What is HiKorea (official website of the Immigration Office)

HiKorea website is a portal for immigration services in South Korea.

HiKorea is a government website set up by the Korean Ministry of Justice, the Minister of Economy, and the Ministry of Labor to provide online services and important information for foreigners living in Korea.

On the HiKorea website, you will find relevant information and services related to immigration, residence, naturalization, investment, employment, social integration programs, and the latest news about visas and visa adjustments.

If you plan to come to South Korea or if you are here and plan to stay longer than the period required for the tourist visa, you cannot stay without a visit to the immigration office.

You will need to apply for an ID card to notify the Korean government of an extended stay in Korea and the purpose of your stay. The ID card serves as an identification card government in Korea and gives you access to important services, such as setting up a bank account, applying for medical insurance, obtaining a driver's license, etc.

To validate your stay and obtain an ARC, you will need to make an online reservation through the HiKorea website portal followed by a personal visit to the immigration office. Korean offices for immigration do not offer services without a reservation, except for certain emergencies.

The HiKorea site can be a bit difficult to navigate, as only three language options are available (Korean, Chinese, and English), and most of the links on the site will take you to an available page only in Korean (including the guide to using the online application portal).

For the best experience using the HiKorea site, it is recommended that you use Internet Explorer to access the website. Google Chrome is NOT compatible with any HiKorea site or most browsers are not and they may give you some errors. There is also a mobile version of the website, but it works mostly only for reservations since the navigation is pretty rough.