The deadlines that quietly cost you: reporting duties and your extension
ENEnglishThis page is deliberately not about how to apply for a visa. Those procedures differ by
status and change often, and a page that gets them slightly wrong does real damage.
It is about something more stable and more commonly missed: the reporting duties that
already apply to you, the deadlines attached to them, and the one scheduling problem
that catches almost everyone.
THE DEADLINES
Learn these four. Almost all avoidable trouble sits here.
Moving house — report within 15 days
A change of address must be reported. Missing it risks a fine of up to
1,000,000 KRW. It is also what protects your housing deposit, which is covered in
the housing guide on this site — so this one is worth doing on time twice over.
Changing employer — report within 15 days
(F-4 holders: 14 days.) This is a report about a change that already happened.
Working outside your visa's scope — permission BEFORE you start
This one is different in kind. It is not a report after the fact; it is permission
in advance (자격외활동허가). Fines run from 100,000 to 2,000,000 KRW depending on
how long the unauthorised activity went on.
A part-time job, tutoring, freelance work on the side — if it isn't what your
status is for, ask first. "I didn't know" is expensive here, and the record follows
you into your next extension.
Extending your stay — apply from 4 months before expiry, up to the expiry date
Online applications generally must be in by the day before expiry. Do not plan
around the last day.
THE PART THAT ACTUALLY GOES WRONG: BOOKING
The deadlines above are not usually what people miss. What they miss is that many
immigration matters require an appointment booked in advance, and slots get taken.
You can be fully aware that your visa expires next month, do everything right, and still
find there is no appointment available before your expiry date.
So the practical rule is not "apply before the deadline". It is:
Start looking at appointment availability about two months before you need it.
If nothing is available, that is information you want early, while you still have room
to try another office, another date, or an online route.
DO IT ONLINE WHERE YOU CAN
Many reports and applications can be completed on HiKorea without going anywhere:
https://www.hikorea.go.kr
Address changes can also be handled at a 시/군/구 or 읍/면/동 office. Check the online
route first — an afternoon of queueing is often avoidable.
WHY THIS MATTERS MORE THAN THE FINE
The fine is the small part.
Your compliance history is visible when you apply to extend or change status. Late
reports, unauthorised work, and unpaid obligations turn a routine extension into a
question. In the worst case an extension is shortened or refused, and by then there is
no quick fix — you are arguing about the past.
Health insurance arrears work the same way, which is covered in the insurance guide.
Immigration and the health insurance service are not separate worlds.
DO THIS ONCE, TODAY
Open your calendar and add these, with alerts:
1. Your visa expiry date
2. A reminder 4 months before it — "check appointment availability"
3. A reminder 2 weeks before any known move-out date — "report address within 15 days"
That is ten minutes of work that prevents most of what this page describes.
Keep a photo of your ARC (both sides) somewhere you can reach without the card, and
know your own expiry date from memory. A surprising number of people don't.
WHERE TO CHECK — AND PLEASE DO
HiKorea (applications, reports, booking): https://www.hikorea.go.kr
Immigration Contact Center: 1345
Government services portal: https://www.gov.kr
Plain-language legal guide (Korean): https://easylaw.go.kr
1345 has interpretation in many languages, and asking them is free. For anything about
your specific status, they are a better source than any guide, including this one.
Written by the Go Korea team, accurate to the best of our knowledge as of August 2026.
Immigration rules, fees and processing arrangements change, and requirements differ by
status — always confirm with HiKorea or 1345 before acting. This is general information,
not immigration advice.
If a deadline or an office told you something different from this page, please reply.
Immigration practice varies more between offices than it should, and specifics from
people who actually went are worth more than a summary.