ExpatWonMoney & Life in Korea

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Every guide on ExpatWon, grouped by topic. 93 in total — each one sourced from the institutions that publish the rules, and dated so you can see when it was last checked.

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Visas & Immigration

6 guides
  1. How to Register as a Foreign Resident in KoreaBooking a HiKorea slot is not filing your application, and two changes need no booking at all. What Form 34 and the accommodation form actually ask for.Verified
  2. Korea Business Visa: C-3-4, C-3-5, C-3-6 or C-4?Talking about the installation is a business visit. Doing the installation is work — even when your salary is paid abroad. Where Korea draws the line.Verified
  3. Korea C-3-9 Tourist Visa: Who Needs It and How to ApplyThe tourism route when visa-free entry is not open to you — and the five-page form, including the clause that stops you changing status later.Verified
  4. How to Apply for K-ETA in 2026, Step by StepA run through the official application — the Gmail warning, the ban on AI photo editing, and a nationality check that runs only after you upload.Verified
  5. How to Fill Out Korea's e-Arrival Card in 2026Every field on the official form in order, with the exact dropdown options — and the exemption that puts you on the filing list rather than off it.Verified
  6. Korea D-8 Investor Visa: How the Money Must FlowThe ₩100M is a starting point, not the visa: FDI notification, who sends the funds, the 60-day registration, spending the capital, and renewal myths.Verified

Banking in Korea

13 guides
  1. What Korean Banks Ask About Money From AbroadThere is no general USD 10,000 reporting rule for receiving money in Korea. There is a threshold, it is a different one, and it binds the bank.Verified
  2. Sending Money From Korea to the USWire or ACH changes the route and the fees; the tax result is set by whose money it is. Routing numbers, intermediary charges, FBAR and Form 3520.Verified
  3. Sending Money From Korea to ChinaThe payout rail decides this corridor — bank account, UnionPay or wallet — and China's USD 50,000 is a purchase quota, not a cap on what you can receive.Verified
  4. ATMs in Korea for Foreign CardsNot every machine takes an overseas card, and the ones that do charge in three separate places. Where to look and what a withdrawal really costs.Verified
  5. Paying in Korea With a Foreign CardKorea runs on cards and still refuses foreign ones in specific, predictable places. Which places, why, and what to carry instead.Verified
  6. Check Card vs Credit Card in Korea for ForeignersA check card needs an account; a credit card is a small loan review. Post-paid transit is a credit function too — and it gets assessed on its own.Verified
  7. Post-paid Transport Cards for Foreigners in KoreaTransit is a credit function, so a check card can be approved and the transport function refused. What that changes, and what it does not.Verified
  8. Comparing Korea's Big Four Banks for ForeignersHana EZ, SOL Global, KB Quick Send and Woori WON Global compared — what each of the four major banks actually does better for a foreign resident.Verified
  9. Holding Foreign Currency in a Korean Bank AccountKeeping dollars in Korea is not the same as sending them out. Demand vs time deposits, what an FX preference really discounts, and the 15.4% on interest.Verified
  10. KakaoBank vs Toss Bank vs K bank for Foreigners (2026)Only one Korean internet bank opens accounts for foreigners today: Toss Bank's ARC KYC, KakaoBank and K bank launch timelines, and the FX-account trap.Verified
  11. How to Open a Bank Account in Korea as a ForeignerWhat actually matters when opening a Korean bank account as a foreigner: ID, proof of purpose, and the daily-limit account rules that catch people out.Verified
  12. How to Send Money From Korea: Steps and Real CostWhat a transfer out of Korea needs from you — beneficiary details, SWIFT, the purpose question — and why the exchange rate costs more than the fee does.Verified
  13. Korea's Limited Bank Accounts: How to Lift the CapsLimited accounts (한도제한계좌) unlock on evidence, not time: the legal basis, current caps, proof that works per situation, and foreigner ID-matching traps.Verified

