Living in South Korea

Introduction

AroundThis 100,000guide sets out essential information for British nationalscitizens travelmoving to Southor Korealiving eachin yearSouth andKorea. approximatelyRead 8,000about Britishhow nationalsour liveBritish andEmbassy workSeoul here.can help. 

This information is provided as a guide setsonly. outYou essentialshould get definitive information from the South Korean authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is not liable for any inaccuracies in this information.  

Support for British nationalNationals residingAbroad: inA SouthGuide Korea,sets includingout advicehow onBritish health,nationals education,can benefits,stay residencesafe requirementsabroad and more.how Wethe areFCDO unablecan tohelp provideif anyyou guidancedo onget into difficulty.

Read general lifestyleguidance enquirieson moving apartor fromretiring abroad.

To stay up to date:  follow the informationBritish andEmbassy linksSeoul listedon below.Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Before you go

See our travel advice for South Korea for up-to-date information on ‘Howentry elserequirements, welocal canlaws helpand &customs, Whatsafety ourand consulatesemergencies.  

See cannotalso dothe Overseas Business Risk Country Guide for youSouth Korea’.. 

Coronavirus

YouFollow should follow the advice of the South Korea’sKorean government and your local authority. You canshould also read the South KoreaKorean travel advice.

Visas and residency

Check the entry requirements for South Korea in our latesttravel guidance.advice.

ForAs a general rule, any person other than those who have the right of abode or right to land in South Korea, must obtain a visa before coming to Korea for the purpose of study, taking up employment, training, investment or residence.

Visit the Korean Immigration website for information on gettingapplying afor COVID-19residence vaccineand aswork permits and the requirements for visas. 

Don’t overstay your visa. The South Korean authorities consider overstaying a UKserious nationalmatter and you may be held in detention, fined and deported, or removed at your own expense. 

Foreigners are allowed to enter and live in South Korea,Korea seewith ourtheir coronavirusfamily members and dependants. 

You should ask the Immigration Office directly for further advice and information on sponsoring family members to live in South Korea.

Passports and travel

You advice.can apply for or renew your British passport from South Korea.

Check the South Korean travel advice for passport validity requirements.

HealthHealthcare in South Korea

Medical care is generally good in South Korea, although it can be expensive. Healthcare is not provided free of charge in South Korea for foreign nationals and medical bills can be high. Please note that masks are still mandatory in hospitals and medical facilities. 

There is no reciprocal National Health Service agreement in South Korea and medical costs are to be borne by the individual. Insurance is essential; ensure that comprehensive travel insurance is taken out before you travel. Make sure that your policy provides for the following:

• anAn air ambulance, in case you need to be flown home
• fullFull medical cover (bills can be very expensive)
• bringingBringing the body home, in the event of a death
• bringingBringing your family home, in the event of your illness or injury

If you need emergency medical assistance, you can attend any medical clinic, Hospital Emergency Room or dial 119 for an emergency.

Medical

If Treatmentyou inneed Southemergency Korea

ODT,medical 41.2assistance, KB

Thisyou filecan isattend inany anmedical OpenDocumentclinic, format

Education

ThereHospital isEmergency aRoom 9or yeardial compulsory119 educationfor system,an accessibleemergency. 

You onlymust toregister Koreanfor nationals.healthcare Inas addition,a thereresident arein aSouth numberKorea. 

If ofyou privatelycannot runregister schoolsfor –healthcare, atyou allmust levelsensure –you thathave acceptprivate internationalhealthcare students.cover Thefor EducationSouth BureauKorea 

NOTE: providesUK informationTravel regardinginsurance educationproviders policieswill andnot servicesgenerally incover Southyour Korea.

Employmenthealthcare /costs Residenceif /you Recognisedlive qualifications

overseas.

Medicine 

AsIf you are on a generalprescription rule,for any personmedication, otheryou thanshould thoseensure whoyou have thea rightsupply of abodeit or rightare able to landobtain it when in South Korea,Korea. mustCertain obtainmedicines amay visanot beforebe comingavailable toin South Korea for(including major brands readily available in the purposeUK), ofand study,you may be prohibited from taking upthem employment,into training,the investmentcountry. orYou residence.should consult your GP before travelling to South Korea to find out about any alternative medication.

Don’tRead overstaythe yourguidance visa.if Theyou need to travel with medicines.

South Korean Customs authorities considerallow overstayingyou ato seriousbring mattersmall andamounts of medication for your personal use if you mayare beon heldmedication, provided that it is kept in detention,carry-on finedbaggage. It is advised to take an English language prescription from your doctor at home for both your prescription drugs and deported,non-prescription medicines. That way, you avoid problems or removedmisunderstandings at yourcustoms ownin expense.South Korea. It is also a good idea to consult their website before you travel to South Korea.

