Which report you need depends on what changed. If you moved to a new address, you file a change of residence report. If your name, passport, school, or workplace changed, you file a report on your registration details. These are two different reports under two different articles of the Immigration Act.
Both are due within 15 days. Both can be filed online. But they go to different places, and the penalty for missing them is different: one is an administrative fine, the other is a criminal fine. This guide shows which one applies to you and how to file it.
Which report applies to you
When you must report a change
What documents you need for a change of address
What changes to your registration details you must report
Where to file each report
How to file online, step by step
What happens if you miss the deadline
Frequently asked questions
Which report applies to you
Hi Korea (하이코리아, Hai Korea) treats these as two separate services. Reading only the English pages, it is easy to assume one report covers everything. It does not. Start by finding your case in the table below.
| Change of residence report | Change of registration details | |
|---|---|---|
| What changed | Your address in Korea | Your name, passport, school, or workplace |
| Korean name | 체류지 변경신고 | 외국인등록사항 변경신고 |
| Deadline | 15 days from the day you move in | 15 days from the day the change happens |
| Where to file | Immigration office, city or district office, community service center, or online | Immigration office, or online for passport and employment details |
| Legal basis | Article 36 | Article 35 |
| If you miss it | Criminal fine up to 1,000,000 KRW | Administrative fine up to 1,000,000 KRW |
If both happened at the same time, file both. Moving to a new address because you changed jobs is two separate changes, not one.
When you must report a change
Both reports are due within 15 days. The two deadlines start counting from different events, and that is where most people lose days.
Change of address: the day you move into the new place, not the day you signed the lease.
Change of registration details: the day the change happens, such as the issue date on your new passport.
Weekends and public holidays are counted. The 15 days are calendar days.
File as soon as the change happens. There is no benefit to waiting, and the online report takes a few minutes.
What documents you need for a change of address
You need proof that you now live at the new address. Any one of the documents below works. Bring the Korean name with you, or show it on your phone at the counter.
| Document | Korean name | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Lease contract | 임대차계약서 | Anyone renting a home |
| Confirmation of accommodation | 숙소제공확인서 | People housed by an employer, a host, or a family member |
| Utility bill receipt | 공공요금 넑부영수증 | Anyone with a bill at the new address |
| Dormitory fee receipt | 기숙사비 영수증 | Students living on campus |
You also bring your passport or your Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증), now officially called the Residence Card. The report form itself is the change of residence report form (체류지 변경신고서), and you complete it at the counter or on screen. There is no fee.
If someone files for you, that person brings a letter of authorization (위임장), their own identification, and a document showing your relationship, such as a family relationship certificate.
What changes to your registration details you must report
This is the report people miss, because nothing about their daily life changed. Renewing a passport is the most common case. The list below comes from the Korean-language Hi Korea page, which is longer than the English one.
Your name, sex, date of birth, or nationality · 성명, 성별, 생년월일, 국적
Your passport number, issue date, or expiry date · 여권 번호, 발급일자, 유효기간
The organization you belong to, or its name · 소속기관 또는 단체
Whether you are enrolled in school · 재학 여부
Starting work or changing employer, for Working Visit (H-2) holders · 취업 개시 또는 고용처 변경
Your job or your annual income, for some statuses · 직업 또는 연간소득금액
The organization rule covers Culture and Art (D-1), Overseas Study (D-2), General Training (D-4), Journalism (D-5), Religious Affairs (D-6), Intra-company Transfer (D-7), Corporate Investment (D-8), and Trade Management (D-9). If you hold one of these and you change university or company, this report applies to you.
The income rule covers a different set of statuses: Intra-company Transfer (D-7) through Trade Management (D-9), Professor (E-1) through Crew Employment (E-10), Residence (F-2), Overseas Korean (F-4), Marriage Immigrant (F-6), and Working Visit (H-2). The school item applies to elementary, middle, and high school only.
You bring your passport and your Alien Registration Card, the report form (외국인등록사항변경신고서), and a document that proves the change, such as your new passport or a certificate of enrollment.
If your name, sex, date of birth, or nationality changed, the office issues you a new card. Article 44 of the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act requires this, so expect to hand your old card over.
Where to file each report
A change of address has more options than most people expect. You do not have to go to an immigration office for it.
Online through Hi Korea e-Application (전자민원)
The community service center for your new address (읽·면·동 주민센터)
The city, county, or district office for your new address (시·군·구청)
The immigration office with jurisdiction over your new address
Note that every option is tied to the new address, not the old one. A change to your registration details goes to the immigration office with jurisdiction over your place of stay, and passport changes and employment information changes can also be filed online.
Government 24 (정부24) lists the processing time for a change of address as three days when filed online, and immediate service when filed in person during office hours. The report is free.
Bring your Alien Registration Card with you. Under Article 36, paragraph 2 of the Immigration Act, the office writes the new address on the card and hands it straight back. If you hold a mobile Residence Card and file online, the new address is recorded on the mobile card instead.
How to file online, step by step
Hi Korea e-Application accepts a limited list of services. Three of them belong to this guide: change of residence, passport change, and employment information change. Registering for the first time is not on that list, so a first Alien Registration Card still requires a visit.
Open Hi Korea and go to e-Application.
Find your report in the list of available applications.
Complete the form with your new address or your new details.
Attach your proof of residence or the document that proves the change.
Submit, and keep the confirmation.
Scan or photograph your proof of residence before you start, so the upload step does not stop you halfway through.
What happens if you miss the deadline
The two reports carry two different kinds of penalty, and the difference matters.
Immigration also checks your reported address when you apply for other things, including an extension of stay. An address that does not match your paperwork can slow down a later application.
Alien Registration Card in Korea: Documents, Cost, and Deadline
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
Every figure in this guide comes from the pages below. Rules change, so open the page that matters to your case before you file.
Korea Ministry of Government Legislation, Easy Law · foreign resident registration and change reports · Korean
Korea Ministry of Government Legislation, Immigration Act Articles 35 and 36 · Article 35 · Article 36