Since 6 April 2026, licenses from seven more U.S. states count as recognized in Korea: Oregon, Idaho, Ohio, Kentucky, Utah, Nevada and Kansas. The same update took 11 countries off the list, including Australia and Sri Lanka, and added five new ones.
The list decides one thing when you exchange a foreign license: whether you take the written test. It does not change which Korean license you get. Here is the full list, how U.S. states and other regions count, exactly what changed in April 2026, and which countries’ licenses Korea keeps after an exchange.
What the list decides
List verified October 2026 · Korean National Police Agency Notice 2026-6 · Enforcement Decree, Article 52 and Annex 3
The list is a notice from the Korean National Police Agency on countries that recognize Korean licenses (국내면허 인정국가 고시). A country goes on it when it gives a Korean license holder its own license without any test except a physical check. The Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act (도로교통법 시행령) sets the process. Article 52 asks the Minister of Foreign Affairs to survey these countries at least once a year.
| On the list | Not on the list | |
|---|---|---|
| Physical check | Yes | Yes |
| Written test | No | Yes, 40 questions |
| Skills test and road test | No | No |
| Korean license you get | Class 2 ordinary | Class 2 ordinary |
So a country missing from the list does not block the exchange. It adds one test to your visit. Your status of stay can also remove that test, whatever your country. The FAQ at the end lists those statuses.
Which countries are on the list
The April 2026 notice names 133 countries and regions. KoROAD (한국도로교통공단, the Korea Road Traffic Authority) shows the same list in Korean on its foreign license page. The names below are in English and sorted alphabetically inside each region.
| Region | Countries and regions |
|---|---|
| Asia and the Pacific 25 |
Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India (listed states only), Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam |
| The Americas 22 |
Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Canada (listed provinces only), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico (Nuevo León only), Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, United States (listed states only), Uruguay |
| Europe 36 |
Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom |
| Middle East 12 |
Bahrain, Iran, Iraq (Erbil only), Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen |
| Africa 38 |
Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe |
If your country is not in this table, plan for the written test. Mainland China, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Mongolia and Nepal, for example, are not on the list. The notice counts places with their own license system, such as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as separate entries.
How U.S. states and other regions count
For four countries the list names parts of the country, not the whole of it. Your license counts only if the state or province that issued it is named. A license from an unnamed state is treated as a license from a country not on the list.
| Country | Listed states or provinces |
|---|---|
| United States 29 states |
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin |
| Canada 10 provinces |
Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan |
| India 5 states |
Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana |
| Mexico 1 state |
Nuevo León |
California, New York and Illinois, for example, are not among the 29 U.S. states, and none of Canada’s territories is listed. Washington here is the state, not Washington, D.C. Georgia appears twice in this guide: once as a U.S. state, and once as the country in the Europe row.
If your license is from one of these four states, prepare for the written test anyway. It has 40 multiple-choice questions, and you can take it in Korean, English, Chinese or Vietnamese.
What changed in April 2026
Comparison verified October 2026 · Notice 2023-7 (22 November 2023) and Notice 2026-6 (6 April 2026)
The previous notice took effect on 22 November 2023 and named 139 countries and regions. The April 2026 notice names 133. The notice itself only says that the recognized countries changed. The table below comes from comparing the two lists line by line.
| Region | Taken off the list | Added to the list |
|---|---|---|
| United States | None | Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Utah (22 states became 29) |
| Asia and the Pacific | Australia, Sri Lanka | Myanmar |
| The Americas | Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago | None |
| Europe | None | Estonia |
| Africa | Eritrea, Namibia, Zambia | Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa |
| Middle East | None | None |
The Canadian provinces, the Indian states and Nuevo León stayed the same. If you read an older guide, check which notice it uses. A guide based on the 2023 list will show Australia as recognized and will miss the seven new U.S. states.
The new notice took effect on the day it was issued, 6 April 2026. An Australian license holder who applies now takes the written test, unless their status of stay waives it.
Which countries’ licenses Korea keeps
Rules verified October 2026 · Road Traffic Act, Article 84(3) · Enforcement Decree, Article 52(5)
This is a separate list, and it answers a different question: whether you leave the test site with your foreign license. Article 84(3) of the Road Traffic Act lets KoROAD keep a foreign license only for a reason set by decree. Article 52(5) of the Enforcement Decree names two. The issuing country asks for its licenses to be collected, or that country keeps Korean licenses when it exchanges them.
KoROAD’s page sorts countries into these groups, based on information from Korean embassies abroad. The table shows countries that many foreign residents in Korea come from.
| Group | Countries |
|---|---|
| Not kept You keep your license |
Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India (KoROAD lists 27 states, including Maharashtra), Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam |
| Kept The issuing country asks |
Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Czech Republic, Egypt, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom |
| Kept Reciprocity |
Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Poland, Spain, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan |
The two lists do not move together. Japan is on the recognized list and its licenses are kept. China is not on the recognized list and its licenses are not kept. Check both lists for your country.
| Group | States, provinces and territories |
|---|---|
| Not kept | Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, New Jersey, Washington, D.C. |
| Kept The issuing state asks |
Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming · Canada: Northwest Territories, Yukon |
| Kept Reciprocity |
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin · Canada: all 10 provinces |
Ohio, Kentucky, Utah and Nevada are left out of this table. KoROAD’s page names them in the kept group and also adds them to the not-kept group. If your license is from one of these states, ask at the counter before you hand it over.
For a country not shown here, open KoROAD’s foreign license page and select 외국면허 회수 국가 · 미회수 국가 보기 (view countries where licenses are kept or not kept). If your license is kept, KoROAD returns it in three cases. You leave Korea, you cancel your Korean license, or a diplomatic mission asks for it.
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
The lists in this guide come from the pages below. Lists change, so open the current version before you go.