PleaseFor more information, please visit the Ministry of Health and Welfare website.

Working in South Korea

If you are planning to move to South Korea and work, you may need a visa. Read the South Korean Immigrationgovernment’s guidance websiteon working in South Korea as a foreign national and how to get a visa.

A university degree is the basic requirement for many employment opportunities for foreigners in Korea. Any educational qualification must be apostilled by the the Legalisation Office.

BenefitsStudying in South Korea

TheIf Socialyou Welfareplan Departmentto study in South Korea, you must meet all visa requirements providesbefore informationyou ontravel. socialPlease securityvisit the Korean government’s website for residentsstudying in Korea.

Contact the relevant higher education provider in South Korea whoto arecheck financiallywhat vulnerable. Forfees informationyou onhave to pay.

Tax

The UK benefits,has pleasea double clicktaxation hereagreement with South Korea. If that you aredo consideringnot movingpay ortax retiringon abroad,the pleasesame clickincome herein forboth information.countries. Ask the relevant tax authority your questions about double taxation relief.  

Driving

You licencesshould andget vehicles

professional advice on paying tax in South Korea. Find an English-speaking lawyer in South Korea.

InRead orderguidance on: * tax if you leave the UK to drivelive inabroad * Korea,tax on your UK income if you willlive requireabroad * atax Koreanif drivingyou licence.get Pleasea visitpension theand Koreanlive Driver’sabroad * Licencepaying Agency’sNational websiteInsurance while abroad to forprotect moreyour information.State Pension and entitlement to other benefits and allowances

Benefits

PleaseCheck notewhich thatUK benefits you mustcan takeclaim awhile writtenabroad examand beforehow youto canclaim obtainthem.

Many aincome-related Koreanbenefits driver’ssuch licenceas exceptPension Credit and Housing Benefit cannot be paid if you’re abroad for thosemore than 4 weeks.

The Social Welfare Department provides information on social security for residents in South Korea who holdare UKfinancially orvulnerable. otherIf approvedyou internationalare drivingconsidering licencesmoving or UKretiring apostilledabroad, drivingplease licences.click here for Thisinformation.

Pensions

Read State writtenPension examguidance canif beyou providedhave lived in English.Australia, DetailsCanada onor howNew toZealand and haveyou yourare UKclaiming licenceor apostilledwaiting canto beclaim foundyour here.UK State Pension.

ForIf informationyou aboutretire in South Korea, you can claim your UK drivingState licences,Pension or new pleaseUK clickState herePension.. Contact the International Pension Centre for further information.

Finance

There are mandatory deductions for tax, health insurance and pension insurance if you are working in South Korea. If you’re not working, you pay healthcare costs yourself without any insurance cover. It isn’t normally possible to claim reimbursement of pension insurance payments unless you have been resident in South Korea for at least 10 years.

Please visit the National Health Insurance Service. 

Life andcertificates Internationalfor PensionUK Centre.

State Pensions

Guidance

If onyou bringingget medicationa ‘life intocertificate’ Korea

Southfrom Koreanthe CustomsUK authoritiesPension allowService, you tomust bringrespond smallas amountssoon ofas medicationpossible. forYour yourpayments personalmay usebe suspended if you aredo onnot.

Money medication,and providedbanking

The thatlocal itcurrency is keptthe South Korean Won. There are a number of banks in carry-onSouth baggage.Korea. ItYou isshould advisedget advice directly from the banks on how to takeopen an Englishaccount.

Accommodation languageand prescriptionbuying fromproperty

Foreigners yourowning doctorproperty atin homeSouth forKorea bothare yournot prescriptiondiscriminated drugsagainst, and non-prescriptionforeign medicines.ownership Thatof way,business youis avoidlargely problemspermitted orin misunderstandingsmost atsectors. customsBuying inproperty Southis Korea.straightforward, Itunless isyou alsoneed a goodmortgage. ideaEach tobank has different conditions for mortgages. Please consult theirbanks websiteseparately.

See also buying a property abroad.

