How to Register as an Agricultural Business Entity — Farmer Criteria, Registration Application, and Processing Periods of 30 and 90 Days

Procedure

1. 1. Check the farmer criteria

   Agricultural business entities are farmers and agricultural corporations, and a farmer must fall under one of the following: a person who manages or cultivates farmland of 1,000㎡ or more, a person whose annual sales of agricultural products are 1,200,000 won or more, a person engaged in agriculture for 90 days or more a year, or a person continuously employed for 1 year or more by a farming association corporation or agricultural company corporation (Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 2; Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Agriculture, Rural Community and Food Industry, Article 3(1)). Farmland attached to rural housing sold or leased to non-farmers is excluded from the 1,000㎡ criterion (same Article, Paragraph (1)1).

2. 2. Check whether the registration standards are met

   A farmer must have a legitimate title to means of production such as farmland, livestock barns, forest land, or horticultural facilities, and must have a sales record of directly produced agricultural products or an operating record of agricultural management such as the use of farm inputs (Enforcement Decree of the Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 2-2(1)1). An agricultural corporation must have a title to its means of production where it has them, and a record of business and activities in agricultural management (same Paragraph, Subparagraph 2).

3. 3. Prepare the registration application

   Farmers use Annexed Form No. 1 (for farmers) and agricultural corporations use Annexed Form No. 2 (for agricultural corporations), while forest land information is submitted to the Korea Forest Service using Annexed Forms No. 1-2 and No. 2-2 (Enforcement Rule of the same Act, Article 3(1)). The application states the managing farmer and other farmers, the owner-cultivated and leased area and the actually cultivated and fallow area by parcel, facilities and crops, and livestock facilities and herd size, and to list a non-family member as another farmer, a written employment contract stating that the person works as an employee for 90 days or more a year must be submitted (instructions for the same form).

4. 4. Submit and confirm registration

   Without a direct payment application, the application is submitted to the President of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service; with a direct payment application, it is submitted to the head of the eup, myeon, or dong where the farmland is located or to the President of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, and the eup, myeon, or dong forwards it to the President within 14 days of receipt (Enforcement Rule of the same Act, Article 3(1) and (2)). The President of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service checks whether the information is true and whether the registration standards are met, prepares the register, and upon request issues an agricultural business entity registration confirmation (Annexed Form No. 2-4) or certificate (Annexed Form No. 2-5) (same Article, Paragraphs (4) and (5)).

5. 5. Manage the validity period and change registration

   Registration is valid for 3 years from the date of registration or change registration, and when the validity period expires, the registration is cancelled (Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Articles 4(2) and 6-2(1)3). When important matters such as farmland or crops change, a change registration application under Annexed Form No. 6 must be submitted or the change requested by telephone, and when asked to correct or supplement registered information, the change registration must be made within 14 days (Enforcement Rule of the same Act, Article 4(1), (3), and (4)).

Required documents

• Agricultural business entity registration application (Enforcement Rule of the Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Annexed Form No. 1; Annexed Form No. 2 for agricultural corporations)
• Applicant's ID (alien registration card for foreign nationals)
• Materials showing title to use means of production, such as lease agreements for land and facilities other than farmland (farmland leases are confirmed through the lease status in the farmland ledger)
• Records of sales of directly produced agricultural products or records of agricultural operations such as purchases of farm inputs
• Livestock business permit or livestock farming registration certificate (if raising livestock)
• Written employment contract for a non-family member listed as another farmer (working 90 days or more a year)
• For agricultural corporations, proof of the farmer status of members and registered directors (agricultural business entity certificate or farmer confirmation)
• If not consenting to joint use of administrative information, the relevant documents such as a resident registration abstract and land ledger

Fees

No fee is prescribed on the agricultural business entity registration application form under the Enforcement Rule of the Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities. Our office fee starts from the amount shown above and may vary depending on the number of farmland parcels, lease arrangements, and whether the applicant is an agricultural corporation; we will give you an exact quote after reviewing your documents.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 2
• Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 4
• Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 6-2
• Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 8
• Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 31-2
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 2-2
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 3
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Article 4
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Annexed Form No. 1
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Annexed Form No. 2
• Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Agriculture, Rural Community and Food Industry, Article 3
• Enforcement Decree of the Farmland Act, Article 3

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-26

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

• If registration or change registration is made by false or other fraudulent means, the registration is cancelled, new registration is not allowed for 1 year from the date of cancellation, and a fine of up to 5,000,000 won may be imposed (Act on Fostering and Supporting Agricultural and Fisheries Business Entities, Articles 6-2(1)1 and (4), and 31-2(2)).
• When asked to correct or supplement registered information, change registration must be made within 14 days, and failure to do so may result in correction or cancellation of the registered information or restriction of loans and subsidies (Enforcement Rule of the same Act, Article 4(4); same Act, Articles 6-2(1)5 and 8(2)).

Frequently asked questions