Moving to Korea: phone, bank account and residence card in your first weeks
TUREFF• •0
The first weeks after moving to Korea are mostly paperwork, and the order matters: a lot of things need the residence card, and the residence card takes a while. This is the sequence most people follow. Rules change, so check with your employer, school or the Immigration office for your own visa type.
1. Your residence card comes first
If you stay longer than 90 days on a long-term visa, you register with Immigration within 90 days of arrival and receive a residence card, widely still called the ARC (alien registration card). It carries your foreign registration number, which works like a Korean resident number for banks, phone plans, hospitals and online shopping.
- Book an appointment through HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr); walk-ins are often not possible in big cities.
- Usual documents: passport, application form, a passport photo, proof of address (lease contract), visa-specific documents (employment contract or certificate of enrolment), and the fee.
- The card takes a few weeks. You can usually ask for a certificate in the meantime.
2. A phone number
- Until your card arrives, a prepaid plan under your passport is the simplest option.
- With the card, you can sign up for a regular contract plan, which is cheaper for long stays. Budget carriers (MVNOs, called "alddeul") offer much lower prices on the same networks.
- A Korean phone number in your own name is needed for identity checks on many apps and websites, so it is worth sorting out early.
3. A bank account
- Some banks open an account with a passport and proof of work or study before the card arrives, but features are limited at first, including daily transfer limits.
- Bring your residence card (or certificate), passport, phone, and a document showing your employment or enrolment.
- Ask for a check card (debit card) and to register for mobile banking at the same visit.
4. Health insurance
Employees are enrolled through their employer. Most other long-term residents, including students, are enrolled in the National Health Insurance automatically after a period of residence. Visits to clinics are fast and affordable, and many hospitals in Seoul have international clinics.
5. Daily life apps
- Naver Map or KakaoMap for directions (Google Maps cannot route here)
- KakaoTalk for messaging; almost everyone uses it, landlords and employers included
- Coupang or other delivery apps for shopping and food delivery, once you have a local number and card
- Papago for translation, which handles Korean especially well
6. Address and housing
Many rentals ask for a large deposit (jeonse or a monthly rent with a deposit). Read the contract carefully, check the property registry, and report your address change to the local community centre or Immigration within the required period whenever you move.
What tripped you up in your first month? Share it in the comments so the next person moving here doesn't run into it.