Driving beforein South Korea

Read the guidance on what actions you travelmust do to drive legally in South Korea.Korea

ForInformation moreon information,driving pleaseabroad visithttps://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad 

If theyou’re Departmentasked offor Healtha website.letter authenticating, certifying or validating your UK driver’s licence, you should contact your UK issuing office (e.g. the DVLA)

Sponsoring

Guidance familyfor members

travelling by road in South Korea 

ForeignersIf areyou allowedwish to entertake andyour livevehicle with you, see https://www.gov.uk/taking-vehicles-out-of-uk

Driving licence rules in South Korea withif theiryou familylive membersthere

In andorder dependants.to drive in Korea, you will require a Korean driving licence. Please visit the Korean Driver’s Licence Agency’s website for more information.

YouPlease shouldnote askthat theyou Immigrationmust Officetake directlya written exam before you can obtain a Korean driver’s licence except for furtherthose advicewho andhold informationUK onor sponsoringother familyapproved membersinternational todriving livelicences or UK apostilled driving licences. This written exam can be provided in SouthEnglish. Korea.Details on how to have your UK licence apostilled can be found here.

VisitFor theinformation Koreanabout ImmigrationUK Officedriving websitelicences, please click here.

Disabled fordrivers

If informationyou onhave applyinga forUK residenceBlue Badge and worklive permitsin andSouth Korea, you must return it to the requirementsoriginal forUK visas.issuing authority. 

Property

You andcan propertyfind disputes

Foreignersmore owninginformation propertyabout applying for a disabled parking permit in South Korea arehere.

Voting

You notmay discriminatedbe against,able andto foreignvote ownershipin ofsome businessUK iselections. largelyYou permittedcan:

• check inif mostyou sectors.are Buyingable propertyto isvote
• register straightforward,as unlessan youoverseas needvoter

Some aforeign mortgage.residents Eachmay bankhave hasthe differentright conditionsto forvote mortgages.in PleaseSouth consultKorean banks separately.elections.

SocialBirths, ethicsdeaths, marriage and traditionscivil partnership

Births

If your child is born in South Korea hasyou veryshould strictregister drugthe laws.birth Drugswith ofthe alocal lowerauthorities.  classificationYou incan then register with the UK areauthorities consideredand Classapply 1for drugsa inUK Southbirth Korea.certificate.

If Whetheryour forchild personalhas useBritish ornationality, you saledo not need to others,register possessionthe ofbirth drugswith resultsthe inUK authorities to apply for a lengthyBritish prisonpassport.

Deaths

If sentence.someone Pleasedies referin South Korea read our guidance on:

• What to thedo Ministryif ofsomeone Justicedies websiteabroad.
• Bereavement Pleaseguidance seefor TravelSouth AdviceKorea 
• English-speaking onfuneral localdirectors lawsin South Korea 

Marriage and customs.

civil partnership

Leaving

Find Southout how Koreayou can get married or get a civil partnership abroad.

Pets

If youyou’re wishmoving to leave South Korea andwith needyour topet, obtainread athe criminalguidance recordand clearanceensure fromyou comply with the Southregulations:

• Animal Koreanand authorities,Plant youQuarantine willAgency needin toKorea
• Taking applyyour pet abroad

To visit other countries with your pet, check the rules for athe Certificatecountry ofyou’re Notravelling Criminalto. RecordContact (‘Sinyour Wonvet Zungto Myungget Seo’):the travel documents your pet needs.

• Read guidance on: * bringing your pet to applyGreat forBritain. aCheck certificatethat whileyour youpet’s rabies vaccinations are residentup to date. Vets in SouthGreat Korea,Britain youcannot shouldenter applyrabies vaccination details in non-UK issued pet passports * travelling to Ireland with your localpet * Policetravelling Stationwith your pet in personthe EU

  Emergencies

  Dial:

  • 112 for the police
  • 119 for the ambulance or fire brigade
  • 182 to obtainreport a certificatemissing afterchild

  If you have leftbeen the victim of a rape or sexual assault in South KoreaKorea, youread shouldthe contactguidance youron nearestwhat Koreanto Embassies

Contingencydo planning

Theand levelwhere to get support in cases of tensionrape and sexual assault.  See also the securityguidance situationfor canvictims changeof withrape littleand notice.sexual Inassault theabroad. 

Find past,a heightenedlist tensionsof haven’tEnglish-speaking affectedlawyers dailyin life.South ThereKorea

If remainsyou’re athe threatvictim of furthera missilecrime, have been arrested, or nuclearare testsaffected by a crisis, contact the DPRK,British whichEmbassy couldSeoul.

Read leadthe toguidance instabilityon ininternational theparental region.child abduction if your child may be at risk of this.

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Read futurethe updatesguidance on returning to ourthe UK permanently which travelincludes adviceinformation andon closelybringing monitorfamily localmembers, tax and internationalaccess mediato coverage.services.

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