return guarantee (전세보증금반환보증), the main protection against losing a deposit.
- Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) - National public-housing provider and rental programs.
- Seoul Housing and Living Guide - Seoul's English guide to renting and housing welfare.
- Easy Law (찾기 쉬운 생활법령) - Government plain-language explanations of lease law and tenant rights. Mostly Korean.
- Seoulstart Housing Hub - Jeonse, wolse, apartment types, lease documents, and getting the deposit back.
- How to Avoid Deposit Scams - Checks to run before you hand over a deposit.
Official sources:
- National Tax Service (NTS, English) - Income-tax guides for residents and nonresidents. English helpline 1588-0560, press 7.
- Hometax - Online tax filing and year-end settlement (연말정산). Mainly Korean.
- National Pension Service (NPS) - Pension contributions and the lump-sum refund for departing foreign workers.
- Korea Exchange (KRX) - Official KOSPI and KOSDAQ market operator: listings, indices, and trading rules.
- Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) - Financial consumer protection for banks, brokerages, insurers, and remittance firms. Complaint line 1332.
Taxes, pension, and benefits:
- Korea Foreign Resident Tax Guide - Resident vs nonresident status, what you owe, and how it is taxed.
- Korea Pension Refund Guide - Who can reclaim pension contributions and how.
- Korea Benefits Hub - Government programs for foreign residents, shortlisted by city, visa, and household.
Investing and credit:
- Personal Finance Accounts for Foreign Residents - Master eligibility guide: ISA, IRP, pension savings, Korean brokerage, and overseas stocks. Tax-resident status, not visa type, is the gate.
- Opening a Korean Brokerage Account - Which brokerages require a branch visit, the 본인인증 identity gate, and what KOSPI and KOSDAQ trades cost in tax.
- Building Korean Credit - How KCB and NICE scores work for foreigners, why home-country credit is ignored, and the steps that actually move your score.
Banking and remittance (all commercial):
- KEB Hana Bank - Major bank widely used by foreign residents for English app and desk support.
- Wise - International transfers at mid-market rates.
- Sentbe - Korea-licensed remittance app for sending money home.
- GME Remit - Remittance app widely used by EPS and migrant workers.
- National Health Insurance Service (NHIS, English) - Mandatory enrollment, premiums, and dependents. Helpline 1577-1000, press 7.
- National Emergency Medical Center (E-Gen) - Real-time open-ER and pharmacy finder. The 1339 line gives guidance in English.
- HIRA - Official locator for hospitals and night or 24-hour pharmacies.
- NHIS Enrollment Guide - When enrollment kicks in, what you pay, and how to add dependents.
- Korea Emergency Room Guide - What to do, what to bring, and what it costs.
- Severance International Health Care Center - English-language clinic, including visa medical exams.
- Asan Medical Center International Clinic - One-stop foreigner clinic with interpretation.
- National Center for Mental Health - Korea's national psychiatric hospital and mental-health information hub.
- Find A Helpline (Korea) - Maintained directory of crisis and mental-health lines, with language notes.
- Seoulstart English-Speaking Doctors Directory - Verified hospitals, clinics, dentists, and 24/7 hotlines with confirmed English service.
- Seoulstart Mental Health Directory - English-speaking therapists and psychiatrists, free counseling, and multilingual crisis lines.
- Danuri (다누리) / Live in Korea - Multicultural-family portal and the 1577-1366 helpline in 13 languages.
- Ministry of Gender Equality and Family - What the local Multicultural and Healthy Family Support Centers offer.
- Healthy Family Support Centers (Familynet) - Neighborhood centers: Korean classes, parenting, and family counseling. Mostly Korean.
- Bokjiro: Child Allowance (English) - Official eligibility and how to apply, including foreign parents of Korean children.
- Seoul Multicultural Family Portal (Hanultari) - Seoul-specific support with a multilingual chatbot.
- Getting Married in Korea - The process, documents, and order of steps for couples.
