Motor Vehicle Maintenance Business Registration Procedure and Requirements — What to Check Before Signing a Lease for an Auto Repair Shop

Procedure

1. 1. Decide the type of maintenance business

   If you handle all vehicle types, it is a comprehensive motor vehicle maintenance business, and if you handle mainly passenger cars and small vans and trucks, it is a small motor vehicle comprehensive maintenance business. A specialized maintenance business can maintain only devices outside the restricted scope of work, so consider a comprehensive maintenance business if you intend to do sheet metal work and painting or maintenance of major devices.

2. 2. Check the site and the building

   Use the land use plan confirmation certificate to see whether a maintenance shop is possible in the use zone, and use the building register to check whether the use category is motor vehicle-related facilities or whether a change of use is possible. Registration is difficult if the building is marked as being in violation of building regulations or the ceiling is too low to install a lift.

3. 3. Apply for registration

   Attach to the application for registration of motor vehicle management business a location map and floor plan, a list of facilities and planned layout, and a business plan containing the required funds and the plan for securing employees, and submit it to the city, county or district office. If there is sheet metal or painting work, also check environment-related procedures such as the report of installation of air pollution prevention facilities.

4. 4. Secure facilities and maintenance personnel

   If the application is judged to meet the registration standards, the city, county or district office sets a period for securing facilities and maintenance personnel (the securing period) and gives notice. The securing period is up to 12 months, and within it you must submit documents proving the right of use, the facility layout, documents showing conformity with the registration standards, and copies of the maintenance personnel's qualification certificates with their written consent to employment.

5. 5. Issuance of the registration certificate and management of changes

   Once the documents are in order, the business is entered in the register, the business commencement date is set and the registration certificate is issued. If the trade name, location, area or the like changes after registration, apply for change registration within 15 days after the change.

Required documents

• Application for registration of motor vehicle management business
• Location map and floor plan of the place of business
• List of facilities and planned layout (including the lease contract if the premises are leased)
• Business plan (including required funds and the plan for securing employees)
• To be submitted within the securing period: documents proving the right to use the land and building, and documents proving conformity with the registration standards
• Copies of the maintenance personnel's qualification certificates and written consent to employment

Fees

Agency fees for motor vehicle maintenance business registration generally range in the industry from several hundred thousand won up to the 1,000,000 won range and vary with the type of maintenance business, the scope of the site review and whether preceding procedures such as a change of use are needed. We will tell you the fee after a consultation, based on the status of the site.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Motor Vehicle Management Act, Article 53
• Enforcement Decree of the Motor Vehicle Management Act, Article 12
• Enforcement Rule of the Motor Vehicle Management Act, Article 111
• Enforcement Rule of the Motor Vehicle Management Act, Article 112
• Enforcement Rule of the Motor Vehicle Management Act, Article 131
• Enforcement Rule of the Motor Vehicle Management Act, Article 132

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-02

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• The detailed area and equipment standards among the registration standards are set by metropolitan city or provincial (si/do) ordinance, so first check the ordinance of the place where the business is located.
• If the facilities and maintenance personnel are not secured within the securing period, the securing notice is cancelled.

Frequently asked questions