Loans & Credit

8 guides
  1. Getting a Mortgage in Korea as a ForeignerLTV and the hard won caps, why recognised income binds first, Seoul's permit zone and two-year residence rule, and the 60-day report that does not apply.Verified
  2. Savings Banks and Capital Firms in Korea: Real CostsSecond-tier lending in Korea priced honestly: total cost of borrowing, the 2025 prepayment-fee reform, what it does to your credit file, and the exit plan.Verified
  3. Personal Credit Loans in Korea for Foreigners (2026)Unsecured credit loans for foreigners in Korea are real — even for E-9 and D-2. Actual product terms, income recognition, and the DSR cost of borrowing.Verified
  4. Jeonse Loans for Foreigners: How Approval Actually WorksHow foreigners get a jeonse deposit loan in Korea: SGI-backed bank products, visa eligibility myths, the four-cap limit math, and landlord cooperation.Verified
  5. Can Foreigners Get a Loan in Korea?How Korean lenders actually underwrite foreign borrowers: visa and stay stability, verifiable domestic income, DSR/LTV rules, and rejection patterns.Verified
  6. DSR, LTV & Stress DSR: How Korean Loan Limits WorkYour real limit is the smallest of three numbers. LTV rules and price caps, the 40%/50% DSR math, stress-rate mechanics, and the 2026 regional split.Verified
  7. How Korean Credit Scores Work for ForeignersNICE and KCB explained for thin-file foreigners: what the models weigh, identifier consistency, myths about utilization and inquiries, and the build order.Verified
  8. P2P Lending in Korea: How It Works for Firms & InvestorsKorean P2P (online investment-linked) finance explained: the legal structure, borrower use cases, investor limits, and how to read platform risk.Verified

Cars in Korea

8 guides
  1. How to Register a Car in Korea as a ForeignerA buyer has 15 days to put a used car in their name, and a fine up to 500,000 won if they miss it. Foreign applicants need a Korean bank account first.Verified
  2. Your Korean Car Tax Is Set by Engine Size, Not PriceA cheap car with a big engine is taxed more than an expensive one with a small engine. Acquisition tax, bonds, inspections and the ₩600,000 penalty.Verified
  3. You Left Korea. The Car Is Still in Your Name.Handing over the keys does not transfer ownership, and the fines stay yours. The 30-day countdown, liens, export deregistration and the refunds.Verified
  4. Exchanging a Foreign Driver's License in KoreaConverting a home-country licence into a Korean one: recognised vs non-recognised countries, the apostille myth, and the visa-based written-test exemption.Verified
  5. Car Loans in Korea for Foreigners: How 할부 WorksCan foreigners get a car loan in Korea? How 할부 works, what lenders screen, what your Residence Card does and does not decide, down payments and leasing.Verified
  6. Buying a Used Car in Korea as a ForeignerRegistration in your own name, the real all-in cost, reading the inspection sheet beyond 무사고, CarHistory limits, and how financing is actually judged.Verified
  7. Your Company Car Lease Is Not Fully DeductibleKorea’s most repeated leasing claim is wrong: ₩8M a year on depreciation, ₩15M without a driving log — and what really decides approval.Verified
  8. Long-Term Rental vs Lease vs Buying a Car in KoreaThe monthly payment is the least useful number: a TCO framework across 장기렌트, lease, and installment — with the tax-cap and DSR myths corrected.Verified

Business & Tax

10 guides
  1. Your Korean Withholding Tax Receipt, ExplainedFive numbers and one minus sign decide whether you are owed a refund. And the item numbers every guide online tells you to look at have changed.Verified
  2. Leaving Korea: Tax, Pension and What You Are OwedYour departure date is not the end of this. Some of it is due the day before you fly, and some of it lands months after you have gone.Verified
  3. Year-End Settlement for Foreign EmployeesThere is no foreign deduction table. Residence decides most of it — and the old rule that foreigners cannot claim housing stopped being true in 2021.Verified
  4. The 19% Flat Rate: When It Beats the BracketsThe crossover is nowhere near where it is usually quoted. Modelled on a single filer it sits around ₩135m — and every deduction pushes it higher.Verified
  5. Income Tax for Foreigners: Resident or NotYour visa does not decide this and neither does your passport. Residence for tax is a question about your life, and it sets what Korea taxes at all.Verified
  6. Korean VAT for Small Business OwnersThe ₩104M simplified threshold, why the lower rate can cost more than it saves, and the ₩48M line that exempts the payment but never the filing.Verified
  7. Registering a Business Credit Card on HometaxIt collects data, it does not create deductions. The 50-card limit, what it will not accept, and why the tax office’s pre-classification is not the answer.Verified
  8. Sole Proprietor vs Corporation in Korea for ForeignersKorea raised corporate tax rates in 2026. Which structure is cheaper depends less on the rate than on how much profit you take out — and on your visa.Verified
  9. Freelancing in Korea Legally: The 3.3% SystemThe 3.3% withholding is a tax prepayment, not a work permit. Visa-by-visa freelance rules, May filing math, expense rules, and when to register.Verified
  10. Registering a Business in Korea as a ForeignerVisa permission comes before tax registration: D-8/D-9 investment thresholds, sole proprietor vs corporation, bank AML hurdles, and business credit.Verified