- Korean Child Benefits for Foreign Residents - Which cash benefits foreign parents can claim.
- Korea Parental Leave Benefits - Eligibility, payments, and how to apply.
- EPS (Employment Permit System) - Official portal for E-9 workers: testing, job matching, contracts, and the Departure Guarantee severance claim on exit.
- Work24 (고용24) - Government job search, employment insurance, and training. Mainly Korean.
- Ministry of Employment and Labor - Labor-rights site. The 1350 hotline handles unpaid wages and contract violations.
- Korea Support Center for Foreign Workers - Directory of in-person worker support centers with interpretation.
- Migrant Workers Help Line (1644-0655) - Worker-rights counseling in 14 languages.
- Village Lawyers for Foreigners (1345) - Free three-way calls connecting any foreigner, including the undocumented, to a licensed Korean attorney.
- Korea Family Welfare Legal Counseling Center - Free family-law counseling, with an English session every Monday evening.
- Korea Workers Compensation Service (COMWEL) - Official industrial-accident insurance: workplace injury claims and medical care.
- E-9 Worker Rights - Contracts, workplace changes, and what the law protects.
- Hagwon Contract Red Flags - Clauses to check before signing a teaching contract.
- Seoulstart Korea Jobs Board - Live aggregator of Korea-based jobs hiring English speakers, refreshed daily.
- JobKorea - Largest job portal, with a foreign-recruitment service. Commercial.
- Saramin - Major job board with English listings. Commercial.
- Seoulstart Lawyers and Legal Directory - English-speaking lawyers and free legal aid for immigration, labor, family, and criminal matters, each with a confirmed Korean-licensed attorney.
National rail:
- Korail - Official booking site for KTX, ITX, Saemaeul, and Mugunghwa trains nationwide.
- SRT - High-speed rail service operating from Suseo Station to major cities across Korea.
Buses:
- Kobus - Official express-bus reservation platform connecting major cities across Korea.
- Bustago - Intercity-bus booking platform serving routes not covered by Kobus.
Airports and city transit:
- AREX - Airport railroad between Incheon Airport, Gimpo Airport, and Seoul Station.
- Seoul Metro - Official Seoul subway maps, fares, and station information in English.
- King Sejong Institute (Online) - Free official Korean courses, usable from anywhere.
- TOPIK (official) - Registration, schedules, results, and past papers.
- Socinet (KIIP) - Enrollment for the free Korea Immigration and Integration Program. Mostly Korean.
- krdict (Korean Learners' Dictionary) - Official learner's dictionary, bilingual into 11 languages.
- Seoulstart TOPIK Hub - Test structure, levels, registration, and visa points.
- Seoulstart KIIP Hub - Stage-by-stage guide to the integration program.
- Seoulstart Korean Language Schools Directory - University 어학당 and private schools compared on formats, cost per term, D-4 visa support, and TOPIK prep.
- Talk To Me In Korean - Widely used self-study curriculum and a free podcast. Free and paid.
- How To Study Korean - Free, deep grammar-focused lessons.
- GO! Billy Korean - Free full video curriculum from alphabet to conversation.
- Naver Dictionary - The Korean-English dictionary residents use daily.
- Korea.net - Official culture, policy, and history explainers in 10 languages.
- Seoulstart Korea Decoded Hub - Plain-language hub of guides on Korean culture, society, and everyday norms.
- Seoulstart Korea Weekly - Weekly briefing on Korea news, policy changes, and resident rule updates.
- Korean Age System - How age works in Korea and what changed in 2023.
- Modern Korean History 101 - The recent history behind the Korea you live in.
- The Korea Herald - The largest English-language daily.
- Korea JoongAng Daily - Major national daily with a strong society and culture desk.
- Yonhap News (English) - National news wire in English.
- r/korea - The largest English-language Korea community.
- Culture of South Korea (Wikipedia) - Sourced encyclopedic overview that links to primary references.
- Korea Muslim Federation - The official mosque directory and the body that issues halal certification in Korea.
