Report the loss online first, then apply for a new card in person. The online report takes a few minutes and exists to stop someone else from using your card. The replacement card costs 35,000 KRW and is issued by the immigration office for your address.
These are two separate actions, and the first one does not do the second. Reporting the loss does not cancel your old card, and it does not start your new one. Here is what each step does, what you need to bring, and what the law expects of you while you are without a card.
What to do first when your card is missing
What the online loss report does and does not do
How soon you must apply for a new card
What documents you need
Where to apply and what it costs
Frequently asked questions
What to do first when your card is missing
Hi Korea (하이코리아, Hai Korea) runs a loss report service you can use without logging in. You enter your registration number and verify yourself by mobile phone. The service is called Report loss of residence card (외국인등록증 분실신고) and it is listed under Other Services, not under e-Application.
Open the Report loss of residence card page on Hi Korea.
Enter your registration number.
Verify yourself with mobile authentication.
Choose Report loss, then submit.
If you cannot use Hi Korea, the page tells you to file the report by visiting the immigration office for your jurisdiction instead. Either way, do this part before you start collecting documents for the new card.
What the online loss report does and does not do
This is the point most guides skip, and it changes what you should expect at the counter.
So if your card turns up in a coat pocket the same evening, cancel the report and keep using the card. If it turns up later, go to your immigration office and ask what to do before you use the card again.
How soon you must apply for a new card
Apply as soon as you can. The pressure does not come from a paperwork date. It comes from the duty to carry the card.
Article 27 of the Immigration Act (출입국관리법) requires every foreign resident in Korea to carry a passport, an Alien Registration Card, or a mobile Residence Card at all times, and to show it when an immigration officer or another authorized official asks. Residents under 17 are exempt. Article 98, subparagraph 1 makes a breach of that duty punishable by a criminal fine of up to 1,000,000 KRW.
One case does have a fixed deadline. If you are replacing the card because your name, sex, date of birth, or nationality changed, that is a change report under Article 35, and it is due within 15 days of the change.
What documents you need
The list below is from Hi Korea. Two items depend on your situation, so read the third column before you leave home.
| Item | Korean name | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | 여권 | Always |
| Re-issuance application form | 외국인등록증 재발급 신청서 | Always |
| Document stating the reason | 신청사유를 소명하는 자료 | Only when the card is lost |
| One color photo, 3.5cm x 4.5cm | 컳러사진 1매 | Only if your last photo is over 6 months old |
| Your old card | 구 외국인등록증 | Damaged, out of space, or details changed. Not when lost |
| Fee | 수수료 | 35,000 KRW |
The photo rule catches people out. If the photo on your current card is still under six months old, the office reuses it and you do not need a new one. If you are not sure when it was taken, bring a photo anyway.
Where to apply and what it costs
Re-issuance is handled at the immigration office with jurisdiction over your address, the same office that issued your first card. Hi Korea has a search page where you enter your region and it returns the office name, address, and the districts it covers. That page works in English.
The fee is 35,000 KRW. The same fee applies whether the card was lost, damaged, or out of space. It rose from 30,000 KRW on 1 January 2025, when the card began carrying an IC chip, so bring 35,000 KRW.
Book a visit reservation. Immigration offices have required one since 1 April 2021.
Book at least one day ahead. A reservation cannot be made for the same day you visit.
Book with your own details. Hi Korea warns that using another person’s registration or passport number to hold a slot is a criminal offense.
Hi Korea online services run on weekdays from 07:00 to 22:00, and are closed on weekends and public holidays.
Bring your passport with you on the day. Until the new card is in your hand, your passport is what satisfies the duty to carry identification under Article 27.
How to Report a Change of Address or ARC Details in Korea
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 go.
Korea Ministry of Government Legislation · Immigration Act Article 27 · Article 98 · Enforcement Decree Article 42