Insurance

4 guides
  1. NHIS Dependants: The Income and Property TestsBeing family is where it starts, not where it ends. Four conditions decide it, and the property one is measured on a base most people never look up.Verified
  2. Korean Car Insurance for Expats, ExplainedWhy first-year premiums run high, how to get overseas insurance history recognized, license exchange, driver-scope design, and coverage that matters.Verified
  3. NHIS Health Insurance for Foreigners in KoreaHow Korean health insurance really charges foreigners: the ₩158,630 average-premium floor, who escapes it, arrears vs your visa, and dependents.Verified
  4. Silbi Insurance in Korea: Can Foreigners Enroll?Yes — with caveats: identity matching, NHIS interplay, the 4th-gen surcharge table, the new 5th generation (May 2026), and what underwriting really checks.Verified

Cost of Living

15 guides
  1. K-Pass Transport Refunds for Foreign ResidentsA government refund on what you spend commuting. Nationality is not the barrier — registration and residence verification are, and both are doable.Verified
  2. T-money: Buying It, Topping It Up, Getting It BackThe card price is not a deposit, the top-up rules differ by product, and the refund channel depends on how much is left. Sorted before you land.Verified
  3. Buying vs Renting in Korea: The Real Break-EvenLoan principal is not a cost and a jeonse deposit is not free. Price both sides the same way and the question becomes how long you will stay.Verified
  4. What Owning a Korean Home Costs Every YearClosing costs are the part everyone budgets for. The annual side — property tax, holding tax, owner-side repairs — is what compounds over a decade.Verified
  5. Buying a Korean SIM: Airport, Online or in TownThe three routes barely differ when everything works. Compare them on what happens when it does not, and on who you can hand the phone to.Verified
  6. What Breaks Without a Korean Phone NumberNot a legal ID, and not a total shutdown either. It is the gateway the online route runs through, and it fails the same way everywhere.Verified
  7. eSIM, USIM or Prepaid SIM in KoreaHaving a Korean number and passing Korean phone identity verification are different things. One tourist eSIM gives you the first and says so.Verified
  8. A Korean Number Before Your Registration CardA passport opens a real 010 line in minutes. What it does not open is verification — and the number you keep may not be the number you started with.Verified
  9. Closing Costs When Buying Property in KoreaAcquisition tax, agent fee, housing bond discount, stamp duty, scrivener. On a ₩500M apartment that is around ₩9.5M in cash no mortgage will lend against.Verified
  10. Management Offices in Korean Apartments and OfficetelsOne phrase, two legal systems. Which act your building runs on decides your parking, your vote, and where a dispute goes when the office cannot help.Verified
  11. Utilities and Maintenance Fees in Korean RentalsMeter photos on move-in, the electricity tier cliff, what your maintenance fee is actually made of — and the one line on it the landlord owes you back.Verified
  12. Jeonse vs Wolse: Korea's Rental System ExplainedJeonse is credit you extend to your landlord. The conversion-rate math, deposit recovery risk, 대항력 and 확정일자, and which guarantees accept foreigners.Verified
  13. Korean Phone Plans for Foreigners: MNO vs MVNOYour phone number is financial infrastructure: identity verification, the ARC sequence, real MVNO math with promo traps, and when the big three earn it.Verified
  14. Managing Money in Korea: FX, Remittance & CardsWhere expat budgets actually leak: currency-switch points, DCC, real remittance cost, the $50,000 myth, Korean credit cards, and the card tax deduction.Verified
  15. Protecting Your Housing Deposit in KoreaRegistry analysis, opposing power and fixed dates for foreigners, the next-day trap, the 126% rule decoded, and HUG guarantees — in the right order.Verified

