Alien Registration Korea: How Many Days Before the Deadline, and What Happens If You Miss It
Bottom line: If you're staying in Korea past 90 days on a student (D-2), work (E-7), marriage-migrant (F-6) or similar visa, you must register as a foreigner at the immigration office covering your address within 90 days of entry. Tourists and anyone staying 90 days or less don't need this. Book a visit slot on Hi Korea (hikorea.go.kr), then bring your passport, proof of your Korean address, and one ID photo that meets the spec (3.5cm x 4.5cm, taken within the last 6 months, plain background).
If you didn't know: Reporting a change of address late only costs up to 1,000,000 won in an administrative fine. Skipping alien registration itself for 90 days is a different, heavier offense — the Immigration Control Act makes it a criminal matter, punishable by up to 1 year in prison or a fine of up to 10,000,000 won, not a fine you can just pay and move on from. The people who get caught out are the ones who assume "I can register later."
Deadline — within 90 days of entry · Where — book on hikorea.go.kr, then visit the immigration office for your address · Bring — passport, proof of address, one photo (3.5x4.5cm) · Legal effect — same as a Korean resident registration card (Immigration Control Act Art. 88-2) · Reissue — needed if lost, damaged, or your details change · Return — hand the card back at the departure airport or an immigration office when you leave Korea for good · Help line — 1345 (Immigration Contact Center).
The registration duty and 90-day deadline sit in Article 31 of the Immigration Control Act, and Article 88-2 gives the card the same legal effect as a Korean resident registration card. On final departure, the card must be returned at the airport or an immigration office (Art. 46). A change-of-address report (within 15 days, fine up to 1,000,000 won) and failing to register at all are different violations under different articles and carry very different weight — don't confuse the two. Processing time and the reissue fee vary by office and aren't given as one fixed figure on Hi Korea's own pages, so that part isn't in the official record — check with your local immigration office or call 1345 before you apply. This was checked directly on the Ministry of Justice's immigration policy page (immigration.go.kr), on its alien registration card guide screen, on Nov 7, 2026.
This article summarizes official rules and is not legal, medical, or financial advice. Miss this 90-day window and it follows you — the same registration record gets checked at your next visa extension or status change, and a gap on it works against you. Verified Nov 7, 2026 · Source: Ministry of Justice, Korea Immigration Service
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