- Seoulstart Halal and Muslim-Friendly Directory - KMF-certified restaurants, halal grocery marts, mosques, and prayer rooms by city, for residents.
- Seoulstart Foreign Grocery Directory - Where to buy home-country food, grouped by region: South Asian, Southeast Asian, Russian and Central Asian, Western, Japanese, and more.
- Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) - Official dog and cat import rules: microchip, rabies, and titer test.
- Animal Protection Management System - Mandatory pet-dog registration and lost-or-found reporting. Mostly Korean.
- Bringing a Pet to Korea - The import timeline and paperwork, step by step.
- Pet Registration in Korea - The legal registration every dog owner must do.
- Vet Costs in Korea - What routine and emergency care actually costs.
- Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA) - Animal-welfare NGO with an English-accessible adoption process.
- Korean K9 Rescue - Bilingual no-kill rescue: adoption, fostering, and pet relocation.
- South of Seoul: Choosing a Vet - Non-commercial, community guidance on finding and talking to Korean vets.
- Seoulstart English-Speaking Vets Directory - English-friendly animal hospitals, 24/7 emergency care, and clinics that handle pet-export paperwork.
Community forums:
- r/Living_in_Korea - Resident-focused community for visas, housing, work, and daily life.
- r/living_in_korea_now - Smaller resident-focused community with fewer restrictions on local news, daily-life discussion, and current events.
- r/teachinginkorea - Community for English teachers on jobs, contracts, and schools.
- Every Expat in Korea (Facebook) - Large general-purpose question-and-answer group.
- Korea4Expats - Independent reference library on living and working in Korea.
Everyday apps (all commercial):
- KakaoTalk - The default messaging app for personal and business contact.
- Naver Map - Mapping and transit with the best Korea coverage.
- Kakao Map - Popular mapping app with strong local-business coverage, navigation, and public-transit information.
- Papago - AI translator tuned for Korean, with camera translation.
- Coupang - Dominant e-commerce with same and next-day delivery.
- Baemin (배달의민족) - The leading food-delivery app. Mostly Korean.
- Coupang Eats - Food-delivery app with English support and integration with the Coupang payment system.
- Karrot (당근마켓) - Hyperlocal secondhand marketplace and neighborhood board.
- Kakao T - Taxi-hailing without speaking Korean.
- Toss - Fintech app for transfers and payments, with an English interface.
- T-money - Rechargeable card for buses, subways, and taxis nationwide.
Helplines:
- 1330 Korea Travel Hotline - 24/7 interpretation in eight-plus languages that can bridge you to 119. Dial 1330.
- 120 Dasan Call Center - Seoul city services with foreign-language consultation. Dial 120.
The portals below are the meta-references and cross-cutting services. Topic-specific government portals (HiKorea, NHIS, NTS, EPS, and the rest) live in their own sections above.
- Government 24 (gov.kr) - Master portal for about 12,000 public services. Many certificates issue in English.
- Korea Legal Aid Corporation (KLAC) - Free legal consultation for residents under an income threshold. Hotline 132.
- Busan Global City Foundation - Busan's main multilingual settlement-support center and call line for the southeast region.
- Korea.net Website Directory - Official curated index of government and public-service sites.
- Seoulstart in Korean (한국어)
- Seoulstart in Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
- Seoulstart in Russian (Русский)
- Seoulstart in Chinese (中文)
- Seoulstart in Japanese (日本語)
For Seoulstart's full guide library, use the English site or the Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese editions. Summary versions of this list are available in more languages from the switcher at the top.
- Korea Customs Service - Rules for shipping household goods out of Korea.
- Korea Post - Official postal service: international shipping and parcel tracking.
- Leaving Korea Guide - The order of operations: refunds, account closures, and ARC return.
Related Seoulstart lists:
- Awesome Korea Travel - Visiting rather than moving: trip planning, transit, cities, and things to do.
- Awesome Build for Korea - For companies and developers building a product for the Korean market.