Work & Employment

21 guides
  1. Reporting Your Employer as a Foreign WorkerThe fear is not the procedure. It is what happens to your status while you use it — and one protection changed in November 2025.Verified
  2. Unpaid Wages and Unfair Dismissal: Two RoutesThey go to different bodies on different clocks. Working the wage claim first is how people lose the dismissal remedy without ever being told.Verified
  3. When Your Old Employer Will Not Release YouA release letter is evidence that a job ended, not a veto over your next one. What to do when the previous company simply refuses to sign.Verified
  4. Changing Employers on a Korean Work VisaThe date that causes trouble is not your last day. It is your first day at the new place, and whether immigration had already said yes.Verified
  5. E-7-4: The Route From E-9 to Long-Term StatusThe one path out of the four-year-ten-month cycle. It is rationed at 33,000 a year, scored on points, and it is not a promotion.Verified
  6. E-9 vs E-7: What Actually Separates ThemNot wages, and not skill level. The real difference is who controls the employment relationship, and how quickly losing a job becomes a visa problem.Verified
  7. Losing Your Job on a Korean Work VisaThe 15 days everyone cites is your employer’s reporting duty, not your grace period. And D-10 is a status you qualify for, not one you fall back to.Verified
  8. Unemployment Benefit in Korea as a Foreign WorkerPaying the 0.9% does not mean you were covered. On most work statuses coverage starts the day after you apply — and nothing is backdated.Verified
  9. Which Korean Social Insurances You Are Actually InFour schemes, four different tests for a foreign employee. Which is why your deductions can differ from a colleague’s and both payslips be right.Verified
  10. Korea’s Four Social Insurances, From Your SideAround 9.7% of pay, across four schemes that do not share a calculation base — and one of them never costs you a won.Verified
  11. Overtime, Night and Holiday Pay: The Stacking RulesExtended work at night is 200%, not 150%. Holiday work has two tiers of its own. And a comprehensive wage clause removes none of it.Verified
  12. The 52-Hour Week in Korea, and What It Does Not BuyPaying the overtime premium does not purchase extra hours. The cap and the pay duty are separate regulations, and only one of them is criminal.Verified
  13. When Unused Leave Stops Being Owed to YouKorea’s use-promotion procedure removes an employer’s duty to pay for unused leave — if every step is done. Most of the time not every step is done.Verified
  14. Annual Leave in Korea: How It Actually AccruesTwo gates before any entitlement exists, eleven first-year days that all expire on the same date, and a payout that is not always eight hours a day.Verified
  15. Departure Guarantee Insurance for E-9 and H-2 WorkersIt is not severance and it is not a pension. It accrues on a different wage base, which is why the payout is often smaller than what you are owed.Verified
  16. Korean Severance Pay: What You Are Actually OwedNot one month per year. The divisor is calendar days, the floor is ordinary wage, and on a DC plan the last three months barely matter at all.Verified
  17. Korea’s Minimum Wage and the 209-Hour MonthThe hourly rate is ₩10,320. The lawful monthly minimum is ₩2,156,880 — and the gap between those two numbers is a paid holiday you never work.Verified
  18. Your Korean Employment Contract: What to CheckSigned is not delivered, probation is not capped at three months, and two years does not always mean permanent. The clauses that decide your money.Verified
  19. Reading Your Korean PayslipTwo colleagues on the same salary can have different deductions, legally. The reason is in the visa column, not the payroll system.Verified
  20. Hiring Your First Employee in KoreaContract, four social insurances, the 2026 minimum wage and what changes at five staff — what a ₩3,000,000 salary actually costs an employer here.Verified
  21. Registering an Employee for Korea’s Four InsurancesFour insurances, four laws, two deadlines: health insurance within 14 days, the other three by the 15th of the next month. What a new employer files.Verified

Studying in Korea

8 guides
  1. After the Language Programme: D-2, D-10 or E-7Finishing the course does not end your stay, and no single follow-on visa exists. Each route starts at a different point, months apart.Verified
  2. TOPIK Levels and What Each One Actually OpensTreat TOPIK as administrative currency, not a language badge. Level 2 changes your working hours; level 3 starts a degree conversation.Verified
  3. Dormitory, Goshiwon or One-room for StudentsThe three options differ on one axis before any other: whether they take a deposit. That decides which are possible for you at all.Verified
  4. Budgeting for Korean Study: 3, 6 or 12 MonthsSplit the money three ways — spent, locked up, and merely proven. Add the total and you have the cash you need before you fly, not after.Verified
  5. Choosing a Korean Language Institute and a CityPicking an institute is picking how long you may stay. Picking a city is designing a year of cash flow. Neither is really a school decision.Verified
  6. Seoul or a Regional City for Studying KoreanTuition barely moves between cities. Housing does, and the deposit moves most of all — which is what decides the cash you need on day one.Verified
  7. Keeping D-4 Status: Registration, Attendance, WorkThe visa gets you in. What decides your next extension is attendance, a reported address, and never working before the permit arrives.Verified
  8. The D-4 Visa for Studying Korean in KoreaNot every Korean school can sponsor a visa, and the money moves before the visa is granted. What actually decides a D-4 application.Verified