Mandatory Registration of Long-term Trips Abroad - Korean Registration of Korean Nationals Residing Abroad Act of 2019

The Amendment to the Korean Registration of Korean Nationals Residing Abroad Act (hereinafter as “Amendment to the Registration of Korean Nationals Abroad Act”) shall enter into force at the end of 2019. The Amendments major focus is on collecting more information about Korean nationals staying or residing abroad. For a related update related to Korean Passports, please see: Korean Passports.

Key-facts about the Registration of Korean Nationals Residing Abroad Act

The Korean Registration of Korean Nationals Residing Abroad Act facial purpose is to “…understand the current status of the nationals of the Republic of Korea residing or staying abroad by having them registered, in order to promote conveniences of their activities at home and abroad, execute relating administrative affairs properly, thereby contributing to the formulation of protective policies for them.”.

In accordance with the Act, Korean nationals shall register their stay in foreign countries as soon as the duration exceeds 90 days. The registration shall be done “…within 30 days from the date of having address or residence in a certain area of a foreign country” with a diplomatic mission and provide a certified copy of the registration on demand. Most changes are required to be registered within 14 days of the occurrence of the change and an address change must be reported within 30-days of the change of address.

Major Legal Changes due to the Amendment 2019

In addition to the current necessary information (name, date of birth and resident registration number, gender, place of register, a.s.o.) Korean nationals shall provide passport number, e-mail-address, date of first arrival in the country of sojourn and other demographic information.
A certified copy of the registration may be issued via printed document, fax or electronic means.
The return to Korea for longer than 90-days shall, also, be reported within 90 days.

Korea has fines for non-compliance and the Korea government has been active, in recent years, in imposing fines on Korean and expats residing in Korea.